Oriana Papantoniou
As the debate over e-kalathi continues, the real question for Cyprus households is a simple one: does it actually help families save money at the supermarket, or does it just add more confusion to an already expensive weekly shop?
The Consumer Service insists the platform is being misunderstood.
Aliki Iordanou, head of the Competition Branch at the Consumer Service, pushed back this week against claims by the Consumers’ Association that e-kalathi is misleading shoppers and distorting prices.
She stressed that supermarkets are not legally required to upload all their products to e-kalathi, meaning consumers should not expect to see a full trolley reflected on the platform. Most supermarkets, she said, already list more than 400 items.
That matters for families trying to stretch their budgets, as price comparisons may be based on a limited selection of products, rather than the full range people regularly buy.
Iordanou also addressed accusations of “price cooking,” clarifying that examples cited by the Consumers’ Association, including a yogurt priced at €2.75, were based on price list figures, not the real wholesale prices paid by supermarkets.
In practice, she said, wholesale prices vary depending on how much a supermarket buys, what deals it has with suppliers, whether products are on promotion and how payments are made. In other words, the same product can legitimately cost different amounts at different stores.
For shoppers, this means e-kalathi should be seen as a guide, not a guarantee of the cheapest overall shop.
The Consumer Service says the platform is still a work in progress. About 150 fresh food items are expected to be added by March 1, with another 1,000 products by June, which could make comparisons more meaningful for everyday household shopping.
The Consumers’ Association, however, remains unconvinced, warning that there are “strong indications” prices are being presented in a way that could mislead consumers into thinking one supermarket is cheaper than another.
E-kalathi has been operating since June 2025, with the aim of helping shoppers compare prices while encouraging competition to push costs down.
For now, Cyprus households may need to use e-kalathi with a healthy dose of caution, checking offers in-store, watching promotions closely, and remembering that the cheapest basket online may not always translate to the cheapest bill at the checkout.
