You can read all about it in Tas Times on 28 Nov 2009, or catch up in the Mercury 11 days later …

Hobart and Bunbury have nation’s most expensive groceries, on Tasmanian Times: HERE

or today …

Food in Tassie nation’s dearest
DAMIEN BROWN
December 09, 2009 06:42am

www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/12/09/114631_food-wine.html

TASMANIANS are paying more for their groceries than shoppers in some remote cities in Australia, a new survey reveals.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says a lack of competition is to blame, with the major supermarket chains dominating the market.

Meanwhile, shoppers in Hobart are paying $3 more for a standard basket of groceries than those in Launceston, the Choice magazine survey shows.

The price of the basket of groceries used in the survey has risen by about $10 in just two years.

The grocery price survey follows a recent comparison of fuel prices that also found Hobart motorists were paying more than those in remote mainland towns.

At supermarket checkouts Tasmania is the most expensive of any state or territory in the nation.

Tasmanians are paying $10 more for a basket of groceries than shoppers in New South Wales, the cheapest state — despite the items having been bought at the same supermarket chains, Coles, Woolworths, Foodworks and IGA.

And Tasmanians are the least able to afford big food expenses, as the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show average weekly earnings in Tasmania are the lowest of any state or territory.

Tasmanians earned on average just $754.80 a week, almost $350 less than residents of the Australian Capital Territory.

South Australia recorded the second-lowest average earnings, $85 more than in Tasmania.

In the grocery comparison between 24 Australian cities, both Hobart and Launceston have dropped significantly in affordability.

The survey has seen Launceston move from a mid-range ranking of 17th most affordable in 2007 to 22nd.

Hobart has slipped from 12th to 23rd over the same period.

The Tasmanian cities placed between Australia’s most remote capitals, Perth and Darwin.

Hobart was found to be only marginally cheaper than Bunbury in Western Australia — a city of just 60,000 two hours south of Perth.

The cheapest city was Geelong, which rocketed from ninth place to top of the list.

The survey involved 24 cities and 145 supermarkets where shoppers bought 35 items.

They bought the cheapest brand. For items such as bread, bacon and milk, the generic or house brands usually won.

For the first time the survey included bananas, chicken breasts and tomatoes.