BREAKING NEWS Coles and Woolworths staple set to see a major price increase
Ian Hemphill, Managing Director of Australian spice company Herbie's Spices, said the price hike is largely due to economic challenges in Hungary, where most of the capsicums used to make the spice are grown.
'Increased costs for labour, fertilisers, and transportation also influenced paprika prices,' Mr Hemphill told Nine.
'Producers facing higher exdpenses tend to pass these costs onto buyers, further increasing the price per kilogram.'
'So far we have only seen an increase in the prices for high-quality Hungarian sweet paprika, although paprika from China and Spain has only increased in cost by a much smaller margin.'
Paprika is a staple spice used to season meats, stews, and roasted vegetables, known for its mild, sweet, and smoky flavour.
It's also a key ingredient in the famous seasoning blend used in KFC's Original Recipe chicken.
How to save money on groceries as prices rise?
Visiting more than one supermarket has proven to be the smartest approach for shoppers, as data shows prices for everyday essentials continue to vary widely.
Data from consumer advocacy group Choice found that, even without specials, prices differed across the big four supermarkets, with Aldi emerging as the best for overall value.
Choice sent mystery shoppers to 104 supermarkets across Australia in March to compare the prices of 14 common grocery items.
The items included popular winter buys such as vegetable stock, sour cream, drinking chocolate, butternut pumpkin, quick oats, garlic, and onions.
Choice says the products were matched as closely as possible based on pack size, ingredients, and country of origin.
The data showed Aldi offered the most value, with the full basket of products costing just $55.35.
Woolworths was not far behind at $58.92, while the Coles basket without specials came in at $59.22.
The most expensive shop was IGA at $69.74, although it did prove cheapest for carrots and garlic.
Without specials, Coles had the best deal on apples, while Woolworths had the cheapest chicken breasts and pumpkin.
'All up, if you're planning a hearty porridge breakfast, or wanting a cup of hot chocolate to keep you feeling snug, Aldi should be your first stop,' Choice chief executive Ashley de Silva said.
'But, as always, there are lots of other ways to save on your weekly grocery shop. Checking the unit pricing, keeping an eye on specials, shopping around, and trying out house brand products can all add up to significant savings.'
The cost comparison comes just months after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released its final report into supermarkets, finding major chains had little incentive to be competitive on pricing due to their large market share.
The commission said Coles, Woolworths and Aldi faced little competition and had increased average product margins over the past five years, but stopped short of accusing them of price gouging.
Aldi holds a market share of approximately 9.5 per cent, making it the third-largest supermarket chain in the nation, behind Woolworths at 37.1 per cent and Coles at 27.9 per cent.
The smallest of the four major supermarkets, IGA, holds a 6.9 per cent share of the market.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside the crash of Mr Potato empire - as staff reveal the chaos that saw workers rely on UBER EATS for vital ingredients
A teenage worker left jobless by the failed Mr Potato fast food chain has described the chaotic months leading up to her store's closure and the business's total collapse. Maggie - not her real name - worked for Mr Potato at Newtown in Sydney 's inner-west from last year until the store finally closed its doors in late June. She watched on as basic ingredients for popular menu items had to be bought from Woolworths via Uber Eats because the usual suppliers had not been paid. Mr Potato had also stopped paying for its garbage to be collected and rubbish piled up outside the shop, while employees such as Maggie are still owed wages. When Maggie took a job at the Newtown store 'it was pretty normal for most of the time' but she soon realised there were 'issues paying people'. One manager left, and the operation began falling apart when its founders, Miss Universe entrant Jess Davis and her basketballer husband Tyson Hoffman, took over running the store. 