The Hungarian competition authority (GVH) has launched a rapid sectoral investigation into the cooking oil market, suspecting that market characteristics may have led to higher prices in Hungary compared to surrounding countries.

This investigation is part of a broader collaboration with the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) aimed at protecting consumers from excessive price increases and illegal practices stemming from a lack of competition.

Recent data shows that the average consumer price level in Hungary is at 69% of the EU average, yet food prices are only 4.9% lower than the EU average, indicating a significant discrepancy that cannot be easily justified by local economic conditions.

The GVH has noted that the price of cooking oil has increased by 15.8% in Hungary from December 2024 to autumn 2025, compared to a 9.7% increase in the other Visegrád countries during the same period.

Given these findings, the GVH has deemed it necessary to investigate the factors contributing to the price discrepancies in the sunflower oil market, which is crucial for consumer protection.

The rapid sectoral investigation will involve collecting mandatory responses from market participants to identify potential distortions in competition and will conclude with a public report summarizing the findings within a month.