Chef Silvena Rowe, who joined parliament's agriculture, food and forests committee as an expert adviser a few weeks ago, has compared the prices of 11 basic foods in Sofia and Dubai. Seven of them cost more in the Bulgarian capital.

Everyday items on Bulgarian menus show a gap too. Yoghurt, long linked with Bulgaria, is 19% more expensive in Sofia than in Dubai.

The biggest gap is for lemons, which cost 135% more in Bulgaria than in the United Arab Emirates. Bread in Sofia costs 60% more, eggs 48% more and fresh milk 26% more. Pay in Dubai is about three times higher than in Bulgaria.

The comparison began with a phone call between Rowe and her mother. It led her to start a campaign against high food prices in Bulgaria.

Rowe says the gap comes from a degree of greed, as supermarket chains want maximum profit. She said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has made deliveries to the Emirates harder, but has not pushed prices up there as much as expected.

In the UAE, the state controls price rises for nine categories of essential goods. Traders must get permission from the relevant ministry before they raise prices.

Every day, a special state platform tracks the prices of more than 8,000 products in 525 shops.