Yahoo Finance Vegetable prices have dropped: Here’s what you should buy right now
Cucumbers and tomatoes have halved in price, while other vegetables like capsicums and broccoli have also dropped.
There’s finally some good news for Aussies feeling the pinch at the supermarket checkout. Vegetable prices are now dropping, with some produce now selling for half price.
Cucumbers and tomatoes have seen the biggest price drops over the past 12 months, while red capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, iceberg lettuce and brushed potatoes are also cheaper.
The data from Deakin University’s Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) found cucumbers had halved in price, dropping from $3.98 each in 2022 to $1.98 each now.
Have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com
Tomatoes have also halved in price, reducing from $8.40 per kilogram in 2022, down to $4.21 per kilogram in 2023.
Deakin University postdoctoral research fellow Dr Christina Zorbas said vegetable prices had come down because food supply was more stable.
RELATED
Farmer's pain is shopper's gain: Aussie meat 'cheaper than chicken'
Desperate way Aussies are dealing with rising grocery, fuel costs
Grocery hack: How Aussie nurse saves hundreds at the supermarket
“Compared to last year and the last two years, when we saw food prices soar, this year things have been more stable in terms of growing conditions and food supply, so less has been disrupted,” Zorbas told Yahoo Finance.
“In saying that, the food supply in Australia is not really resilient enough to withstand future shocks. It’s only going to take a few more climate events or another pandemic and it’s pretty unpredictable what will happen to food prices if those events keep happening.”
Weribee farmer Catherine Velisha - who grows broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, spring onions and celery - said it had been a great growing season across all states.
“So, there’s an abundance of fresh veggies and obviously everyone’s feeling a bit of a pinch at the moment with the cost of living on many things like fuel, electricity, mortgages and groceries,” Velisha told Yahoo Finance.
“So, we’re pleading with everyone to buy up veggies, both for their cost of living but also to help us growers move a bit of stock.”
Velisha expects vegetable prices will stay low until the end of the year unless there is an unexpected weather event.
“I think this will go through to Christmas and it’s a perfect way for people to get healthy for summer while prices are cheap,” she said.
Not all vegetables have come down in price, though, with brown onions, carrots, washed potatoes, corn and butternut pumpkin prices increasing over the past 12 months.
How Aussies can save $100
Velisha is encouraging Aussies to buy up their vegetables now and preserve them while they are cheap. She believes this could help slash household grocery bills by at least $100 in summer.
“Making your own frozen vegetable packs is a great way of making the most of lower prices,” Velisha said.
“You can also pickle vegetables, which is great for cucumbers and cabbages, and it can be as simple as sugar, vinegar and water.
“You can also definitely save money by thinking of ways not to waste your products. So, for example, a cauliflower - you usually cut off the stem and leaves. But if you learn how to roast it whole and use all of the vegetable, you are getting great value for money.
Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
