Fruit growers can no longer afford transport costs - dump fresh harvests instead
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Coming face-to-face with the dreaded total at the end of our aisles is what many shoppers (us included) hate most about grocery shopping.
With fresh fruit and veg becoming more and more expensive by the day, it's no wonder that so many people are feeling the pinch.
Inflation figures released last week showed that in the 12 months prior to August, overall costs of living had risen by 6.8 per cent.
A significant contributor to this figure was food and beverage prices; fruit and vegetables specifically have increased from 9.1 per cent in June to an eye-watering 18.6 per cent in August. Ouch!
Fruit and veg prices at supermarkets are on the rise. Credit: Nikki Short.
Of course, these rises aren't just limited to what we see on supermarket shelves – things like fuel for transporting goods from farm to market are also playing a big part in inflating food prices across Australia.
This means that for many people out there, eating healthily is becoming a real luxury rather than a mundane part of everyday life like it should be. And as if that wasn't bad enough news…
An image has gone viral on social media after a NSW citrus grower left thousands of kilos of oranges (perfectly good ones!) on the side of a remote road on the outskirts of Sydney.
Josi Hilton from Schofields Orchard recently spoke out about how inflation is affecting her business – and it isn't pretty. According to her, the oranges that were dumped were fresh fruits harvested just days ago.
Growers dumped truckloads of perfectly good oranges because production costs were going up. Credit: 7News.
Because it is taking too long and is too expensive to get the majority of their oranges to the grocery stores, the growers are being forced to throw away their products instead.
'I don't understand,' she said, asking: 'What are people eating if we can't sell our produce?'
Lyn Schofields, Josi's business partner, agreed and added, 'When the pressures come, and you don't get any results from it… it's a little bit discouraging at times.'
We can only imagine how they're feeling right now; after all their hard work growing those oranges to perfection, only for them not to even make it off their farm... That has got to sting, badly.
If given the chance, we bet plenty of shoppers out there would gladly take those perfectly fine oranges off their hands! At least, that way, no fruit goes to waste.
If you ask us, this story is just another sign that something needs to change when it comes to food production (and consumption!) in this country – but what do you think, members? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
With fresh fruit and veg becoming more and more expensive by the day, it's no wonder that so many people are feeling the pinch.
Inflation figures released last week showed that in the 12 months prior to August, overall costs of living had risen by 6.8 per cent.
A significant contributor to this figure was food and beverage prices; fruit and vegetables specifically have increased from 9.1 per cent in June to an eye-watering 18.6 per cent in August. Ouch!
Fruit and veg prices at supermarkets are on the rise. Credit: Nikki Short.
Of course, these rises aren't just limited to what we see on supermarket shelves – things like fuel for transporting goods from farm to market are also playing a big part in inflating food prices across Australia.
This means that for many people out there, eating healthily is becoming a real luxury rather than a mundane part of everyday life like it should be. And as if that wasn't bad enough news…
An image has gone viral on social media after a NSW citrus grower left thousands of kilos of oranges (perfectly good ones!) on the side of a remote road on the outskirts of Sydney.
Josi Hilton from Schofields Orchard recently spoke out about how inflation is affecting her business – and it isn't pretty. According to her, the oranges that were dumped were fresh fruits harvested just days ago.
Growers dumped truckloads of perfectly good oranges because production costs were going up. Credit: 7News.
Because it is taking too long and is too expensive to get the majority of their oranges to the grocery stores, the growers are being forced to throw away their products instead.
'I don't understand,' she said, asking: 'What are people eating if we can't sell our produce?'
Lyn Schofields, Josi's business partner, agreed and added, 'When the pressures come, and you don't get any results from it… it's a little bit discouraging at times.'
We can only imagine how they're feeling right now; after all their hard work growing those oranges to perfection, only for them not to even make it off their farm... That has got to sting, badly.
If given the chance, we bet plenty of shoppers out there would gladly take those perfectly fine oranges off their hands! At least, that way, no fruit goes to waste.
If you ask us, this story is just another sign that something needs to change when it comes to food production (and consumption!) in this country – but what do you think, members? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!