Tunisia's Ministry of Trade and Export Development conducted 50,758 monitoring visits across various sectors in September 2026, leading to the detection of 7,953 violations. These visits were carried out by economic monitoring teams, according to a statement released by the ministry. The violations were primarily related to transparency in transactions, prices, and anti-competitive practices.
The 7,953 violations were categorized into several areas, including 3,715 related to transparency in transactions, 2,688 related to prices and anti-competitive practices, and 1,526 related to quality, metrology, and other areas. Additionally, 24 violations were linked to tampering with subsidized materials. The monitoring visits covered multiple sectors, including fresh agricultural and marine products, food products, bakeries, restaurants, cafes, and various industrial materials.
The ministry's monitoring efforts also resulted in the confiscation of various quantities of products and materials. These included 53 tons of subsidized grain derivatives, 209 tons of vegetables and fruits, 4,939 kilograms of poultry meat, 21,450 eggs, 3.5 tons of sugar, 200,000 liters of mineral water, and 73 tons of animal feed. Furthermore, 83,091 subsidized notebooks and 28,327 boxes of tobacco were also confiscated.
The ministry has been closely monitoring sectors that experienced pressure on supply and prices. Since the beginning of August 2026, 1,135 violations were detected in the mineral water sector, of which 573 were related to prices and anti-competitive practices. In the school supplies sector, 817 violations were recorded, including 214 related to exceeding prices and anti-competitive practices.
In addition to its field monitoring activities, the Ministry of Trade has been using the green number 80100191 as a mechanism for citizens to report violations. Between January 1 and September 30, 2026, the ministry received 1,609 complaints, primarily related to price and supply issues. These complaints were forwarded to relevant authorities for necessary action.
The complaints received by the ministry were mainly related to mineral water (816 complaints), followed by the poultry, egg, and food products sector (136 complaints), and other food products (102 complaints). Most complaints concerned price hikes or illegal sales (983 complaints), accounting for 61% of all complaints, followed by complaints of refusal to sell or hiding goods (308 complaints), accounting for 18.8%.
The complaints were distributed across various regional trade administrations, with the Tunis administration recording 368 complaints (22.9% of total complaints), followed by Ben Arous (160 complaints, 9.9%), and Ariana (144 complaints). The ministry's efforts aim to ensure transparency and fairness in trade practices, protecting consumer rights and promoting a level playing field for businesses.
Key points
- The Tunisian Ministry of Trade detected 7,953 violations during 50,758 monitoring visits in September 2026.
- The ministry confiscated various quantities of products and materials, including 53 tons of subsidized grain derivatives and 209 tons of vegetables and fruits.
- The ministry received 1,609 complaints between January 1 and September 30, 2026, primarily related to price and supply issues.
