Australians feeling the pinch from the cost of living crisis are ditching olive oil as the price of the staple continues to soar.
The price has increased by 40 percent since 2021 due to inflation and a global shortage of olives.
Bec Nesnidal, from Port Stephens, New South Wales, told FEMAIL she is now forced to use olive oil sparingly, mixing it with butter when cooking.
Walking the aisles of Coles, the 48-year-old was shocked to see the extreme cost of olive oil.
‘What the hell is happening with olive oil prices? He used to pay $9 for a bottle; Now look,” he said in a video, showing how prices varied between $13 and $65.
The same Coles brand extra mild olive oil I used to buy now costs $17.
Bec refuses to buy alternative oils, such as vegetable or canola oil, because it causes inflammation in her body.
‘I won’t buy (olive oil) unless I can find it for at least 40 percent off, and even then it’s still expensive. “I’ve gone back to using real butter in cooking and only adding a small splash of olive oil to prevent it from burning,” he said.
Australians feeling the pinch from the cost of living crisis are ditching olive oil as the price of the staple continues to soar.
“I used to make my own chilli and garlic oils using olive oil, but now I’ll have to go without,” Bec continued.
“I suspect prices will rise even further as people panic buy due to the shortage of olives abroad.”
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that the average price of olive oil increased by 100 percent from 2021 to 2024 due to drought and fires in Europe.
The reason for the high prices continues due to the shortage of olives to make the oil.
Australian olive oil is also in short supply due to last season’s poor fruit harvest, which is driving up prices along with shortages in the Mediterranean.
Home cooks on Reddit have reported turning to other types of oils, such as vegetable and coconut, but many claim that they are “not the same.”
‘What the hell is happening with olive oil prices? “I used to pay $9 for a bottle, now look,” he said in a video and showed how prices varied between $13 and $65.
Some of the best tips are shared for purchasing and prolonging the life of your olive oil bottles.
‘I buy 10 liter drums in bulk on Kangaroo Island. “It’s good quality and reasonably priced,” said one man.
‘Aldi. But they rarely have bulk products so Costco,” another shared.
Bec’s video has since been viewed more than 242,000 times, with others agreeing that they had turned to Aldi to buy their oil.
