The Department of Agriculture (DA) is cracking down on vendors selling onions and pork above suggested retail prices, issuing formal “notices to explain” to those found overcharging consumers ahead of the holidays.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Guevarra said Sunday that the agency has begun sending the notices, which she referred to as “love letters,” to sellers found in violation of the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price.

The monitoring has focused heavily on imported red onions. While vendors are largely complying with the P120 price for imported white onions, many are selling red onions for more than P200, well above the P150 suggested price.

Guevarra said the department is also monitoring pork prices. While vendors generally follow the suggested price of P370 per kilo for pork belly and P330 for kasim or pigue for bulk buyers, some have increased prices by P20 to P30.

“Some vendors claim that sales are slow and that raising prices is their way of making up for the low number of buyers,” Guevarra said.

She added that vendors often intentionally spike prices as Christmas approaches to recoup previous losses, a practice she warned could be considered profiteering.

Despite the spikes in meat and onions, other commodities remain stable. Carrots, which have a suggested price of P120, are currently retailing for P90 to P100 per kilo due to an ample supply.

In other markets, beef is priced between P400 and P500, while galunggong is selling for P280 to P330. Milkfish, or bangus, is retailing at P250 and tilapia ranges from P150 to P200.

Officials expect fish prices to decline once the regular fishing season resumes.

Guevarra noted a shift in consumer behavior, observing that more families are choosing to buy prepared meals rather than cooking for the traditional Noche Buena feast.