Woolworths is rolling out a major change to the way millions of Australians shop for food in a bid to encourage healthier choices, but there is one major problem.
The supermarket giant plans to introduce optional in-store trolley “dividers” that shoppers can use to sort their groceries into five labeled compartments.
These are fruits, vegetables and legumes, cereals, meat and dairy products, plus a fifth insert for “sometimes” foods, which are presumably intended for less healthy snacks.
Cart inserts look like bags to load groceries into – but they’re not free and cost $35 instead.
The Divider, a joint initiative of Woolworths and pharmacy and wellness website Healthylife, comes at a time when Australians are already under significant cost-of-living stress.
Woolworths reported that 182,000 Australians have signed up to use Healthylife’s Foodtracker app
The supermarket giant plans to introduce optional in-store trolley ‘dividers’ which shoppers can use to sort their groceries into five labeled compartments
The divider compartments are for fruits, vegetables and legumes, grains, meat and dairy, and “sometimes” foods, which are presumably for less healthy snacks.
Groceries are among the essential expense categories that cause the most difficulties for households.
Food prices continue to rise in double digits, with bread and cereal prices increasing by 12.8% and dairy costs by 15.1%.
Takeout and restaurant prices rose 7.7%, while overall food and non-alcoholic beverage prices climbed 7.9%.
In February, Woolworths announced profits of $907 million for the first half of the 2022-23 financial year. Coles’ profits for the same period were $616 million.
Both are expected to release their full annual results at the end of this month.
Healthylife said it looked at data from 900 million customer transactions at Woolworths, finding that Australians as a whole are not buying enough groceries from essential food groups.
The government’s Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that people eat five food groups each day: vegetables, fruit, grains (including bread, rice and pasta), protein and iron-rich sources such as lean meat, fish, eggs and tofu, and dairy products.
Woolworth’s Everyday Rewards app includes a nutrient tracker developed by Healthylife that helps shoppers monitor how much added sugar, salt and saturated fat they’re buying.
Woolworths reported that 182,000 Australians have signed up to use Healthylife’s Foodtracker app.
In a promotional video for Healthylife’s Living Healthy 2023 report, its spokesperson, dietitian Simone Austin, claimed that Australians lost “5 million years of healthy life” in 2018 due to “premature death and of a non-fatal disease”.
Ms Austin said Australia’s ‘burden of disease’ could be reduced as up to 33% of disease is preventable, ‘by addressing modifiable risk factors such as diet, sleep and exercise “.
The government recommends that people eat vegetables, fruit, cereals (including bread, rice and pasta), sources rich in protein and iron such as lean meat, fish, eggs and tofu, as well as dairy products every day.
Woolworths reported that 182,000 Australians have signed up to use healthylife’s Foodtracker app
Trolley dividers are part of several programs and initiatives that Woolworths has put in place in recent times.
It also added health stars to the packaging of its own branded products and reduced salt, sugar and saturated fat in its products while adding more vegetables and whole grains.
“Last year, Woolworths Food Company removed 540 tonnes of saturated fat, sugar and salt from its products, and added 15,300 tonnes of whole grains and 2,300 tonnes of vegetables to its branded products,” said the company on its website.
Daily Mail Australia has approached Healthylife and Woolworths for comment.
The decision to offer dividers for $35 comes as Australians struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis.
Shoppers spend an average of nearly $2,000 more per year on groceries.
