By Aaron Cordy
WHAT began as one farmer fed up with Coles and Woolworths holding prices to inflate their profits while squeezing out farmers, has grown legs and become the focus of the Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Prices. As reported here on November 29, 2023, Natural Earth Produce (NEP) out of Toolamba, called out supermarkets over pricing.
NEP’s social media campaign, headed by owner Ross Marsolino, went viral and he was soon joined by other farmers around the country. Moving from ‘Social Media’ to national radio and channel Seven Sunrise breakfast program, the issue could no longer be ignored.
On December 6, 2023, the Senate resolved a Select Committee on Supermarket Pricing be established to inquire into and report on the price-setting practices and market power of major supermarkets, chaired by Greens Senator Nick McKim.
“Investigating supermarket prices is vital as Coles and Woolworths have been profiting from price gouging during a cost-of-living crisis, impacting many Australians. We’re taking on the corporate supermarket giants to cut the cost of food for everyone and dismantle their market power,” said Senator McKim.
The Committee is taking submissions from the public until Friday, February 2, 2024.
“We’ve also heard from farmers and suppliers, as well as current and former employees of the supermarket giants. Collectively they paint a picture of two corporations that have badly misused their power and need to be held to account,” said Senator McKim.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has weighed in on the issue, with talk of legal action against Coles and Woolworths, on the back of the Albanese Government announcement. This comes after four fruit and vegetable traders, Green Endeavour, Bache Bros, Nutrano and GetFresh, were forced to pay penalties related to pricing last year. It is middlemen wholesalers who many on both sides of the industry blame for the increase in prices.
The Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Prices’ report is due out in May, though it is already too late for some farmers and families feeling the pinch of every doll squeezed out of them by the government and big business.
