Iceberg lettuce sells for $12 in Queensland grocery store amid floods and inflation
Grocery prices are seeing huge jumps in Queensland as floods, the pandemic and fertiliser shortages put increasing pressure on suppliers.
In one south-east Queensland IGA, a punnet of blueberries will set you back $20 with a single iceberg lettuce costing $12.
"Yes there is a massive, massive issue in the supply chain," director of Seasons IGA Greg Weiss said.
"You can go to the markets daily and they will inform you of the struggles they're facing daily."
READ MORE: Severe weather warning as 'peak' inching closer
Grocery and petrol prices have risen due to the escalating crisis in Europe. Nine
Hours later, pre-planned catalogue pricing amended the lettuce back to $3.50 in the Redcliffe IGA.
"We're actually making a loss on the lettuce because we dictate our sales on prices that they'll pay for," Weiss said.
He said the recent wet weather in Queensland was adding costs to already inflated wholesale prices.
READ MORE: New sexual consent laws in NSW take effect from today. Here are the key details
A head of iceberg lettuce cost $12 this morning at a Redcliffe IGA, before prices went down again. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Recent CPI data shows a 6.6 per cent average price hike for vegetables in the last quarter.
Fruit has gone up by almost five per cent while meat and seafood has gone up by 4.8 per cent.
At IGA stores across the state, customers are limited to two lettuce heads per visit for fear hospitality owners will swoop on the lowered prices.
Supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths are also experiencing a shortage of leafy greens.
Fruits and vegetable prices have risen by 6.6 per cent in Queensland. Getty
"Yes, if lettuce supply is low because of the floods, try something else for your dinner," Martine Alpins from Coles said.
"We learnt through COVID that when things are in short supply we adapted."
Alpins said Coles was working to offset global price hikes in a bid to make their products affordable for customers.
READ MORE: How to get a free flu shot, state-by-state
From today, Coles is capping prices on some of its own branded products to a dollar or less.
"We've still got our tuna, our pasta, canned tomatoes, beans, all sorts of things you can get for under a dollar or a dollar or less," Alpins said.
"It's really important we're keeping these basic products at a low price for our customers."
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
