Page 314 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - FEBRUARY 2025 Part 1

markets, to ensure supply meets demand during high-peak months like Ramadan,” Darwish
pointed out.

The ministry is keen on ensuring supermarkets do not raise the set prices of the nine basic
products announced recently and will be conducting 420 inspection visits during the holy month. In
December last year, the ministry said retailers are not allowed to increase prices of nine basic
consumer product without prior approval. The products include cooking oils, eggs, dairy, rice,
sugar, poultry, legumes, bread and wheat.

Additional inspections
Additionally, the ministry has also coordinated with local consumer protection authorities in each
emirate to carry out additional inspections and market observation. During the first two months of
this year, the ministry carried out 768 inspection campaigns.

In 2024, the ministry’s inspectors conducted 80,249 surprise visits across various kinds of outlets
throughout the year, which resulted in 8,388 violations for several violations, including fake spare
parts at car showrooms, for instance.

Darwish said inspections are not limited to physical visits. “We are constantly monitoring the
market through our online platforms and consumer protection WhatsApp group.”

Ministry e-linked to major outlets

The ministry is e-linked with 14 major outlets across the UAE to flag any price changes related to the
basic products.
“We identified the major consumer outlets across the UAE, like the co-ops, Spinneys, Carrefour,
Lulu, Al Safeer, KM, Maya Supermarket… whose sales constitute over 80% of purchased products
by consumers across the UAE,” he explained.

“If they change the price of any basic product, it would be automatically flagged. The system shows
a red flag when the price tag exceeds the permissible limit, and this not only applies to the Ministry,
it has also been linked across all local economic authorities. So, in addition to physical inspection
visits, we observe those 14 major outlets online.”

“You will be surprised at how quick we communicate on the local and federal level between
observation and consumer protection officials. Any information we receive, it is spread to all
concerned parties in less than a second via What’s App. We don’t wait to send emails.”
Darwish urged consumers to report any tampering they observe with price tags at supermarkets, as
well as any quality issues they witness, through the toll-free number 8001222, or its social media
platforms. Last year, the ministry received 1,891 consumer complaints electronically, out of which
93% were resolved timelessly.

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/ramadan/ramadan-discounts-in-uae-supermarkets-offer-10000-
products-in-50-bargain