'It just became clear that they didn't really know what they were doing,' Maggie said. Before the closed sign went up at the King Street premises - Mr Potato's only outlet in Sydney - Davis and Hoffman went on a marathon food truck tour around Australia. Franchisees were left facing bankruptcy when Mr Potato went into liquidation on July 4 after the Australian Tax Office brought wind-up action over a $150,000 debt. Phil Robinson of Deloitte was appointed as the Adelaide-based company's liquidator during a deliberation which took less than two minutes to be heard. Davis and Hoffman - also known as Tyson Finau - established Mr Potato in 2018 to capitalise on what they saw as a gap in the market for healthy fast food with a 'modern spin' on baked potatoes. Hoffman, who had played for the 36ers NBL team, suggested the idea of selling spuds loaded with savoury toppings to his then-fiancée as 'a joke' a few weeks after they began dating. Mr Potato grew from the first Adelaide store to other locations in South Australia before expanding into Queensland, with plans in 2022 to open 20 more restaurants across the nation. The Newtown store opened in April 2023 but there were clear signs the Mr Potato business was in big trouble later that year. By October 2023, Gold Coast franchises at Palm Beach, Upper Coomera and Mermaid Waters had gone bust and were taken over by head office in Adelaide. The number of franchises had fallen from 13 to just four by June this year, as Davis and Hoffman spent much of their time on their national tour promoting the brand. Davis sparked controversy earlier this year when she posted on Instagram her intention to seek investors for a $4million tropical resort. She and Hoffman acquired a 100-hectare slice of beachfront land on the Tongan island of Nomuka where they planned to build an 'eco resort', dubbed Oseni. According to the couple's Instagram, their plans for the resort included '30 private, luxurious and eco-friendly villas' on the remote beach. The couple also intended to build a seaplane wharf to help ferry guests from mainland Tonga to the island getaway. At the Newtown store, Maggie said the first time she was paid late was in November last year but only by a day so she wasn't particularly worried. When a shift leader resigned, she was left to open the restaurant on her own despite having never been trained to do so. Davis and Hoffman were acting as the store managers from December until late January and commenced their Mr Potato road trip in March. 'It became clear that they must have been struggling with the financial side of things,' Maggie said. 'We would start getting different suppliers than usual and we would start getting more and more emergency deliveries on most stocks. 'And then they decided that the best option to deal with all of this was to start a food truck.' In February, Davis and Hoffman threw a lavish Christmas party for their staff, hiring a yacht for a fully-catered cruise on Sydney Harbour, followed by Uber rides to karaoke. 'We were all kind of like, "What? How are you doing this? How are you paying for this?"' said Maggie. Daily Mail Australia has seen staff WhatsApp group messages from about March in which staff noted ingredients were being ordered from Woolworths every day and the 'run out list is getting longer'. One list of products not in stock featured two types of cheese, bacon, chipotle, mayonnaise, beans, jalapeno, beetroot, roasted peppers, vegan butter, lentils, hummus and tomato sauce. Maggie's pay was by then coming a couple of days late but other employees - international students - were waiting longer. 'They were still on tour,' Maggie said of Davis and Hoffman. 'And it quickly went downhill because they weren't contactable as much. 'Eventually we kept getting banned from our suppliers for not paying them. So we had to get the majority of our stock from Coles and Woolworths on Uber Eats. 'We kept getting into trouble with the council because we had the bins out the back, but they weren't paying for the bins to be picked up.' Easter brought more pay delays, including for lucrative public holidays. Maggie complained to Hoffman in a WhatsApp group chat in which she wrote: 'It's just disrespectful. A fortnight late? Come on.' Hoffman responded with an 'insane' message Maggie found 'a little bit threatening'. 'Obviously it's a tough time financially for us,' he wrote. 'Options are either we close the store and no one even has a job, any income or we find the solutions to keep things going. 'Anyone that thinks we have an immediate solution, is unfortunately incorrect. I do have solutions to make this never happen again. But they take time. This social media user and baked potato fan was unimpressed by the offerings at Mr Potato 'We have large funds landing any day now so we can ensure this doesn't happen again. 'We will remember who's on our team and who's not.' That pay problem was resolved but wages were late again in May and Maggie had had enough. Word began spreading the ATO was circling Mr Potato but Davis and Hoffman said nothing to staff. On June 26, Hoffman said in another group WhatsApp message the store would be closing 'for a few days', from that Friday to Sunday. 