Inflation and Food Waste

sandman87 on 01/09/2023 - 13:15

I was walking through my local woolies last night searching for markdown's on groceries to save a few dollars. I noticed that a lot of the items which are luxuries in my area (smoked salmon, supplements, roast legs of lamb) were on clearance because they were a day or two before their expiry. It got me thinking about how much inflation would be contributing to food waste at the supermarket level. If you work in a supermarket or know someone who does, has there been a change in the amount of food which gets thrown out or sent off to food charities, because the price is too high for people to afford?

I'm also curious to see how people are responding to higher grocery costs - absolutely no judgement on how you respond. Everyone has to make choices, and some don't have the luxury of making easy choices.

Poll Options expired

  • 2
    I have scanned expensive items at self-serve as cheaper items
  • 2
    I have stolen items from the supermarket but probably didnt need to, but F supermarkets
  • 6
    I have altered the quantity I buy
  • 7
    I have changed the frequency I buy
  • 9
    I have stolen items from the supermarket because I need them but cant afford them
  • 11
    I have altered the brands I buy
  • 13
    I have changed where I buy
  • 75
    My shopping habits remain mostly unchanged, despite higher costs.
Food & Grocery

Comments

  • FoxJump on 01/09/2023 - 13:16

    yummo! which woolies?
    I can eat a kilo of smoked salmon a day! how much was it?

    • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:19
      +2

      I can eat a kilo of smoked salmon a day!

      Not if i get there before you !!!

      • MS Paint on 01/09/2023 - 13:45
        +1

        You couldn't squeeze another thing in after all that goat meat you had at lunch today.

        Still no @Jimothy Wongingtons appearance. Have you sent his invite?

  • Benoffie on 01/09/2023 - 13:21

    There's a Woolies in an Adelaide suburb which I have noticed, when rates started rising, changed meat pricing and suppliers. It's one of the few that is bringing in bulk packs direct and discounting it (scotch for $23kg, that sort of thing).

    I think what's driving it is the lack of shoppers. Thursday nights is dead. Shops are shutting by 6 in the centre. The other major supermarket is now closing at 8.

    So to answer your question, yes I think waste is going up because some store managers arent adapting. That's really a criticism on the model as it really shouldn't be one size fits all.

    • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:23
      -1

      Shops are shutting by 6 in the centre.

      Isn't that normal for Adelaide ?

      I remember going to Marion Shopping Centre many years back on a Friday night around 7pm to do some shopping and it was closed… 😲😲😲

      • Benoffie on 01/09/2023 - 15:24

        Yeah, strangely no.

  • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:21
    +1

    Inflation

    Didn't the police shoot someone there are few years back?

    • Baysew on 01/09/2023 - 13:54

      Well the guy was dressed up as the Joker.

      • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:56
        +1

        Well the guy was dressed up as the Joker.

        Seriously?

  • AustriaBargain on 01/09/2023 - 13:21
    +2

    I'm all about the cheap eats so already buying cheap things to eat. Like sandwiches, half price canned soup, half price breakfast cereal, generic beans served next to omelette. Can't exactly get much cheaper than that.

    • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:25
      +1

      generic beans

      generic engineered beans are not good for you…

      • try2bhelpful on 04/09/2023 - 07:44

        Plant them in the ground, grow a beanstalk, you know the rest.

    • inasero on 04/09/2023 - 06:12

      +1 for the effort, but canned foods aren't exactly cheap at like $3-4 each. It'd be much healthier (and cheaper) to make soups and beans yourself

  • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:27
    -2

    how people are responding to higher grocery costs

    Albo is doing nothing to curb inflation.

    It is deliberate as it results in higher tax revenue.

    • netjock on 01/09/2023 - 13:51

      Just like stage 3 is costing $250bn but they don't tell you for ever $7 they say they are losing they are collecting and extra $30. Therefore they are getting like another $1tn at least. Maybe they blew that money already?

      • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:54
        +2

        Maybe they blew that money already?

        Entry into the Qantas Chairman's lounge perhaps?

  • spackbace on 01/09/2023 - 13:28

    Gonna get completely mixed answers as there's a large demographic I've noticed on here. Some who seem to be struggling pay cheque to pay cheque, vs others who are pretty well off

    • AustriaBargain on 01/09/2023 - 13:48

      There will be relatively rich people who are over leveraged who will be eating less salmon I bet. In case you haven't noticed Australian culture celebrates owning as many investment properties as possible. It's a national sickness. If they didn't buy any investment properties they would be fine, eating as much salmon as they want.

      • Sal in SA on 01/09/2023 - 16:06

        Ha ..rich ..that is rich :P. As for IP's it is a passive income that does allow them to eat salmon or ..better yet Tuna.

  • netjock on 01/09/2023 - 13:49
    +1

    Think latest inflation numbers fruit and veggies are -5% so eat your veggies. If you get at least a small pay rise you would be streets ahead.

