Last week I bought a 500g bag of frozen fruit for its regular price of $4. Yesterday, it cost me $5, which looks to be its new regular price.
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Hi @perry, what was the product?
There are many factors which can influence fruit pricing…droughts, too much rain, labour costs, COVID, increased demand etc
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Reasons offered will be, particularly if it is imported (and a lot are), current COVID issues, transport costs and holdups, China’s current trade tensions with Australia, the cost of providing the frozen fruit to the shelves will have increased and so justification will be that perhaps pricing rose sharply as you have noted. There is also the not often thought about increases caused by inflation both domestically and internationally (where much of the fruit is sourced from) which can have a real effect on costs.
As you are quoting the old price as $4 for this product and your topic title (though it is possible it was another brand just bought at Woolies) it is most likely the Woolies own brand and I know the fruit is almost entirely foreign sourced including the strawberries.
I’m not suggesting that the price rise was fair or within a reasonable increase of costs, the problem is we have no insight into their contracts for supply, transport and other costs so it often happens that prices rise faster than rises in our incomes can match but the rise is opaque to reasons and often justified by equally opaque responses to our questions.
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It was Woolworth’s Blackberries, but all the other fruit were increased as well.
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Has the Coles branded product price also risen in similar fashion? ALDI also have some frozen fruits but the variety is limited, they are cheaper if they have any varieties you like/want and if a Store is nearby.
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These have a Chilean origin. It isn’t currently blackberry season in the southern hemisphere and the price increase could be because they are out of season. Other factors include that Chile has been pushing to increase exports of its berries, which in the past few years have taken off with increasing exports year on year. It has also cracked the Chinese market, replacing principally US imports. The increased demand for Chilean berries will also be pushing up prices. Any price rises, Woolworths (or any other retailers) will pass onto consumers through higher retail prices.
Woollies Blueberries also come from Chile. Likewise frozen mixed berries and raspberries (noting raspberries are from mixed origin but packed in Chile).
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Chile similarly for Coles branded.
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Aldi is the same. It might indicate the others may have a price increase in the near future.
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I’ll check Coles tomorrow.
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On Wednesday, Aldi’s was still less than $4. I’m not sure of the weight, though. May be 450g.
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Perhaps they may have been using rubbish from China and needed to switch to a safe supplier as Creative Gourmet have done.
Interestingly, now that many consumers are avoiding unsafe rubbish from China, there appears to be some real competition for safe products.
Woolworths still stocks OOB Organic frozen fruit in the 450/500 gm sizes and Coles stocks it in the 300 gm size as well as Serious Organic in 250 gm packs.
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Woolies did the same with their 1 litre own brand longlife milk a few months back - went from $1 to $1.25. Quite a hike.
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500g is the weight and price is $3.69. They have a more limited range than others do.
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