Australia
September 27, 2011
The results of a recent survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that, on average, Australian households are only spending $13.70 on vegetables out of a total weekly shopping bill of $204.20.
“Consumers in the Australian Capital Territory are spending the most on vegetables per week with an average spend of $15.92, whereas South Australians are spending the least by only forking out $12.08 per week on veggies,” said AUSVEG Manager-VIDP Communications, Andrew White.
AUSVEG is the national peak industry body for Australia’s 9000 vegetable and potato growers.
“The fluctuation in different weekly vegetable spending around Australia may be attributed to either a slight variance in the price of produce or simply consumers in a particular state or territory purchasing more vegetables,” said Mr White.
“As there is not a huge difference in spending around the country we are confident that all Australians are being offered similar produce at a comparable price and this is a real credit to the Australian vegetable growing industry and its ability to supply the nation with top quality produce.”
The survey conducted by the ABS looked at household expenditure from the period of 2010/11 and collected data on the expenditure, income, net worth and other characteristics of Australian households.
“The majority of vegetables purchased per week are the fresh varieties which make up 80 per cent of the average weekly spend. Only $1.28 per week is being spent on frozen varieties and $1.53 on other types of vegetables.”
“With all of the known health benefits that come from eating more fresh vegetables we would like to see this percentage of the weekly shopping bill increase and have more people choosing fresh produce over convenience and pre-packaged foods.”
“No matter how you buy your vegetables, whether they are fresh or frozen, make sure you are buying Australian-grown produce to ensure you are getting the highest quality and freshest produce available,” said Mr White.
This new economic data was supplied by the Economics sub-program of the Vegetable Industry Development Program, which is funded by the National Vegetable Levy with matched funds from the Australian Government.
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