The Cyprus government started a website called e-kalathi. It started six months ago. The goal was to help people save money on food shopping. People can compare prices of 200 important products from different supermarkets online. The government hoped supermarkets would lower their prices.
But a consumer group studied the website. They say it is not working. The price difference between cheap and expensive supermarkets is smaller now. But this is because the cheap supermarkets raised their prices. The expensive supermarkets did not lower theirs.
The website also has problems. It does not show all the products from the supermarkets. Also, some supermarkets now have different prices in different stores. This makes it confusing for shoppers.
The consumer group says the website failed its main goal. It did not make supermarkets compete with lower prices. People can still use the website to check prices. But it is not helping to make all food cheaper in Cyprus.