Bulgaria to impose fines of up to €50,000 for unjustified food price rises

Bulgaria's Consumer Protection Commission will impose fines of between 10,000 and 50,000 euros for each food product found to have an unjustified price increase. Commission Chair Maya Manolova told Nova TV that the commission will continue to focus its inspections on food products.

Manolova said the aim is to bring prices down and create fairer conditions for consumers. After publishing data on profit margins of 141% on food products, she said she had received phone calls from citizens who believed margins on butter reached 240%. She described the 141% profit margin on dairy products as extremely high and said Bulgarians' purchasing power under current conditions was putting serious pressure on households.

After its food price checks, the commission said it will turn its attention to medicine prices, bank fees and mobile telecommunications services.