The unusual tactics some shoppers admit to as fruit and vegetable prices spike

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https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/fresh-food-shopper-tactics-cost-of-living/gn1x85ch8

Australians are cutting their fresh produce spending by more than a quarter as the cost of living crunch changes how they shop — with some admitting to removing broccoli stalks and others selecting cheaper varieties at self-serve checkouts.

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163% of shoppers affected by cost of living! I know they’re overlapping statistics, but the way it’s presented is funny.

Opting for cheaper, frozen vegetables, which have a longer shelf life, and buying produce when it’s in season are both ways Australians are cutting back on spending.

We probably should have all been doing this anyway though, to be honest. The amount of food waste we produce annually is insane.

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Food waste is not a consumer problem. Significant amounts are related to price manipulation (e.g. after an avo boom routinely tonnes are left to rot to avoid crashing prices below transport costs), commecial buying preferences, logistics concerns and transportability.

Preserves can address part of this, but it needs to be at a policy level. Preserves are good! But they don’t address the issues that result in farmers trying to keep prices profitable. More would in fact reduce prices.

Free markets are just a bloody fucking stupid way to distribute food.

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The only change I’ve made has been to stop buying imported fresh fruit: specifically grapes from the USA. This year berries have remained very cheap this winter due to the warmer weather, so it’s been an easy swap.

I’m much more concerned about next year.

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