Imported fruit sold at fraction of cost of Australian-grown produce

Cheap canned fruit imported from China and South Africa is being sold at a fraction of the cost of Australian grown fruit.

Fruit imported from China and South Africa is being sold at Woolworths and Coles for a fraction of the price of locally-grown produce.

Preserving fruit imports have skyrocketed more than 105 per cent in the past decade, as supermarkets set prices for foreign fruit products at a fraction of the cost of locally-grown produce.

It comes as SPC, Australia’s remaining local cannery, slashed supply orders from domestic growers by 40 per cent for the coming season.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the value of imported preserved fruit into Australia has increased significantly in the past 10 years, jumping from $395 million to $812 million in 2022-23.

Analysis by The Weekly Times of supermarket prices for canned pear and peach products reveals a stark price point difference.

An 825g tin of Coles pear slices in juice – made using Australian and imported ingredients – retails for $4, or $4.85/kg.

The same size, SPC-branded product were priced at $5.30 a tin, or $6.42/kg – more than 32 per cent dearer.

At Woolworths, the supermarket brand 825g tin of sliced peaches in juice – a product of China – were priced at $3, or $3.64/kg.

The same size SPC tin of sliced peaches in juice would cost customers $5.30 or $6.42/kg.

Fruit imported from China and South Africa is being sold at Woolworths and Coles for a fraction of the price of locally-grown produce.

SPC said cheap imports and cost-of-living pressures forced it to reduce orders of pears and peaches, a decision that’s left some growers contemplating removing trees from orchards.

An SPC spokesman said cost-of-living pressures were driving consumers to purchase “alternative products imported from countries such as South Africa and China, where the cost of production is lower”.

But fruit growers have called on the supermarket duopoly to make Australian produce affordable for consumers.

Invergordon stone fruit grower and SPC supplier Max Wright said supermarkets needed to work harder to make Australian-grown produce accessible to consumers.

“Don’t push your own home brand above any branded stuff. If you’re going to import fruit, don’t kill us in the process,” he said.

Fruit Growers Victoria grower services manager Michael Crisera said he estimated about 15 per cent of Victoria’s pear production has been removed in the past two or three years, for both fresh markets and canning.

Tariffs on imported products could be one measure governments could implement to better protect the industry, Mr Crisera said.