Isolated Queenslander's pay more to eat
Families living in Queensland most isolated areas are being stung with grocery prices 30 per cent higher than cities - and vital healthy foods are the least affordable.
Senior nutritionists believe this stark discrepancy, revealed in a new Queensland costs study, is fuelling the growing burden of obesity and chronic disease among Australia's most disadvantaged.
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Most alarming is that annual price increases appear to be escalating, growing 18 per cent between 2001 and 2004 in very remote parts of the country, compared to 14 per cent for Queensland generally.
The study calculated the cost for a fortnight's "standard basket" of healthy food for a family of six in different parts of the Queensland sunshine state between 1998 and 2004.
The Queensland Health researchers found that, in 2004, the average family living in Brisbane or smaller cities like Toowoomba would pay about $385 for their basket.
In regional areas like Mackay and Townsville the same basket costs up to $412, rising to $441 for Queenslands more remote towns.
But families in the most isolated areas of the state will pay just under $500 - 30 per cent more than city dwellers.
Bread and cereal were the most expensive, 46 per cent more than cities, with dairy foods 37 per cent higher and fruit and vegetables about 21 per cent more.
Most disturbingly, unhealthy items not included in the basket - cigarettes, meat pies and soft drinks - were just 14 per cent more.
Michelle Harrison, lead author of the study published in the Medical Journal of Australia, said higher prices were a barrier to good health, particularly in the most remote low socio-economic indigenous communities.
"Interventions to make basic healthy food affordable and accessible to all would help reduce the high burden of chronic disease," wrote the author, who cites transportation and refrigeration costs, and a lack of bulk-buying discount as the key problems.
NSW public health nutritionist Dr Karen Webb said poor business and stock management practices, lack of accountability and "unusual or corrupt" behaviour by store managers were also driving up the mark-up.
Recent changes in community and retail practices had helped counter these problems with schemes to recruit local people to retail positions and improve freight efficiency, Dr Webb said.
But there remains considerable scope to expand these efforts in the new year.
