THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) denied a consumer group’s claim that the prices of dozens of items classified as basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs), including fish, meat and milk, increased in the first eight months of 2018.

In a statement on Wednesday, DTI said that based on official data, Laban Konsyumer Inc.’s computation was “too high” and “way too far” compared with the department’s.