Essential non-food items added to e-portal www.ekalata.gov.ge

A new feature has gone live on the informational portal www.ekalata.gov.ge, an initiative launched by the Government of Georgia.
Alongside the existing 13 essential food staples, prices for 10 basic non-food household items have now been added to the website, enabling consumers to compare prices across a broader range of everyday goods and find the best available deals.

The non-food category encompasses 10 personal hygiene and household products, including toothpaste, liquid and bar hand soap, shampoo, washing-up liquid, paper napkins, and other day-to-day essentials.

According to data posted on the portal as of 12:00 on August 3, the lowest combined cost for the 13 basic food staples stands at 37.65 GEL, whilst the lowest combined cost for the 10 essential non-food items is 38.16 GEL.

At present, www.ekalata.gov.ge features 477 top deals across 13 major retail supermarket chains.

www.ekalata.gov.ge was created as part of a short-term strategy developed under a Government initiative and the Parliamentary Temporary Commission studying price formation on food products, medicines, and fuel. The platform aims to consolidate information on the best available offers for basic essential goods into a single platform, facilitate informed consumer choices, and further foster a competitive environment within the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) sector.

The portal was launched at the end of June this year. Over the preceding period, the lowest combined cost of basic food staples has decreased by 15 per cent, with thousands of consumers taking advantage of the service.

According to the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, the information on the portal is updated regularly based on data supplied by retail chains.