“It is important for the state to constantly pay attention to market monitoring and profitability.”
“There is no need to introduce additional regulation where everything is working. Our goal is to ensure that the conditions in the industry are fair. At the level of the state administration system, we plan to focus on citizens' feedback,” explains the essence of his position Czech 'food ombudsman' Jindřich Fialka.
The new position was initiated by the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Martin Šebestián, who is primarily concerned with ensuring that citizens have access to quality and affordable food: “The task of the food ombudsman will be to protect consumer rights, as well as to support local farmers and food producers, so that consumers receive high-quality, safe, and affordable food. His responsibilities will also include promoting regional producers and raising awareness of them among Czech consumers.”
Before being appointed as the food ombudsman, Jindřich Fialka headed the department of the food industry. Upon taking office, he stated his intention to inform citizens about trends in food price formation and the factors influencing this process.
“On the website, consumers will be able to find all the necessary and detailed information. Data on the quality and safety of food products will be available, as well as current indicators that we are working with,” Jindřich Fialka clarifies.
The food ombudsman is confident that consumer awareness contributes to lowering prices. However, the Ministry of Agriculture does not intend to directly regulate food prices in Czech stores.
The Czech Agricultural Chamber positively assesses the creation of the new position. According to its press secretary Barbora Panková, the food ombudsman can, for example, monitor whether traders are artificially inflating prices: “It is important for the state to constantly pay attention to market monitoring and profitability. If we can show who and what share of profit they receive in the supply chain, this can contribute to creating fairer conditions.”
The Czech Food Chamber shares a similar opinion. Its press secretary Marek Zemanek, however, emphasizes that the goal of the food ombudsman's activities should not be price regulation, as is the case in Hungary: “However, it is necessary to regulate discount promotions. Today, 60% of our entire assortment is sold with discounts, and some products cannot be sold otherwise. It is necessary to openly acknowledge that the 'promotional price' in the Czech Republic often corresponds to the standard price, and the normal price tags in stores usually show an artificially inflated cost.”
In contrast, Jaroslav Šebek, chairman of the Association of Private Farmers, doubts that the existence of the food ombudsman position will bring about any real change. In his opinion, it is much more important to support local producers and create a more serious competitive environment. This, according to Šebek, will lead to lower prices.
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