It’s only getting harder for Australians to get their weekly grocery shop done within their budget.
Milk appears to be the latest victim of the cost of living crisis, with supermarket giant Coles lifting the price on its home brand varieties.
Coles says it has been forced to increase the price of its milk amid a rise in the cost of packaging and transportation.
“We know customers are facing increased cost of living pressures,” Coles chief commercial officer Leah Weckert said.
“Raising prices is never something we do lightly, however the increased supply chain costs we are seeing, including higher payments to dairy farmers and processors, have necessitated these increases on Coles Brand milk products.
“The feedback we’ve received from farmers and processors following the recent increases in farmgate and wholesale prices has been very positive, and we hope customers will help us continue to support them by purchasing their great quality Australian milk.”
The supermarket giant says it’s also now paying dairy farmers more for their product.
Michael Hampson, CEO of dairy co-operative Norco which supplies Coles Brand milk in Northern NSW and Southern Queensland, said the increased farmgate price was making a huge difference to dairy farmers.
“Through our long-term partnership with Coles, we have been able to support our 300 farmer members with a record farm gate milk price increase across the total 200 million litres that our members supply to our 100 per cent farmer-owned co-operative,” he said.
“This is especially important as farmers face pressures from rising costs of production, with many still recovering from the devastating impacts of recent unprecedented weather events.”
Coles milk prices
- Coles Brand Fresh White Milk 1L – $1.60 (increase from $1.35)
- Coles Brand Fresh White Milk 2L – $3.10 (increase from $2.60)
- Coles Brand Fresh White Milk 3L – $4.50 (increase from $3.90)
- Coles Brand UHT White Milk 1L – $1.60 (increase from $1.35)
It’s likely the price rise will also be passed on to Australians through other businesses, such as cafes.
Milk at Coles has become the latest supermarket staple that’s seen an increase in recent months.
While the news has been awash with stories of shocking price increases of kitchen staples such as lettuce, cucumbers, capsicum, snow peas, and berries, consumers might be tempted to cut down on their fruit and vegetable intake.
However not all fresh produce is being impacted by the same factors which are causing inflationary pressures, such as supply-side issues such as high fuel, freight and fertiliser costs.
In fact, despite the latest inflation figures showing a 4.3 per cent increase in food prices for the year to March, the prices of some fruits and vegetables have actually fallen recently.
Extracted from 7news