'We're currently waiting on some funds that are due to land on Monday,' Hoffman wrote. 'Once received, we'll be able to fully restock the store and resume normal trade from Tuesday. Apologies for the recent sporadic ordering and stock levels. 'In the meantime, please enjoy a well-deserved short break. Pays will be processed and in your accounts tomorrow.' On July 1, after repeated requests from staff for their pay, Hoffman responded on WhatsApp. 'At this stage, we won't be reopening the store,' he wrote. 'We know how hard this is to hear, and it's incredibly difficult for us to say. 'Jess and I have poured absolutely everything we have into Mr Potato - our time, our energy, our hearts. 'We've fought so hard to keep things going, and while we don't plan to give up, the reality is we're in a very tough spot right now. ' Hoffman revealed 'all of our other sites have either stopped trading or are still open but no longer paying us'. 'We're still exploring options, but we feel it's only fair to be transparent and not leave you all waiting in limbo,' he wrote. 'As painful as it is to say, we encourage you to look for other employment. 'In regards to wages and super, we're doing absolutely everything in our power to make sure everyone is paid. We don't have a clear timeline, but we promise to update you the moment we have more information. 'We're truly sorry. Thank you for everything you've given to Mr Potato - it's meant the world to us.' Maggie has heard nothing more from Hoffman since then and remains owed about $1,100 in wages. She said some of her ten or so workmates - as young as 15 - are owed much more. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Hoffman previously insisted: 'Each store is responsible for its own financial obligations to suppliers.' 'At Mr Potato, we remain committed to transparency, franchisee success, and the strength of our brand. 'Business performance varies due to multiple factors, and we encourage all franchisees to conduct thorough due diligence before making financial commitments. 'We care deeply about our franchisees and want them to succeed. We provide support not only in business but also in navigating the various challenges that life presents. 'Like any business, the success of a franchise ultimately depends on the business management, effort, and execution of the individual franchisee.'
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
We were about to retire and travel the world... but now we're broke and may have to live the rest of our lives in a CARAVAN - here's how we lost it all
A husband and wife close to retirement are now contemplating selling their mortgaged house and living in a caravan after losing $340,000 from the collapsed First Guardian Master Fund. Canberra couple Simon Luck, 61, and Annette, 58, had been planning to use their super to pay off their house late next year before visiting relatives in The Netherlands and the UK. Australians can access their super at 60 but now their retirement dreams have been shattered, and could force them to leave the city they love because it's too expensive. They are among the 6,000 Australians who stand to lose their retirement savings, with First Guardian Master Fund's directors accused of moving $274million in funds offshore, and splurging on a $9million Melbourne mansion and a $548,000 Lamborghini. 'Absolutely gutted,' Mr Luck told Daily Mail Australia. 'We'll be able to survive but it just means that all our plans for European travel and all that sort of stuff, we'll just become homebodies I guess. 'My wife's Dutch heritage so we had plans to go to Holland and reunite with her extended family.' Bookkeeper Annette Luck said the couple, who married in 1993, had initially planned to pay off their house in Canberra's northern suburbs when she was able to access her super, before travelling around Australia and overseas. 'We had plans to travel around Australia for two years and then do a tour of Europe then travel through Europe to England where Simon's family is from, and Scotland and Ireland,' she said. 'We would then loved to have spent a year or two in New Zealand travelling around.' 'Disheartened, dismayed and downright disappointed and let down.' Simon Luck was last year only able to access $20,000 from his super under the hardship provisions, following a heart attack. His forced retirement ended his 22-year career as a Customs officer with Australian Border Force, which followed 23 years in the Royal Australian Navy. But Falcon Capital, the parent company of First Guardian Master Fund, then stopped allowing anyone to access the super they were entitled to. The Lucks, whose 27-year-old son Jarred is still living with them during a cost-of-living crisis, said they were likely to be forced to sell their mortgaged house and feared they would even struggle to afford a small home unit in Canberra. 