    • jv on 01/09/2023 - 13:57
      -2

      We're not all Vegans

      • netjock on 01/09/2023 - 14:53

        Don't have to be vegans

        • jv on 01/09/2023 - 14:54

          Unless born on Vega…

    • 7ekn00 on 01/09/2023 - 14:32

      Cattle prices are also down -50%, but consumers only get discounts direct from farmers :/

      The supermarkets need to make their billion profits off something :P

      • netjock on 01/09/2023 - 14:54
        +1

        Lots of stuff is cheap at the farm gate because basically you cut out a lot of the added cost (sorting, packing, packaging, transportation, storage, marketing etc)

  • Drpepper666 on 01/09/2023 - 13:51

    asian stores / fruit and veg markets / butchers ftw
    the big supermarkets use just in time stocking and analytics, they will adjust to minimise waste very efficiently

    • jv on 01/09/2023 - 14:08
      -4

      asian stores

      Let's please keep race out of these discussions…

      • Drpepper666 on 01/09/2023 - 14:17
        +5

        stfu

        • jv on 01/09/2023 - 14:20

          no

  • try2bhelpful on 01/09/2023 - 14:18
    +2

    I saw a show called The Supersizers. It was a couple of English comedians who decided to eat according to various eras in English history. They tended to "live" like the well off but also covered what ordinary people would be eating as well. They had medical tests done before and after.

    Interestingly enough the healthiest period they encountered was WW2. There was a shortage of sugar, processed food, meat etc but people were encouraged to grow their own vegetables, have their own hens, etc. People also had to walk places because there was a shortage of petrol. Maybe this is a time when people should look into how self sufficient they can get. I can't grow my own veggies but I can grow herbs. I only cut what I need and I don't have the wastage I used to have with precut herbs. It is also worth looking into bulk cooking and freezing. I have a lamb shank soup recipe I got from my mother that only requires one lamb shank and makes enough soup for about 8 servings. It is bulked out with vegetables and legumes, it is filling and healthy.

    • jv on 01/09/2023 - 14:22

      I have a lamb shank soup recipe

      Can you grow your own sheep ?

      • try2bhelpful on 01/09/2023 - 15:55

        Two separate ideas in one posting. I know wild isn’t it?

    • 7ekn00 on 01/09/2023 - 14:33
      +1

      Don't worry, it's coming back :/ WW3 by the end of 2024 :(

      • [Deactivated] on 01/09/2023 - 14:43
        +1

        You won't want to grow your own veggies after a nuclear blast or 3, even if you're still around.

    • Baysew on 01/09/2023 - 15:03

      I only cut what I need and I don't have the wastage
      that only requires one lamb shank

      Please explain.

      • try2bhelpful on 01/09/2023 - 15:57

        I grow herbs in pots on my balcony. By only cutting herbs as I need them that day they are always fresh.

        Happy to give the lamb shank recipe if you want.

      • Sal in SA on 01/09/2023 - 16:10
        +1

        Admittedly it a bit harder for the cuts of meat - though after you take a leg or 2 they are easier to catch for the next meal..

        • try2bhelpful on 01/09/2023 - 17:47
          +3

          Two separate concepts.

          It does remind me of the joke about the three legged chicken.
          The traveller asks why the chicken has three legs. The farmer says "I like a leg, the wife likes a leg and the boy likes a leg." The traveller says "what do they taste like"" and the farmer says "I don't know we haven't caught one yet".

  • FrugalDealSeeker on 01/09/2023 - 16:31

    My partner and I leverage rewards programs when choosing our groceries, e.g. 300 Woolies Everyday Reward Points on chicken thigh fillets or using credit cards that give bonus points on supermarket spend. We also pick "Odd Bunch" or "I am Perfect" fruits and veggies.

    • franco cozzo on 01/09/2023 - 17:25

      the rewards programs arent there to reward you….
      they drive your spending habits encourage you to spend more and lock you into 'loyalty' whilst harvesting your data for their own commercial gains
      as soon as i stopped chasing points at coles and woolies i started actually saving money by shopping elsewhere

  • franco cozzo on 01/09/2023 - 17:21

    definitely cut back on the caviar lately…also limiting myself to a case of champagne per week. times are hard……

  • CurlCurl on 01/09/2023 - 17:53
    +2

    I live in the Sydney basin at the foot of the Blue mountains, My local Coles has fancy grain fed Scotch Fillet @ $75 a KG. Can't ever see it selling here.

  • Loopholio on 02/09/2023 - 08:13

    Those first two options, nice try THE POLICE!

    I've been shopping more often at Aldi and I no longer buy those $11 Colesworths microwave meals at half price.

  • Sinnerator on 02/09/2023 - 08:27
    +3

    I just buy stuff on special (30%-50% off), most things go on special 'almost' every week between coles and woolies.

  • 2esc on 02/09/2023 - 10:18

    Ive always been careful with what i buy.

  • bamzero on 02/09/2023 - 14:25

    Inflation is the excuse, price gouging is the reason.
    Those figures they posted say it all, profits up, theft up.

    Trying to move my business away from Colesworth where possible, though hard with the duopoly.

    Cut down on stuff like potato chips and other junk food (still got my popcorn, price of kernels I get are still the same as the they were years ago)

    Not sure if there is more waste now, maybe more markdowns but at the cheaper prices it usually gets sold. Have always kept an eye out for that stuff, haven't noticed much difference really but maybe more competition now with everyone trying to save a buck.

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