Supermarket Price Comparison Study

This study is part of a wider collaboration to compare the price of fresh fruit and vegetables across three public health unit regions.

This study examined how the price of fresh fruit, vegetables and commonly used aromatics varies across food retail environments within the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit (LMPHU) catchment. It forms part of a collaborative study across metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria designed to address a key evidence gap: how fresh produce prices differ between major supermarkets and independent food retailers, particularly in regional and rural settings where retailer choice is often limited. Within LMPHU, price audits were undertaken in matched towns, comparing the closest major supermarket (Coles or Woolworths) with a nearby independent retailer. Unit-price ($/kg) analysis of a standardised fresh produce basket was used to enable consistent comparison across retailer types and locations.

This study is part of a wider collaboration to compare the price of fresh fruit and vegetables across three public health unit regions. It builds a comparable evidence base to understand how prices vary across different geographical contexts (urban, peri-urban, and regional) and different types of food retailers (major supermarket, greengrocers and independent supermarkets). This report summarises findings for locations within the LMPHU.