Food price shock: Chicken nuggets cheaper than lettuce

Families will be forced to choose between cheap takeaways and costly fresh food as the price of veggies skyrockets.

A takeaway box of 10 chicken nuggets is now cheaper than a lettuce, with health experts warning that struggling families will be forced to choose the cheaper, less healthy option.

In the past year the cost of vegetables have risen by a staggering 12.7 per cent and beef and veal by 12.1 per cent.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics, which revealed the latest data, said underlying inflation was at its highest since 2009

Some of the price hikes were blamed on flooding in NSW and Queensland which disrupted vegetable supply in early March.

Lettuce now costs more than a takeaway box of 10 chicken nuggets.

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) out on Wednesday showed how general food groceries had risen by four per cent in the last quarter, compared with meals and takeaways which had risen by just 0.7 per cent. Some price rises were offset by Covid recovery voucher schemes.

Meanwhile, food groceries in general have jumped 4.3 per cent in the last 12 months, compared with meals out and takeaways which have risen 2.6 per cent.

Dietitians Australia chief executive Robert Hunt warned the federal government to expect the nation’s diet-related health crisis to get worse as families struggled to afford fresh nutritious food.

“The reality of our situation is that a box of 10 chicken nuggets from a fast-food outlet is currently cheaper than an iceberg lettuce,” said Chief Executive Officer of Dietitians Australia, Robert Hunt.

“Who would blame a family with $5 for choosing one over the other?

“This is a systemic problem where highly marketed, nutrient-poor and energy-dense foods are often seemingly cheaper and more accessible than fresh nutritious options.”

Dietitians Australia said a box of 10 penny pincher chicken nuggets from Hungry Jacks cost $4.95, compared with an iceberg lettuce from a supermarket which cost $5.

Mr Hunt said 27,500 people in Australia die every year from a preventable death due to unhealthy eating.

He called on the government for urgent intervention through a national nutrition policy, to ensure equitable and affordable access to nutritious food for all Australians.

In the budget the Morrison government announced $700k towards the development of a national framework.

The floods in NSW and Queensland are partly to blame for the rise in vegetable prices. (Photo by Bradley RICHARDSON / Australian Defence Force / AFP)

“A national nutrition policy could play a leading role in elevating the nation’s health through addressing eating patterns that are influenced by affordability, food supply and promotion of unhealthy food for commercial profit,” Mr Hunt said.

“People who experience greater social disadvantage through relative lack of opportunity in education, employment, and income suffer increased risk of malnutrition, food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease.”

Parenting advocate, Thrive by Five Director Jay Weatherill, said Australian families are facing financial pressures from all directions.

“Too many families with young children are trapped in a vice of rising childcare costs and soaring food costs, and not much room to move for some relief,” he said.

“Reducing the cost of high-quality childcare would free up family budgets, help address inflation and allow families with young children better choices and options.”

Booze and cigarettes also saw price rises in the last quarter, by one per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively.

Originally published as Food price shock: Chicken nuggets cheaper than lettuce