Cost of food and services sky rocketing here

[Skani]

I agree, how can food prices inflate so dramatically in a country which is self sufficient in food production, I'm back in the UK where bananas and mangos are cheaper than in a country where they are grown.

 

 

Because (a) Australian farmers have to recoup the REAL cost of food production - unlike farmers in the UK and Europe who are heavily subsidised by governments.

UK farmers are subsidised 3 billion pounds annually to produce your "cheap" food.

In the EU all farmers are subsidised - by varying amounts up to 90% eg. dairy farmers in Denmark get government subsidies which cover 90% of their production costs.

 

(b) Australian banana and mango farmers are expected to earn an income which enables them to survive in a first world economy.

In the UK this fruit is imported from subsistence farmers/slave labourers in third world economies with prices set by enormously powerful trading companies against which the growers have little bargaining power.

[BacktoDemocracy]

Because (a) Australian farmers have to recoup the REAL cost of food production - unlike farmers in the UK and Europe who are heavily subsidised by governments.

UK farmers are subsidised 3 billion pounds annually to produce your "cheap" food.

In the EU all farmers are subsidised - by varying amounts up to 90% eg. dairy farmers in Denmark get government subsidies which cover 90% of their production costs.

 

(b) Australian banana and mango farmers are expected to earn an income which enables them to survive in a first world economy.

In the UK this fruit is imported from subsistence farmers/slave labourers in third world economies with prices set by enormously powerful trading companies against which the growers have little bargaining power.

Those subsidies are to equalise costs across Europe and ensure every countries farmers can stay in business and prevent an individual country creating a monopoly unlike in Aus where the banana farmers have a strangle hold on the supply of bananas do, and what about the subsidies for the inefficient sugar cane cartel in Qld, what about all the agricultural boards that control how much individual farmers can grow just so that all the farmers get the same price for their produce regardless of whether they are efficient or not, have a look at potato farming for just one instance.

The CAP in the EU is paid for with consumers taxes and food is still cheaper and it is not just in the UK, which is actually quite expensive in comparison to most of the rest of Europe .

As for produce from overseas most supermarkets try very hard now to buy from regulated producers because of the powerful human rights lobby in the EU and UK which publicise exploitive conditions overseas and supermarkets here recognise the bad publicity that flows from exposes if they buy from exploitive enterprises, the produce from countries such as Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco is creating real wealth for developing world agriculture.

If we are pointing fingers then I would point out the truly appalling, and accurately described as, slavery involved in much of the SE Asian fishing industry which is where a substantial amount of Aus's fish comes from.

[itegoa]

Has anyone else noticed a rise in food prices since Christmas? Even in Aldi. My daughter's friend has just returned from living overseas and she is horrified by the high costs of food here since she left a year or so ago. Also extends to tradespeople- everything starts at a $1,000 before they get out of their vehicles!

 

You've been told a billion times before... stop over-exaggerating :cry:

[JockinTas]

Those subsidies are to equalise costs across Europe and ensure every countries farmers can stay in business and prevent an individual country creating a monopoly unlike in Aus where the banana farmers have a strangle hold on the supply of bananas do, and what about the subsidies for the inefficient sugar cane cartel in Qld, what about all the agricultural boards that control how much individual farmers can grow just so that all the farmers get the same price for their produce regardless of whether they are efficient or not, have a look at potato farming for just one instance.

The CAP in the EU is paid for with consumers taxes and food is still cheaper and it is not just in the UK, which is actually quite expensive in comparison to most of the rest of Europe .

As for produce from overseas most supermarkets try very hard now to buy from regulated producers because of the powerful human rights lobby in the EU and UK which publicise exploitive conditions overseas and supermarkets here recognise the bad publicity that flows from exposes if they buy from exploitive enterprises, the produce from countries such as Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco is creating real wealth for developing world agriculture.

If we are pointing fingers then I would point out the truly appalling, and accurately described as, slavery involved in much of the SE Asian fishing industry which is where a substantial amount of Aus's fish comes from.

 

Do you mean the frozen packaged supermarket fish?

 

Here I buy fish straight off the fishing boat 3 times a week.

[BacktoDemocracy]

You've been told a billion times before... stop over-exaggerating :cry:

 

Do you mean the frozen packaged supermarket fish?

 

Here I buy fish straight off the fishing boat 3 times a week.

For those who don't have a fishing port on their doorstep and rely on the supermarkets I think a lot comes in either chilled or frozen from asian fleets even if its displayed out on a counter.

[Johndoe]

For those who don't have a fishing port on their doorstep and rely on the supermarkets I think a lot comes in either chilled or frozen from asian fleets even if its displayed out on a counter.

