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Grocery Tag

With groceries costing more than ever, at the very least, you would expect to get what you paid for.

But the food we buy isn’t always what it says on the packaging. Whether it’s cheap olive oil sold as extra virgin, beef passed off as veal, or drinks watered down, food fraud is more prevalent than you might think.

With everything from fuel, utility, to grocery bills rising constantly, Australians are watching their pennies – cutting back on luxuries, leaving heaters off, adding more blankets in winter, and catching the bus instead of driving.

But food isn't just another bill—it's a necessity. We have to eat, ideally healthily - shunning fast food and snacks in favour of fruit and vegetables, lean meat and seafood. But with food prices increasing an average of eight percent a year (many items have risen a lot more), the grocery bill is taking a bigger and bigger slice out of household budgets each week.

Ever gone to the grocery store with a list of five or six things you need and walked out with double, if not triple that? You’re far from alone.

Of course, once you’re there you might remember something else you need. Or something you usually buy is half price, so you can't resist the deal and buy a couple. And then there’s the impulse buy so many of us are guilty of.

Have you heard of The 12 Pains of Christmas? Released in the mid-1980s, the song is a parody of the popular carol, The 12 Days of Christmas, where instead of touting the pleasure of receiving various gifts, the singer bemoans the less than sunshiny parts of the festive season.

But even if Bob Rivers sounds a bit like the Grinch who stole Christmas, we all know he has a point. For all the family get-togethers, presents and general bonhomie, there is plenty to complain about this time of year (and we don’t just mean the price of cherries).

COVID-19 lockdowns mean more of us have switched to online transactions - including grocery shopping. Big supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths have levelled up their game by focussing efforts on our online grocery shopping experience. Beyond accessibility and other benefits, there are important drawbacks to virtually shopping for groceries. In this second part of our series on online supermarkets, we dive deeper into the things we need to look out for before jumping into the convenience of online purchasing.