Supply Ministry’s price-printing policy officially comes into effect

The Supply Ministry’s price-printing policy officially came into effect yesterday, Al Masry Al Youm reports. The decree requires grocers to clearly list prices either on the product’s packaging or on the shelves inside their respective stores. It also aims to control price gouging by forcing vendors to sell goods within a certain price range set by the manufacturer and print the original price on the sale receipt. Several vendors have yet to comply with the directive, and claim that they need some time to implement it, according to Al Shorouk. Minister Ali El Moselhy had previously said grocers will be granted a grace period until 1 February. The policy had been met with outcry from food manufacturers, who objected to an initial proposal that would have forced them to print prices on packaging, arguing that it would add more pressure on the industry by adding to their costs and disrupting the production process with the additional step.