Supermarket Sleuths: Common bulk purchase mistake to watch out for

We are constantly being told that purchasing grocery items in bulk will save us in the long run, but there are a few things you need to watch out for when doing so.

Bulk purchases soared in popularity when Costco launched in Australia in 2009 and began spreading across the country.

As fun as it was to bulk purchase items such as chocolate chunk cookies and noodle snacks, it was grocery items like rice, flour, pasta, eggs, cheese and other popular purchases that typically led to the most savings.

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Customers quickly learned to look out for larger packs of their favourite grocery items in Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.

Each supermarket helpfully includes per unit pricing on their pricing displays, which makes it easy to see how you can save by choosing to stock up in large quantities – as long as it is done carefully.

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A recent tip sent into 9honey Money's Supermarket Sleuths pointed out a bulk purchase at Aldi that didn't result in better value for money.

The per unit price was exactly the same.

The tipster was buying Greek yoghurt at the discount supermarket and was surprised to see this was the case.

I took a trip to my local Aldi to investigate, and saw she had made a common mistake; she was comparing Greek yoghurt to Greek pot-set yoghurt.

The Greek yoghurt in a 500 gram container costing 60 cents per 100 grams, as did the larger 1 kilo tub.

There were no savings to be had in making a larger purchase of what, at first glance, seemed to be the exact same product.

Until you take a closer look and notice one is pot-set.

Standard yoghurt is vastly different to pot-set. Food expert Jane DeGraaff explains the difference.

"There's a couple of different things going on here," DeGraaff tells 9honey.

"Pot-set yoghurt has generally been fermented and set in individual pots, creating a firm texture. It can be any style or flavour. This is different from yoghurts that are fermented in large batches, stirred and then placed into containers, which are generally looser in texture than pot-set."

"Greek yoghurt can be pot-set in individual tubs, or made in large batches, but is generally strained to remove some of the whey for the thick texture it is known for," she continues, adding that Greek-style yoghurt is not necessarily strained to create the thick texture, but may have thickeners added to it instead.

DeGraaff says you have to carefully read the label to make sure you are purchasing the Greek yoghurt you prefer.

As to why Greek pot-set yoghurt is more expensive, she explains it is because "it takes more milk to make it because the whey is strained off".

"So it requires a higher volume of milk to create this thick result, rather than by adding thickening agents," she explains.

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"It generally has fewer ingredients and is a more natural process."

So next time you are comparing per unit prices, make sure you are comparing like for like to avoid any confusion to get the best savings.

And if you have a Supermarket Sleuths tip send it to jabi@nine.com.au.

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