Federal Election debate: Who can keep the cost of food down? Watch replay

Food prices are rising at the supermarket. Now, our experts explain how the major political parties are dealing with it. Watch the replay of the roundtable debate.

It is only a matter of time until consumers will be paying more at the supermarket checkout for a broader range of food staples.

That’s according to Australian Food and Grocery Council chief executive officer Tanya Barden.

“I think that is only a matter of time (before more food products and ingredients rise in cost,” Ms Barden told a pre-election roundtable forum hosted by The Weekly Times tonight. “We are seeing cost pressure right across the whole supply chain, so what is happening in the agriculture sector is also happening through manufacturing, transport, distribution, right through to retail.

“Plastic packaging is actually made from oil so the oil prices are not only impacting on food costs and distribution costs but also on the cost of packaging.

“While some (food) products have risen in price already, others are still are yet to come so I can anticipate more down the line.”

Latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show food inflation was up 4.3 per cent in the 12 months to March, with the traditional meat and three-veg diet hurting the most as fresh vegetable and meat prices jumped 6.7 per cent and 6.2 per cent respectively.

National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke said Australia had come out of a significant dry period up and down the east now into severe weather period with floods, which had hindered supply.

He said compounding the problem were significant workforce issues which presented constraints with “physically being able to grow the crops and pick the crops and then transport the crops logistically”, rising global input rates and “extreme prices being driven by external factors outside of Australia” including the Ukraine crisis.

“We have probably never seen so much risk being put on to the table as far as the ability to grow food, but on the other side we’ve never seen so much demand for food,” Mr Jochinke said. “From our perspective, it is about understanding the price versus the value of food and making sure we can get it to the people that need it on time.

“There is a lot going on beyond the farmers’ ability to control.”

The forum also heard from Rabobank Australia New Zealand managing director Peter Knoblanche and Foodbank chief executive Brianna Casey.

Originally published as Federal Election debate: Who can keep the cost of food down? Watch replay