Bulgaria's Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) is launching large-scale checks on major retail chains over high food prices. Speaking on the TV show "Face to Face," CPC chair Maya Manolova said Bulgarians pay much more than the average EU consumer for certain goods, even though their incomes are far lower.
"Someone is making brutal profits off the backs of Bulgarian citizens. It turns out Bulgarians are funding retail chains' profits," Manolova said.
Manolova pointed to figures showing oil and fat prices in Bulgaria run 42% above the EU average. She cited an index of 142 in her remarks, which Eurostat data confirm means prices are 42% higher than the EU average.
Other food categories show a similar pattern. Milk, dairy products and eggs carry an index of 126, meaning they cost 26% more than the EU average. Sugar and confectionery are close behind, with an index of 116 — 16% above the EU average.
2025 figures paint an odd picture. Bulgaria still has the lowest overall consumer price level in the EU, yet some food categories cost more than the EU average. Food and soft drinks overall sit at about 93% of the EU average, while oils, dairy and eggs run well above it.
That gap has turned retail markups into a sore point for the public. Manolova cited checks and sector studies by the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC-antitrust), which found huge gaps between wholesale supply prices and final shelf prices. The antitrust watchdog has confirmed retail markups of up to 90% on some dairy products. Figures as high as 130% have also circulated publicly, but those come from trade unions, not the antitrust regulator.
Manolova's plan as the new CPC chief is to make these gaps visible to shoppers right at the shelf, through what she calls a "wall of shame." She said this isn't meant to publicly shame companies, but to give shoppers information on prices and how far they sit from a "fair value."
"Bulgarians have a right to know not just how much more they pay for the same basic foods compared with European prices, but also how much profit the retail chains are making," the CPC chair said.
The "fair value" is meant as a guide, not a hard price cap. The formula behind it factors in the wholesale price, the retailer's running costs, the markup applied, and a comparison with the same goods in other EU countries. The economy ministry says the method is advisory only and carries no automatic penalties.
Manolova wants that changed. She argues the law should set out real consequences when a chain's price strays far from the calculated fair value with no economic justification.
"I want the law changed so that big gaps above the fair value trigger penalties," she said.
The CPC chair said she doesn't trust voluntary deals between the state and major chains. In June, retailers signed on to the "Basket with Care" project, pledging to cut prices on a set list of products. Manolova called the outcome "a joke" and said she doesn't believe companies will give up profits on their own.
"I personally don't believe retail chains will feel any shame. In fact, I don't think they'd give up even one euro cent of their profits or turnover voluntarily," Manolova said. She sees publishing the data as just a first step, to be followed by real controls.
Meanwhile, the antitrust watchdog is running its own review of the food market and has opened cases this year against major chains over suspected unfair trading practices toward producers and suppliers. The regulator points to "serious distortions" in the supply chain and has put forward 19 steps to improve competition. High markups on their own aren't necessarily illegal, though — a fine requires proof of an actual breach of competition rules or the law.
The CPC is now rolling out broad checks across stores nationwide. Manolova said the first round of inspections will be followed by a bigger campaign looking at how prices are set and whether pricing information is accurate. Prices have been her top priority since she took office.
Fuel has come under scrutiny too. Checks began on Tuesday, and early CPC figures show pump prices up 9% to 11% since the start of August. At the same time, Manolova said, retail markups on fuel have fallen — by around 20% for petrol and about 40% for diesel.
That shows rising fuel prices alone aren't proof of price gouging, since global oil prices, delivery costs and logistics all feed into the final price. The commission will look at whether individual petrol stations used the global market turmoil as cover to push prices above their actual costs.
Manolova stressed the checks won't target small petrol stations or family businesses. The goal, she said, is to find out where in the chain the unjustified markup happens and who pockets the biggest share of consumers' money.
Maya Manolova took over as CPC chair on September 18, appointed by the Council of Ministers. Just a week into the job, she put food and fuel prices at the center of the commission's work. It remains to be seen whether the pressure of naming and shaming chains against a "fair value" benchmark will change their pricing — or whether real penalties will follow.