The Executive Yuan's Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) on March 12 invited four hypermarkets (Carrefour, RT-Mart, FE-amart and Pxmart) and two supermarkets (Matsusei and Wellcome) to add chicken, pork and fish to their "price-freeze sections" for the benefit of consumers. As of today, five of the above chains (all except Wellcome) have responded that they will cooperate in kind.
Canned meat and fish as well as rice brands shall be added to the price-freeze sections, as well. In certain outlets, meal boxes will also be incorporated into these areas.
Prior to the addition of chicken, fish and pork, marts' price-freeze sections already contained 16 items. The DCP invited the hypermarket and supermarket operators to coordinate on adding more goods in response to the recent price fluctuations of pork, chicken and other agricultural and livestock products.
At these marts, chicken, pork and fish will be tagged with the "no price hike" label at eye-catching areas of the refrigerated or frozen food sections. In principle, they will be in place by March 23.
The increased costs of these products shall partially or fully borne by the hyper- and supermarket operators.
The DCP also pointed out that several hypermarket and supermarket operators have provided disadvantaged groups with preferential and charitable measures. For instance, Pxmart has distributed to some disadvantaged households a "loving welfare card" which is replenished with NT$1,000 (US$33) of stored value monthly for the purchase of daily necessities.
RT-Mart has collaborated with the Children Are Us Foundation (CAUF) on a scheme in which the chain donates one children's book to an elementary school in an indigenous village for every two of a designated section of children's books any consumer buys before March 25. It is also cooperating with Unilever Taiwan on a plan in which any consumer who donates an invoice receives a discount coupon worth NT$135 (US$4.45) for use at RT-Mart, and Unilever will simultaneously donate NT$3 (US$0.10) to CAUF's "send love to indigenous enclaves" program.
FE-amart has assisted the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families to publicize support and care for families.
The DCP has asked operators of both hypermarkets and supermarkets to strengthen their care measures for disadvantaged groups and publicize these efforts to maximize their effectiveness.