The finance ministry has urged consumers to make full use of the e-kalathi price comparison platform when buying food for the Christmas festive season.

In a statement, the consumer protection service said e-kalathi offers “transparent price data” that assists shoppers in identifying the most economical choices.

It encouraged consumers to consult the platform at every stage of the purchasing process, arguing that systematic price monitoring can support better value decisions during a period of traditionally higher spending.

Launched in June, e-kalathi records and compares supermarket prices for around 200 common goods.

Its stated aims are to help consumers find cheaper options and to stimulate competition between retailers, with the expectation that greater transparency would place downward pressure on prices.

However, consumer groups remain sceptical about the platform’s overall impact.

The Cyprus consumers association has repeatedly said that early results show limited success in reducing supermarket prices.

While the gap between the most expensive and the cheapest supermarkets has narrowed over recent months, the association argues this appears to be driven more by rising prices at cheaper outlets than by reductions at more expensive ones.

According to data cited by the association, the difference in total cost for the same basket of goods fell from 13 per cent in July to 5.8 per cent in November.

The association maintains that this trend undermines the platform’s core objective of fostering price competition that benefits consumers.

The association has also raised concerns about the scope and functionality of e-kalathi.

It says the number of products available for direct comparison has declined steadily, making meaningful comparisons more difficult.

Out of hundreds of monitored items, only a fraction are consistently listed across major supermarket chains, while participation varies widely between retailers.

In addition, the association has criticised the lack of features allowing consumers to compare the total cost of a full shopping basket across supermarkets or to search based on proximity to their home.

These limitations, it argues, reduce the practical usefulness of the tool for everyday shopping decisions.

The ministry insists that e-kalathi remains a valuable aid for informed shopping.