'We're even talking about buying a caravan or a motorhome and living out of that,' Mr Luck said. 'We'd love to stay in Canberra but we simply won't be able to afford to - we love where we are; just can't afford to stay here now. 'We've live out of the motorhome, we'll become grey nomads and no fixed abode, I guess; it's not what we envisaged.' Annette said the motorhome they had built for their retirement, with a separate $100,000 loan, could end up becoming their primary residence. They had also planned to pay that off through their super. 'We have had a motorhome built for our intended retirement, however, it spends most of its time in storage for now until we work out how to pay off our mortgage,' she said. 'We most likely will now have to downsize earlier than anticipated in order to have enough money to travel around Australia and then decide where we wish to live. 'We had always anticipated, downsizing upon retirement but now we are not even sure that it will be viable for us to retire in our much loved city of Canberra, we will most likely have to find a smaller regional location in order to live within our means, based wholly on Simon's pension. 'Our overseas travel plans will no longer be achievable.' Simon is particularly angry at First Guardian director David Anderson, who bought a $9million Hawthorn mansion in 2020 on Melbourne's Yarra River. 'He's been spending our money and living a life of luxury no doubt with his $9million apartment on the Yarra,' he said. 'It's got to the point where I just don't trust anyone anymore. They're scum.' Their savings went into First Guardian in 2012, when it was an investment company, following a recommendation from financial advisers at United Global Capital, whose director Joel James Hewish last year had his financial services licence cancelled for a decade. But Falcon Capital at that point made excuses to stop them from withdrawing their super and switching to another fund. 'Falcon Capital sent us a letter saying that they were in the midst of a restructure so we thought it was all legit,' Mr Luck said. Then there is truck driver Anthony Kenna, 44, who lost $30,830 in super after being contacted in 2023 by Ferris Merhi, who was a director of Venture Egg, encouraging him to put his super into First Guardian Master Fund. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission froze Merhi's assets in February. 'Well that's half my super at the present time,' Mr Kenna told Daily Mail Australia. More than half of his super was invested in First Guardian and the Shield Master Fund. They had both received favourable ratings from SQM Research, whose managing director Louis Christopher in March flagged an 'increasing cautious approach to potential governance issues' after ASIC sought a Federal Court order to liquidate the assets of First Guardian Master Trust and Falcon Capital. Mr Kenna, a transport worker from Hillston in western New South Wales, is one of 6,000 super savers who have lost their retirement savings. FTI Consulting, the liquidator of First Guardian Master Fund, last week revealed a director of its parent company Falcon Capital, Simon Selimaj, had registered a $548,000 Lamborghini Urus SUV using company funds. Mr Kenna is particularly appalled at this revelation, as someone with little left now in the way of retirement savings. 'Appalling and disgusting, he said. 'How they could do this to a lot of people who has worked very hard to put superannuation money away for retirement?' A 57-year-old white collar professional had planned to take his super at age 60 and go travelling overseas during an early retirement only to lose an undisclosed amount of money invested with First Guardian. 'I was looking forward to spending some time travelling to places that I wanted to go, spending some time with my partner, my wife of 30 years-plus years seeing the world,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'I've also got a couple of kids that I was looking forward to being able to provide for in some way.' But instead, he will continue working until 67, when he qualifies for the age pension with liquidators FTI Consulting last week revealing at least $446million was still owed to retirement savers. 'Some people have enough time to fill the hole - in my case I've got 10 years; I wish I had 30,' he said. His problems started in October 2022 when a financial adviser at Venture Egg he had met only by phone convinced him to consolidate super from three accounts into a First Guardian Master Fund product marketed as a defensive or low-risk option. 