Recently I’ve seen a number of “news” items (I think all on NSW ch7 or 9 networks) claiming large excesses of mangoes, pineapples and avocados, with interviews with producers and suggestions to get in to your supermarket and buy them while they are cheap and plentiful, because the prices will be going up when the glut has passed.
However, when my wife went into Woolies yesterday, there were 3 tiny green pineapples (unlikely to ripen, so price not relevant!), small avocados were $3 each and small mangoes were $2.50 each.
This appears to be totally at odds with the “news” items, which sound more like promotional advertorials to sell more fruit at regular or increased pricing.
Our experience on the Gold Coast is similar in terms of pricing.
We have seen news articles on the ABC TV about gluts in a variety of farm produce, and talking about the farmers dumping because the prices were so low. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen those low prices translate to the retailers here.
What is more ironic, is that the fresh fruit and veg being sold is, as @gordon highlit, often of a lower quality than normal.
Consequently due to the high prices and average quality we have greatly reduced our purchases of fresh fruit and veg.
It may be very convenient for the supermarkets and the news services to omit key details.
Fresh ripe good sized pineapples are in very good supply locally and a $1 each bargain. At least for anyone who travelled along the main road close to the Glass House Mountains this afternoon. Or dropped into our local F&V yesterday arvo.
The best guide to current supply and prices are those achieved at the wholesale F&V markets in our capital cities. I’ve yet to locate a free and public source of the wholesale data. Some produce is purchased direct on contract, and some has been held in cool/cold storage. The true wholesale cost is less visible in those instances.
@evanstrish3 The Guardian article is all about the capital cities and only covers one or two F&V outlets, so it can’t be taken as representative.
Here in regional Qld (on the Gold Coast), prices are higher than in Brisbane. The ironic thing is that fruit and veg grown nearby is transported to the capital cities to the distribution centres & wholesale markets where local retailers buy from. So the food is transported at least hundreds of kilometers to be returned to almost the starting point for retail sale.
On weekends there are farmers markets which reduce the food miles/kilometers greatly, but the prices are often on a par with WW & Coles.
So here, which ever way we try to buy, the cost of buying is generally higher than the news leads you to believe.
There is such a big glut - yes, as I have seen on TV, and was in Woolworths in Armidale, NSW yesterday, and $3.50 for an avocado. At that price I leave them on the shelf. $2.00 max is my cut-off limit - and refuse to buy New Zealand anything wherever possible. The issue with avocado’s at times is the poor quality to throw out when you get them home. They can feel firm to looking good, but can be awful inside.
One reason is not the lack of pineapples. It’s a lack of larger pineapples. Supermarket chains pick and choose with minimum physical size requirements. They may feed a family, however for us couples and singles small is good. How it is, why it is, and what to do with your bargain, if it comes your way.
