Younger Australians and lower income households are spending up to 25 per cent of their income on food, according to research by the Australian Consumer and Complaints Commission (ACCC).
Australians are spending more time shopping to save money, replacing fresh food with frozen and cutting back on non-essential items to reduce their grocery bills.
Others are skipping meals or sacrificing meals to feed their children.
More than 13,000 people responded to the consumer survey, which is part of the ACCC’s Supermarket Inquiry.
The inquiry is investigating supermarket pricing practices and the relationship between wholesale, including farm gate, and retail prices.
So far, the inquiry has heard that the big supermarkets are abusing their power and should be broken up before there is a social breakdown.
“A clear theme in the responses to the inquiry so far is that consumers see the price of food as a major factor in the cost of living crisis,” said ACCC Deputy Chairman Mick Keogh.
“Grocery shopping is an essential part of everyone’s life and we strongly encourage Australians to share their experiences with us through our online survey.”
The ACCC is urging more Australians, particularly adults under 30 for whom English is not their first language and rural residents, to complete the survey.
The survey closes on 2 April and can be completed here.
