Improved visibility of unit pricing and consistency across supermarkets are part of a Federal Government push to tackle “shrinkflation”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Government would strengthen the Unit Pricing Code to make it easier for Australians to make accurate and timely price comparisons.
Prime Minister Albanese said the practice of “shrinkflation”, where the size of a product was reduced, but the price at the supermarket was the same, or even increased, was becoming more common.
He said unit pricing helped consumers spot good value for money by being able to see the price of products by their volume, weight or per unit, so they weren’t tricked by unchanged packaging hiding less product.
“The Government will also introduce substantial penalties for supermarkets who do the wrong thing and breach the Unit Pricing Code.
“These changes are about making sure shoppers are able to access the best deals at the supermarket, both in store and online – and that they’re not the victims of inflation by stealth in their everyday products.”
Prime Minister Albanese said the ACCC Interim Supermarket Inquiry Report, released last week, found that almost 90 percent of consumers “always or often” used unit pricing when deciding what products to buy.
He said the Government would consult on improvements to the Code including:
- Improving readability and visibility of unit pricing in stores.
- Addressing inconsistent use of units of measure across supermarkets.
- Whether to expand the scope of retailers covered by the Code.
- More specific prominence and legibility requirements.
- Improving the use of unit pricing in cross-retailer price comparisons.
“To ensure shoppers are able to get the best value for money, we’ll fund the ACCC to deliver a consumer awareness campaign showing shoppers how they can find the best deals,” he said.
