Ministry of Economy and Tourism launches 'Essential Goods Prices Platform' to promote smart shopping and reinforce price transparency and stability

Initiative bolsters consumer confidence and underpins a sustainable retail environment across UAE markets

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) announced the launch of the ‘Essential Goods Prices Platform,’ an innovative digital initiative aimed at enhancing consumer awareness of smart shopping practices and ensuring full transparency in the pricing of listed goods.

The platform supports the Ministry’s efforts to promote a smart and sustainable shopping environment, empowering consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. It also reinforces fair competition, contributes to market stability, and helps safeguard the purchasing power of citizens and residents alike.

The newly launched platform enables the collection and analysis of price data for essential consumer goods. In its initial phase, it covers 33 items, including 17 basic goods and 16 other essential products. Prices are monitored in real time across 12 major retail outlets nationwide, with minimum and maximum prices published for each outlet, allowing consumers to easily compare prices across different retailers. Furthermore, the platform comes with smart features that enable consumers to create a customized food basket tailored to their needs and guide them to the most cost-effective options. These tools help reinforce transparency and ensure the optimal utilization of consumers' financial resources.

H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, stated: “Guided by the UAE's wise leadership, the country has successfully established an advanced legislative and digital framework to safeguard consumer rights in line with global best practices. This has contributed to providing a safe and stable consumer environment, while driving the growth of the wholesale and retail sectors. Ultimately, these efforts support the national economy, and enhance its competitiveness and sustainability, in line with the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision.”

H.E. added: “The ‘Essential Goods Prices Platform’ is a landmark initiative that empowers consumers to shop smarter and enhances their awareness of informed purchasing practices. It also promotes fair competition among retailers, ensuring price transparency, supporting market stability, and safeguarding purchasing power. The platform further strengthens collaboration between the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, local economic departments, and relevant authorities to ensure consumers’ access to the best prices and offers on essential consumer goods.”

H.E. Bin Touq further stated: “Through promoting smart shopping experiences, the platform enhances consumer confidence in local markets. Additionally, it fosters an effective balance between price monitoring and safeguarding purchasing power, which positively impacts economic activities in the country and underpins their long-term sustainability.”

The Ministry updates commodity prices on the platform daily to ensure accurate monitoring of market dynamics. The platform receives data through direct integration with participating retail outlets, which automatically share price information with the Ministry’s database.

Key basic consumer goods covered by the platform include cooking oil, eggs, dairy products, rice, sugar, poultry, meat, fish, legumes, bread, wheat, and water. It also features prices of fruits such as bananas, oranges, and apples, as well as vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, and onions. This ensures comprehensive coverage of the most consumed items and precise monitoring of market trends.

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism invites the public to explore the platform and utilize its services by visiting https://www.moet.gov.ae/en/essential-goods-prices-platform The Ministry also urges consumers to report any discrepancies between the prices published on the platform and the actual prices in stores by calling 8001222.

The Ministry emphasizes the importance of adopting sound consumer practices, purchasing based on actual needs, and avoiding hoarding or excessive shopping. These practices play a vital role in underpinning price stability and ensuring the availability of goods for all members of society.