 

"

Australia's demand for seafood currently exceeds, by more than double, the production capacity of our wild catch fisheries and our aquaculture industries combined. In fact, in edible weight terms (ie. what actually goes in the mouth) 72% of the seafood currently consumed here comes from overseas.

This is because most of Australia’s wild fish resources, despite our vast continental coastline, have already reached sustainable levels, and because the development of aquaculture (fish farming) here has been constrained by the cost of regulation and lack of community support in some regions.

As a result, we need to import about 200,000 tonnes of seafood annually to enable all Australians to maintain even a modest component of seafood in their diet. This is not a new development - Australia has been importing much of its seafood for over 50 years.

Some of this is to replace the seafood we export (about 40,000 tonnes annually - worth $1.2 billion to our economy) and the rest is to sustain rising growth in per capita seafood consumption driven by new information about the many significant health benefits associated with eating seafood regularly. It is estimated that, within 15 years, we will need to import about 500,000 tonnes of seafood annually to ensure all Australians have a seafood component relative to optimum dietary health."

 

http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/

[Keith and Linda]

"

Australia's demand for seafood currently exceeds, by more than double, the production capacity of our wild catch fisheries and our aquaculture industries combined. In fact, in edible weight terms (ie. what actually goes in the mouth) 72% of the seafood currently consumed here comes from overseas.

This is because most of Australia’s wild fish resources, despite our vast continental coastline, have already reached sustainable levels, and because the development of aquaculture (fish farming) here has been constrained by the cost of regulation and lack of community support in some regions.

As a result, we need to import about 200,000 tonnes of seafood annually to enable all Australians to maintain even a modest component of seafood in their diet. This is not a new development - Australia has been importing much of its seafood for over 50 years.

Some of this is to replace the seafood we export (about 40,000 tonnes annually - worth $1.2 billion to our economy) and the rest is to sustain rising growth in per capita seafood consumption driven by new information about the many significant health benefits associated with eating seafood regularly. It is estimated that, within 15 years, we will need to import about 500,000 tonnes of seafood annually to ensure all Australians have a seafood component relative to optimum dietary health."

 

http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/

 

Glad I am not a seafood lover then, just an occasional fish and chips, (haddock and chips from the Chumley warners at birkdale) However some of the fish we get from Aldi is Alaskan! Also for some unknown reason the 'Golden Circle' jars of beetroot we have been getting lately are made in the UK!

[Guest241083]

...........I guess I'm lucky with fish.....

...........the OH and son catch ours....

[BacktoDemocracy]

"

Australia's demand for seafood currently exceeds, by more than double, the production capacity of our wild catch fisheries and our aquaculture industries combined. In fact, in edible weight terms (ie. what actually goes in the mouth) 72% of the seafood currently consumed here comes from overseas.

This is because most of Australia’s wild fish resources, despite our vast continental coastline, have already reached sustainable levels, and because the development of aquaculture (fish farming) here has been constrained by the cost of regulation and lack of community support in some regions.

As a result, we need to import about 200,000 tonnes of seafood annually to enable all Australians to maintain even a modest component of seafood in their diet. This is not a new development - Australia has been importing much of its seafood for over 50 years.

Some of this is to replace the seafood we export (about 40,000 tonnes annually - worth $1.2 billion to our economy) and the rest is to sustain rising growth in per capita seafood consumption driven by new information about the many significant health benefits associated with eating seafood regularly. It is estimated that, within 15 years, we will need to import about 500,000 tonnes of seafood annually to ensure all Australians have a seafood component relative to optimum dietary health."

 

http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/

Exactly the point I was highlighting, unfortunately some SE Asian countries shut their eyes to widespread press ganging or offering spurious contracts to refugees by fishing fleet owners who really do treat these people as slaves, disposing of worn out slaves at sea and replacing them with yet another crew of refugees.

[Johndoe]

Exactly the point I was highlighting, unfortunately some SE Asian countries shut their eyes to widespread press ganging or offering spurious contracts to refugees by fishing fleet owners who really do treat these people as slaves, disposing of worn out slaves at sea and replacing them with yet another crew of refugees.

 

Nothing new there with sadly, "slave labour" being utilised all over Europe, indeed the world, in the farming, textile, and sex industry. Do the majority of consumers really care as to how their goods are produced? Most are concerned only with quality and/or price.

[BacktoDemocracy]

Nothing new there with sadly, "slave labour" being utilised all over Europe, indeed the world, in the farming, textile, and sex industry. Do the majority of consumers really care as to how their goods are produced? Most are concerned only with quality and/or price.

I do agree and I do realise that is the case altho I do feel that the EU tries thro labelling to obviate it and their are exposes run by some newspapers here, but my main point was made in response to the accusation that the UK enjoys cheap food as a consequence of exploiting overseas workforces whilst Aus simply doesn't do that kind of thing..

