Average family's grocery bill up 11 per cent, research finds
Comparison website Canstar found that after polling 2800 shoppers the average weekly shop for a household of four people had risen by $25 to $240.
'That's a big jump for a non-negotiable purchase,' CanstarBlue spokeswoman Eden Radford said.
'Every move, no matter how small, can make a difference, particularly when the average weekly spend for a household of four at the supermarket has climbed 11 per cent from the previous year to hit $240.'
A household of four people is now spending $12,480 a year at the supermarket, the analysis finds.
Almost half of the people surveyed (45 per cent) go to two of either Aldi, Coles, IGA or Woolworths, 16 per cent visit at least three of these, while 39 per cent are loyal to just one.
More than 80 per cent of respondents also said they changed their shopping habits in the past year to try and save money; most commonly spending more time checking the unit price, buying in bulk, buying marked-down items closer to expiry, only buying in-season produce, cutting out treats, and buying frozen vegetables instead of fresh.
'When shoppers were asked what they think was the most important thing a supermarket should offer them, the majority (63 per cent) said it was low prices across all products, not just specials,' the researchers said.
'This response was far ahead of the second most popular response of convenience.
'The results demonstrate that while shoppers might enjoy a supermarket that offers easy parking and access, ultimately it's the impact on their budget that they're concerned about most.'
The survey also took answers on overall satisfaction, value, produce freshness and customer experience at the four major outlets.
Aldi won Canstar's 'most satisfied customer award' for the eighth year in a row.
'Supermarket shoppers rated Aldi a top rating of five stars for overall satisfaction as well as value for money, freshness of fruit, vegetables, and meat, store/website layout and presentation, and quality of supermarket-owned branded products,' the research found.
'The only other supermarkets to score a top rating of five stars from shoppers were IGA, for customer service and checkout experience, and Woolworths, which earned five stars for its product range.'
While Canstar's data indicates the average shopper's weekly haul has increased by $25, or 11 per cent, the latest government data shows fruit and vegetable prices rose 4.6 per cent in the 12 months to the June quarter.
Global shortages of cocoa have driven up chocolate prices, while bird flu outbreaks in Australia drastically drove up egg prices during the past year.
As a whole, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices have risen 3 per cent in the past 12 months, the government data shows, meat and seafood is up 3 per cent, and bread and cereal products have risen 2.2 per cent.
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