McDonald’s Australia dramatically increases prices
Prices for popular McDonald’s products such as the Big Mac, cheeseburger and McChicken have skyrocketed again amid Australia’s cost of living crisis.
Daily Mail Australia compared the prices of McDonald’s items in March 2019 and June 2023 when ordering via UberEats and the My Maccas app.
The biggest increase is the price of a McDonald’s cheeseburger, which cost $3.15 in 2019 and currently costs $5 — a 58 percent increase.
The popular McChicken burger has also been hit hard by inflation.
On Uber Eats, the burger cost $5.50 in 2019 and now costs $8.15, an increase of 48 percent. The medium McChicken meal is up 41 percent.
Prices for popular McDonald’s products such as the Big Mac, cheeseburger and McChicken have skyrocketed again amid Australia’s rising cost of living
Daily Mail Australia compared the prices of McDonald’s items in March 2019 and June 2023 when ordering via UberEats and the My Maccas app
When ordering through the My Maccas app, the McChicken burger used to cost $9.60, but now costs customers $12.55 — a 30 percent increase.
The modest Filet O’ Fish has also seen an increase.
In 2019, the fish burger cost $5 on Uber Eats, which now charges $7.10 — a 42 percent increase in just under four years.
It’s the same story when using the My Maccas app with a Filet O’ Fish that now costs $6.20 – a smaller increase of 24 percent.
The iconic soft ice cream cone cost 60 cents in 2019, but now costs $1, a 66 percent increase.
McDonald’s chicken nuggets have risen less since 2019.
At Uber Eats, six nuggets now cost $8.45 instead of $7.30 — a 15 percent increase.
Happy Meals also cost parents more than in 2019.
On Uber Eats, the burger cost $5.50 in 2019 and now costs $8.15, an increase of 48 percent. The medium McChicken meal is up 41 percent
When ordered through Uber Eats, a cheeseburger Happy Meal now costs $7.55 — a 42 percent increase from $5.30 in 2019.
In-store or via the My Maccas app, the same menu item increased by 15c from $5.30 to $5.45 – an overall increase of just two percent.
The price of menu items varies slightly between stores, as franchisees are responsible for setting and adjusting prices in some cases.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted McDonald’s and Uber Eats for comment.
Meanwhile, fresh food suppliers say that the price of fruit and vegetables will not drop any time soon.
During a food security survey, Claire McClelland of the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance said continued high inputs for growers are keeping prices high.
“Once a price is up, it very rarely goes down again… once the price of fuel, packaging or energy is up, we can rarely lower those costs,” she told the study.
She said persistent labor shortages and supply chain challenges also kept product prices high.
“The cost of our inputs is directly related to the price of food,” Ms McClelland told AAP.
‘If we see those prices rise, it has a direct relationship with our production costs.’
The industry has called on the government to invest in a stable and reliable supply chain because of the “wide-reaching effects” that disruptions can have.
“In the last 24 months we have seen how precarious the horticulture supply chain is, how events abroad or locally, such as the floods … can lead to price shocks and reduce yields,” Ms McClelland told the study.
“This not only affects farmers, but also the availability and affordability of fresh produce in Australia.”
McDonald’s and other fast food giants face a boom as inflation surges to Australia’s highest level in 32 years in December at 7.8 percent
And she warned that Australian supermarket shelves could run empty again if further supply chain disruptions occur and crop jobs cannot be filled.
“If there’s no one to harvest the food, there’s just no food,” she said Friday.
Earlier the study found that retailers had also experienced significant surges in inputs, with power prices rising by 25 percent in some areas.
Jason Robertson of the Australian Retailers Association said its members were largely trying to avoid passing higher labor, rent, supply chain and energy costs on to consumers.
He said a recent survey of association members, including retailers and online stores, found that two-thirds had not passed on these costs.
“Our members tell us they’ve done their best to absorb those cost increases and some have eaten up the margin trying to keep those higher costs from resulting in higher prices,” he told the survey.
“It’s very difficult to absorb all this cost pressure that comes through the company.”
And he said retail sales were encouraged by Reserve Bank forecasts that inflation will continue to fall over the next 18 months.