[newjez]

Has anyone else noticed a rise in food prices since Christmas? Even in Aldi. My daughter's friend has just returned from living overseas and she is horrified by the high costs of food here since she left a year or so ago. Also extends to tradespeople- everything starts at a $1,000 before they get out of their vehicles!

 

 

Funny, as I remember having this conversation in Nov. Everyone asked me if things were more expensive than my trip two years ago. I said no, everything is much cheaper. They were confused, as they thought prices has sky rocketed.

 

I do find the packages of things tend to get smaller in the UK. Do you get that in Australia? 1.75 is becoming standard, and 2litre soft drinks harder to find. I even saw Kleenex in their 'new slimmer pack!', like it was a good thing.

[newjez]

I do agree and I do realise that is the case altho I do feel that the EU tries thro labelling to obviate it and their are exposes run by some newspapers here, but my main point was made in response to the accusation that the UK enjoys cheap food as a consequence of exploiting overseas workforces whilst Aus simply doesn't do that kind of thing..

 

 

Australia verges on protectionism. Recently they had that potato guy in Perth, and they told him he couldn't sell anymore as he'd hit his quota. So he gave them away! Good on him.

[starlight7]

I think a lot of suppliers are the victims of bullying by the big supermarkets. It is time we had more choice and that is where the farmer's markets are good but if they get big the 'big boys' will move in I am sure.

[Guest Trolleybus]

I think a lot of suppliers are the victims of bullying by the big supermarkets. It is time we had more choice and that is where the farmer's markets are good but if they get big the 'big boys' will move in I am sure.

 

Big boys are banned from farmers markets

[Sustain]

Big boys are banned from farmers markets

 

I sense blood in the water with woolworths

[Ken]

I think prices have actually reduced since I moved here 3 1/2 years ago. I put it down to the Aldi effect.

[Johndoe]

I think prices have actually reduced since I moved here 3 1/2 years ago. I put it down to the Aldi effect.

 

And Costco. Coles have just reduced their cooked chooks to the same price as Costco from $12 to $8.................shows how much profit they must have been making on them previously. Costco's are still a third bigger though.............and nicer. not as much salt.

[starlight7]

You're lucky- they are $11 here and not that nice , either. The chicken shop ones are better.

[starlight7]

Do you actually like Costco? I can't stand it.

[Johndoe]

Do you actually like Costco? I can't stand it.

 

No. Other than their mince (the best I've had anywhere), and cooked chicken, (the biggest and least salty anywhere) I think that they're overpriced and under-ranged. I only go for those two and large jars of gherkins, mayonnaise and caeser salad dressing and all of them are for the boys, not me.

[Ken]

Do you actually like Costco? I can't stand it.

 

I did get a membership card but have hardly been back. Everything is in such big packs yet on most items the savings are barely large enough to make them worthwhile buying. Possibly better value for people who have large families but generally I stick to Aldi and the specials at Woolworth's and Coles. Which does give me some support for the OP - I've noticed that half-price Heinz Baked Beans at both Woolworth's and Coles have gone up from 97p to $1.04 this year. It's about every 6 weeks that they're half price - It's so consistent a reduction that I've no idea why anyone pays full price for them the rest of the time.

[Johndoe]

I did get a membership card but have hardly been back. Everything is in such big packs yet on most items the savings are barely large enough to make them worthwhile buying. Possibly better value for people who have large families but generally I stick to Aldi and the specials at Woolworth's and Coles. Which does give me some support for the OP - I've noticed that half-price Heinz Baked Beans at both Woolworth's and Coles have gone up from 97p to $1.04 this year. It's about every 6 weeks that they're half price - It's so consistent a reduction that I've no idea why anyone pays full price for them the rest of the time.

 

Yes, I noticed the hike on beans. Soup is the same........one brand or another half price every 4 to 6 weeks. I stock up on it for winter (mainly Irish stew). left over lamb from a joint, or any meat for that matter, and a tin of tiny tatters chucked into two tins of Irish, or similar, and you have a quick, cheap and easy meal. Feeds 3 for around 5 bucks plus whatever meat you throw into it, or not.

 

The same with tea or coffee. Costco can't touch the two big boys when they're on special

[Guest]

Avo over $5 at IGA in Manly today! Seems to be a shortage.

 

Saying that I'm the same, never buy beans not at half price, just load up every few weeks. Also load up with whatever else I want when it's at half price at end of isle.

[Skani]

Avo over $5 at IGA in Manly today! Seems to be a shortage.

 

 

Most avocadoes are harvested in Australia from March to November. The only region producing at the moment is southern WA and that harvest has been interrupted by heavy rainfall and also by the recent bushfires.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/24/brunchers-smashed-by-avocado-prices-amid-australian-shortage.

 

Still able to buy them in Hobart for $2.80ish....so $5 in Sydney does seem expensive.