Australians dropping fruit and vegetables from diet amid cost-of-living crisis

Australia ate and drank less despite a bigger population Many consumers, however, are forgoing fresh produce to load their diets with confectionery and other snacks, which have spiked in popularity in recent years.

The ABS research, based on scanner data from major supermarkets, has been released at a sensitive time, with the big food retailers subject to a parliamentary inquiry and regulatory probe over their pricing practices, especially on fresh produce.

Deakin University’s Christina Zorbas, a dietitian, said fruit and vegetables had been a “casualty” of price rises, leaving households to replace fresh produce with less healthy options.

Deakin research also shows that supermarket marketing, which includes price promotions and prominent product placement, is heavily biased towards less healthy choices, further influencing buying decisions.

Sanjoy Paul, an associate professor in the UTS Business School who works on supply chain risk and resilience, said it showed the supermarket sector was not subject to healthy competitive pressure.

Woolworths said Australians enjoy a high level of supermarket competition and choice and that it is acutely aware of the pressure that inflationary price rises have put on its customers, employees and suppliers.