Katarina Martins believes that “people know they’ve been robbed” when they go to the supermarket.

Bloco de Esquerda coordinator Catharina Martins said on Monday that “people know they are being robbed every day they come to supermarkets,” accusing the government of “studying” situations when it doesn’t want to do anything.

“People know that they are robbed every day when they come to supermarkets. They see the profits of the big distribution groups growing, they see their wages not growing,” said the BE Coordinator in Porto.

The MP, who will leave party coordination at the end of May, has been questioned over statements made on Sunday by Agriculture Minister Maria do Seu Antunes that the government is exploring “every measure” to ensure that the consumer can pay the right price for food.

“I think when the government doesn’t want to do anything, it says it’s going to study or prepare a working group,” said Katarina Martins this Monday in Porto on the sidelines of the CP demonstration – Comboios de Portugal. , at Campania station.

Katarina Martins also reminded farmers that “they don’t get the money they owe” for their produce.

“So yes, there is indeed a speculative movement in large-scale distribution, and the government, as it does not want to do anything, says it will study. I find this unacceptable, we said so,” he concluded, continuing to defend profit and price controls.

Announced in May 2022 by the Government, the creation of a price observatory was formalized by an order published in October last year.

The aim is to “effectively monitor” costs and prices throughout the agri-food supply chain and increase transparency.

An agriculture ministry source contacted by Lusa did not give a start date for the observatory, citing only that it would happen “in the very near future.”