Over the long term, the removal of phosphorus from the products sold by the major manufacturers will have no effect on prices. Current phosphate-free detergents are expensive because manufacturers are producing much smaller volumes. Because it is scarce, manufacturers are able to charge up to five times more than for the usual products. However, even those products are starting to disappear from the market. Large chains, notably those that sell the President's Choice brand, are starting to sell dishwashing detergents without phosphorus that are no more expensive than the other products.