'He spoke to me for not very long; I signed a document saying that he could transfer the existing funds, consolidate them so I could manage them more simply not having multiple different funds,' he said. 'I got emails saying, "You need to go into First Guardian, it's offering much better returns and is a great fund".' Unbeknown to him, the First Guardian Master Fund had paid $40million to Venture Egg and now liquated marketing groups Atlas Marketing and Indigo Group to aggressively convince clients to put their money into a First Guardian super product. This occurred despite the law changing in 2013 banning trailing commissions on new super products, under a system known as the Future of Financial Advice. A Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry in 2019 also recommended financial advisers must declare if they are not 'independent, impartial and unbiased'. The victim said the young financial adviser had revealed no conflict of interest and came across as professional on the phone. 'I had no reason to doubt anything he was saying,' he said. But from the start, no paperwork was sent to him confirming he had switched his super. 'I thought something was up when nothing arrived in the mail, I had no paper evidence of anything,' he said. Another retirement saver from Queensland lost $22,900 after seeking to consolidate two superannuation funds in 2022, but luckily had funds in other accounts. 'So for me its wait and see what happens. With only five years left until retirement this was not good news at all,' he told Daily Mail Australia. His problems started in 2022 when he used Australian Super Finder, who linked him to Venture Egg and First Guardian without declaring a conflict of interest. 'I went online and found a company who assisted with this type of thing who then referred me to Venture Egg who I accepted as my new financial advisors,' he told said. 'They in turn organised for me to roll my two super funds into Netwealth who is only one of three funds I believe to have invested in First Guardian. 'Early 2024 all communication from Venture Egg ceased without notification, then a new financial adviser took over my account. I found all of that weird and unsettling. 'So I feel like I was set up - no doubt like many others.' First Guardian was offered on super trustee platforms Equity Trustees, Diversa and Netwealth. Simon Luck has written to his local federal Labor member Andrew Leigh and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 'I am pleading with anyone in a position to listen to our plight to help me please,' his letter said. 'I am not a financial guru by any means but have worked my whole life in national security of Australia as an immigrant (10 pound Pommie) trusting in Australia and its way of life. I am now sitting here in disbelief.'
TTG
4 hours ago
- TTG
Queensland to host Prestige Travel's second Australia fam trip
Prestige Travel is thrilled to announce its second Australia familiarisation trip, scheduled for October 2025. This exclusive journey will take five hand-selected travel agents deep into two of Queensland's most captivating regions: Tropical North Queensland (TNQ) and the Southern Great Barrier Reef (SGBR). This immersive trip is a key part of the 'Linger Longer' campaign, designed to promote longer-stay itineraries that showcase the full depth and diversity of Australia's landscapes, culture, and communities. Hosted by Prestige Brand Ambassador Jenny Taylor-Page (JTP), the FAM will offer agents the opportunity to explore ancient rainforests, the world-renowned Great Barrier Reef, and culturally rich, laid-back tropical towns — all through carefully curated experiences that go far beyond the typical brochure. 'This is where Queensland's soul truly comes alive — where reef, rainforest, and culture converge,' says JTP. 'We want agents to experience the essence of these regions, beyond the brochure, and come away with stories that inspire their clients to stay longer and explore deeper.' The FAM aims to deepen product knowledge, foster stronger relationships within the trade, and equip agents with authentic, first-hand experiences they can share with their clients. Joe Lavers, Trade Relationship Manager at Prestige Travel, adds: 'Prestige Travel is having a fantastic year — with overall growth of 30% year-on-year, and our Australia programme alone showing over 50% growth compared to last year. "Agents are recognising that Prestige truly delivers when it comes to service and destination expertise. As a specialist tour operator, we value our partnerships deeply — and we're excited to reward five loyal agents with this incredible opportunity.' The selected agents will return home with not only unforgettable memories but also the tools to create enriched, longer-stay itineraries for their clients — helping to drive continued growth in the Australia market.
