The Project host Waleed Aly erupts over Albanese government’s plans to tackle soaring prices at the supermarket
Waleed Aly thinks he knows why Aussies are being plagued by rising prices at the supermarket checkout as the cost of living continues to rise.
The Project star and his fellow panellists discussed the latest Choice report on supermarket prices, which found that a shopping basket at Aldi was 25 per cent cheaper than major rivals Coles and Woolworths.
The research was funded by the Albanian government as part of its plans to tackle rising food prices and shake up the current supermarket duopoly.
In a stinging attack, Aly said he did not believe the Government’s plans will make any difference to shoppers.
“The most revealing aspect of this report for me was that Coles and Woolworths prices appear to be higher in areas where there is no Aldi,” he told fellow panellists on Thursday evening.
Aly suggested that if you only have Coles and Woolworths in your area, you’ll pay a higher price (stock image from a shopper)
“There are all kinds of issues with the cost of supply and supply chains, but at the end of the day it seems like the prices we’re paying are not out of necessity, they’re out of competition, and that’s what it all comes down to.”
Aly suggested Australians with only Coles and Woolworths in their area will be hardest hit.
“If you don’t have anything other than the two around, you pay a higher price because there’s no reason not to. Why would they charge you less?’ he argued.
‘You can say that you want Aldi’s market share to be larger, that makes a difference, but then there are three.
“You travel abroad and you see there’s eight or something like that. And you talk to people there and they say you’re getting hit on groceries.
I think it’s now clear that this is the reason.’
In a stinging attack, Aly said he didn’t think the report would make any difference to shoppers
Panelist Georgie Tunny agreed.
‘If Aldi is not nearby because it is also for your convenience, if you have worked 12 hours a day and have to pick up groceries on the way home [and don’t want to go out of your way],’ she said.
Consumer advocacy group Choice released their report on Thursday following allegations by Coles and Woolworths of price gouging.
“Our latest report shows that Aldi continues to offer Australian consumers the best value across a wide range of groceries,” said CHOICE chief executive Ashley de Silva.
‘We’ve sent mystery shoppers to regional and metropolitan supermarkets across the country to record prices for 14 groceries, and we will continue to provide quarterly price analysis reports so Australians can stay informed about where to find the cheapest groceries, to alleviate some of the problems. the pressure on household budgets.
Choice’s price analysis showed that Aldi has the cheapest groceries nationally, based on a basket of fourteen commonly used groceries, including milk, bread, sugar, pasta and tea bags and two fresh fruit and vegetables.
The federal government has given Choice $1.1 million from the federal budget to produce a report every three months for three years.
To discover which supermarket chain offered the best value for money, Choice sent ‘undercover shoppers’ to 81 supermarkets across the country in March.
Consumer advocacy group Choice released their report on Thursday following Coles and Woolworths’ allegations of price gouging
Choice found that the average basket of groceries bought at Aldi cost $51.51 – 25 per cent less than the same basket of goods at Coles and Woolworths.
Coles had the most expensive basket at $69.33, while items at Woolworths cost an average of $68.58.
This showed that there was only a 75 cent difference between the two major supermarket chains in Australia.
The major supermarkets repeatedly defend the rising cost of groceries due to general inflationary pressures and price increases imposed by global food brands.