Aldi has been named Australia’s cheapest supermarket for shoppers buying a basket of healthy essentials, as the cost of groceries continues to rise across the country.
Consumer group Choice compared prices at 104 Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and IGA stores. Its basket included baby spinach, broccoli, carrots, chicken breasts, Corn Thins, Greek yoghurt, hummus, tinned chickpeas and rolled oats.
Excluding specials, the basket cost $28.79 at Aldi. The same products came to $33.52 at Woolworths, $34.25 at Coles and $42.27 at IGA.
“Excluding specials, Aldi provided the best value for our basket of healthy products, costing $28.79,” Choice chief executive Monique Perry said.
Supermarket essentials continue to climb
The figures formed part of Choice’s quarterly supermarket survey, which also found that the price of a separate basket of everyday essentials had increased at all four supermarket chains.
The base basket contained Royal Gala apples, bananas, strawberries, potatoes, avocado, milk, basmati rice and beef mince. IGA recorded the biggest increase, with the basket rising by 11 per cent from $45.42 to $50.42.
Aldi remained the cheapest of the four supermarkets for the base basket, but recorded the second-largest increase. Its total rose by 8 per cent, or $2.96, to $40.10.
Coles increased by 6 per cent, or $2.44, while Woolworths recorded a 2 per cent rise of 87 cents.
Choice said more than eight in 10 Australians considered groceries a major pressure on household budgets. The survey was conducted by undercover shoppers visiting Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and IGA stores in 27 locations across Australia in June.
The findings were released ahead of the Reserve Bank’s next meeting, where governor Michele Bullock is tipped to announce another cash rate rise.
Economist David Koch said households were already facing higher mortgage costs following rate rises in February, March and May, while petrol prices were also adding to pressure on family budgets and supermarket prices.
