Rising food costs: Man’s $84.90 grocery trip exposes Sydney’s major price crisis

With mostly pantry essentials in this trolley, the cost of this Sydney man’s average grocery shop has highlighted the rising cost of living pressures plaguing Aussies.

A Sydney man has exposed the city’s rising cost of living crisis in just one photo of his shopping trolley.

Sharing a photo of a small supermarket shop at a Woolworths, his selection of largely pantry and household essentials set him back nearly $85.

“This was $84.90 without the milk (that wouldn‘t scan),” the Reddit user wrote, sharing a photo of his meagre supermarket shop.

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The Sydney man shared the contents of his supermarket shop. Picture: Reddit.

His shop featured items most household will be familiar with. Also posting his receipt, the other items included Listerine ($11 for 1 litre), two packets of Barilla Spaghettini ($5.40 or $2.70 each) and Lurpak Spreadable Butter ($6.50).

Surprisingly, the one of the most expensive items from his shop was the 1.2kg of tomatoes he purchased, which were $9.90 a kg and came to a total of $12.20. He also purchased a dozen extra large 800g eggs from Farmer Rods which were $10.

The Sydney man also shared his receipt. Picture: Supplied.

Despite this, some comments on his post, made the point that the price of the shop was likely increased due to some of the more premium products in his trolley. For example, the ‘gourmet tomatoes’ would have likely been a pricier pick than a cheaper variety. His chosen kind of extra large eggs from the brand Farmer Rods, was also more expensive than Woolworth’s in-house range which cost $4.90.

However, he justified his slightly more expensive purchases: “I know, I just have a preference for better quality ingredients where I can get them and comparing fresh tomatoes with tinned is apples and oranges”.

The Reddit user also wrote that while some of the products may have been pricier, none of the products he bought could be considered premium or lavish purchases.

“I’ve got to be honest, apart from some eggs which are more ethical and butter that’s about a dollar more than standard, what in this cart is luxury? The tomato pesto? It was half price and only 25c more than Woolworths brand of a similar product,” he wrote.

“Nivea soap was all that was left in the cleared out isle apart from goats milk soap which I’m not really in the market for. The mozzarella is the cheapest fresh option and the pasta is middle of the road in terms of cost.

He also said that products at the supermarket had noticeably increased in the past months.

“I know there are cheaper options. I haven’t changed what I’m buying and it’s far more expensive than it used to be and that’s the point of this.”

food inflation

According to the Consumer Price Index, between the 2021 to 2022 March Quarter, the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages have increased by 4.3 per cent alone. The most significant rise was in the cost of fuel which increased by 11 per cent.

In terms of groceries, the CPI found that the cost of fruits and vegetables grew by 6.7 per cent in the last year, while meat and seafoods increased by 6.2 per cent. Bread and cereal products also increased by 3 per cent, dairy and dairy-related products by 4.1 per cent and food products by 4.2 per cent.

Closely related, the cost of non-durable household products like toilet paper, dishwashing soap and light bulbs rose by a massive 8 per cent year-on-year.

Fresh produce has seen price increases of 6.7 per cent, year-on-year. Picture: Supplied/ Woolworths.

Like rising gas and electricity costs, a perfect storm of factors has also caused food prices to soar. Contributing to about 25 per cent of the world’s wheat supply, Ukraine, Ukrainian war has devastated its output. Failed harvests in India have also seen the country implement an export ban.

The skyrocketing cost of fertiliser due to supply chain issues in China could also cause more problems for future seasons, with smaller yields a big concern.

Last week, agriculture expert David Williams predicted that food costs could continue to rise 10 per cent due to “Covid-related effects alone”.

“One-off significant increases in grain costs will drive food inflation and increase the cost of stock feed and therefore beef and other proteins,” he told The Australian.

In late May, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva highlighted food security as a pressing concern.

“We can shrink the use of petrol when growth slows down but we have to eat every day,” she told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“The anxiety about access to food at a reasonable price, globally, is hitting the roof.”