Why this photo of an ordinary grocery haul has sparked a major debate

A shopper has triggered a cost of living debate after they urged Aussies to guess the total cost of their ‘basic’ grocery haul.

The shopper visited a Coles store in Melbourne on Saturday to stock up on a few pantry staples for the week.

Shocked by the total price, they shared a picture of their eight-item basket on social media.

It contained only Coles brand items, including three litres of milk, one litre of Greek yogurt, 1.4 kg of chicken breast fillets, 600 grams of rump steak, 400 grams of cashews, 750 grams of almonds, and a 500-gram bag each of frozen diced mango and frozen raspberries.

‘During the election, I warned you it wouldn’t be easy under Albanese. Bought the simplest, most basic essentials at Coles – what do you think it cost,’ they asked.

The shopper revealed their eight item ‘basic essentials’ grocery haul cost a whopping $72.89. 

Many Aussies said they had also been struggling with the rising cost of groceries.

‘I can’t walk out of the supermarket without spending at least $70 for one bag,’ another commented. 

‘Shopping has become a frightening  ordeal. You can’t afford the basics anymore. And forget about adding cleaning items,’ a third chimed. 

Others slammed the shopper claiming some of their items were not ‘essentials’, with  frozen berries, cashews, almonds and rump steak known as ‘luxury’ items.  

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‘I won’t argue with you that grocery prices have gone through the roof but I wouldn’t call some of this stuff essential.

‘Rump steak and most nuts have always been more on the luxury end,’ one person commented. 

‘Bro spent $25 on two bags of nuts and is complaining about the cost,’ a second wrote. 

‘Sorry, but rump steak, cashew nuts, dried and frozen berries are not ‘basic’. Chicken and milk a the only essentials there to save money,’ a third added.

Another said: ‘Guess you don’t have an issue with cost of living if you can call the luxury items you have purchased basic food items’. 

The shopper defended their purchases, and claimed that the haul showed how items that were once considered everyday essentials are now seen as ‘luxuries’. 

‘My concern is that our country used to be able to make sure everything in the supermarket was more or less available to everyone within reason,’ they wrote. 

‘It feels like a lot of people are locked out of 80 per cent of the supermarket these days and that bothers me’.

Another defended the shopper: ‘People saying these items are not basic? The real problem is that they should be.

‘We live in Australia. Rump steak and some cashew nuts is a spoil is it? How ridiculous.’ 

Meanwhile, shoppers have been able to slash their grocery bills by a quarter by ditching the major supermarkets, a report has found, but those in Tasmania and the Northern Territory will miss out on the chance.

Research from consumer group Choice found that Aldi had the lowest prices of the major supermarkets for a basket of average goods. 

An average basket of 14 common household items from Aldi cost $51.51 compared to $68.58 at Woolworths and $69.33 at Coles. 

The report said the lack of Aldi stores in Tasmania and the NT contributed to higher average grocery prices in those jurisdictions.  

Shoppers in Tasmania paid $68.90 on average for the basket of goods, while those in the NT paid $68.82.

On average, customers in the remaining jurisdictions paid between $62 and $64 for the same items.

Choice chief executive Ashley de Silva said where customers lived determined how much they would pay at the checkout.

‘If you live in Tasmania or the Northern Territory, you’re paying significantly more each week for your groceries,’ he said.

‘However, this is mainly due to the fact that these areas have more limited options for shopping than the rest of the country, with no Aldi in Tassie or the NT.’

The basket of items included bread, flour, milk, beef mince, tinned tomatoes, Weet-Bix, apples, carrots, penne, a block of cheese, frozen peas, butter, sugar and tea.

The report was the first of quarterly, government-funded reports into supermarket prices that were set up to help address cost-of-living concerns at the checkout.

Competition Minister Andrew Leigh said the report showed it paid to shop around.

‘We’ve seen a rise in split-basket shopping during the last couple of years as households have felt cost-of-living pressure … (which) is going to put more competitive pressure on the majors,’ he told reporters.

Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell bemoaned the lack of supermarket competition in her state.

‘Tasmanians are bearing the cost of being put in the too-hard basket by Aldi and other supermarkets,’ she said on social media.

The federal government has provided Choice with $1.1 million across three years to carry out the reports.

A federal review has called for a mandatory code of conduct between supermarkets and suppliers, with the final report into the code to be handed down by the end of June.

Aldi hailed the report but Coles questioned the survey’s methods and offered its own basket price.

‘We welcome Choice’s contribution however, it is unclear whether like-for-like products are being compared,’ a Coles spokesperson said.

‘Our analysis last week comparing the same basket in NSW shows customers can purchase these products for $59.35 at Coles.’ 

Woolworths emphasised choice in its response to the survey.

‘We know many of our customers pick Woolworths because of our wide range of high-quality products at competitive prices in more than 1000 locations across Australia,’ the company said in a statement.

Greens senator Nick McKim said the report highlighted the need for more players in the market.

‘It beggars belief that there could be just one per cent difference in prices between the duopoly,’ he said.

‘The choice between Coles and Woolworths is no choice at all.’