Fresh food prices have soared to the point where one Australian shop is charging $40 per kilogram for green beans.
A photo of green beans advertising for $39.99 a kilogram was snapped at a supermarket, and shoppers were taken aback.
The snapshot, which went viral on Sunday, appears to have been taken at Harris Farm Markets, a medium-sized grocery chain with locations in New South Wales and Queensland, and was captioned: ‘I see your $6 cucumber and raise you green beans.’Australians were taken aback by the exorbitant markup.
‘Big oof, back in the day, these were $5 a kilogram.’ ‘It’s time to regurgitate my food so I can eat it again and save money,’ commented one customer.
‘Good gosh, are those gold encrusted!?’ wrote a second.
A third joked, ‘Do you think they’d last three months if I bought them on layaway?’
Harris Farm was contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment on the $39.99 green bean price, despite the fact that the fruit is available online for $29.98 per kilogram.
The vegetable is available for $10.90 a kilogram at Coles and is offered for the same price at Woolworths, however it is currently out of stock.
The photo was posted in response to another user’s post, which featured cucumbers for $5.99.
‘99% water… pricey,’ commented one reader.
‘I’m not paying $6 for a cucumber to put it in the fridge and forget about it till it’s a liquid,’ another remarked.
Following a snapshot of a head of lettuce being sold for $11.99, the green bean photograph is the latest illustration of Australia’s soaring food.
The snapshot was taken at the Seasons IGA Redcliffe in Brisbane’s north, and it was captioned: ‘That’s a bloody outrage, it is!’
As a result of Covid-related personnel shortages, recent flooding, and the war in Ukraine, Australians are spending more for trolley basics while surviving on restricted pay cheques.
The lettuce price was an exception, according to the National Farmers Federation, but there were larger pressures driving up the cost of vegetables.
We must keep in mind that the price of a single item is not indicative of a broader trend,’ said NFF CEO Tony Mahar.
‘While an iceberg lettuce may cost $12 at one supermarket, I can get a kilo of avocados from Coles for $6.
‘According to April CPI data, vegetable prices increased by 6.6% and fruit prices increased by 4.9%, with additional rises likely, as we are seeing with several commodities.
‘While farmers are also suffering significant increases in input prices such as fuel and fertilizer, the farmgate price is only a small portion of the ultimate price consumers pay at the checkout.’
Between the March quarters of 2021 and 2022, the Consumer Price Index shows that the cost of fruits and vegetables increased by 6.7 percent, with overall inflation rising from 2.1 percent to 5.1 percent.
Meat and seafood prices have risen by 6.2 percent in the last year, while pantry basics like bread, cereal, and dairy items have increased by at least 3%.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to address the rising cost of living by fighting for pay increases and increased productivity.