The Sydney Morning Herald | Reduce Grocery Bills Up to 40% Off
Shoppers are saving up to 40 per cent on groceries by signing up to price comparison apps, imperfect produce delivery services and online food co-operatives in response to supermarket price increases.
Food prices have risen about 4 per cent each year since the pandemic hit, compounding the cost-of-living crisis and leading more Australians to shop around for savings, according to the ongoing ACCC inquiry into supermarket pricing.
Australians are increasingly going online to find innovative ways to save. Joanne Bianchi, a 63-year-old customer service representative from Bayswater, Victoria, signed up to receive fortnightly supplies of imperfect (and cheaper) fresh produce from delivery service Farmers Pick after seeing a post on Facebook.
She says she was sick of “scrounging for bargains” at her local supermarket, and now saves up to $45 a week on produce.
She’s not alone. Farmers Pick subscriber numbers have nearly doubled since January. “We’re seeing a momentum shift,” says founder Josh Ball. “Families are just looking for something different because the status quo isn’t cutting the mustard.”
Embrace ‘ugly’ produce
Supermarkets reject about 2.4 billion kilograms of produce a year for failing to meet cosmetic standards. Subscription services such as Farmers Pick work with farmers to divert that “ugly” produce from landfill to produce boxes, delivered weekly, fortnightly, or on a one-off basis.
Subscribers can save up to 30 per cent on fresh produce. The larger the box, the greater the value, as it can better absorb the cost of delivery.
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