Cost of living drives Australian shoppers to ‘pantry loading’, as ‘you can do so much with beans’

A change in buying habits is being driven by cost-of-living pressures and the fuel crunch: ‘It’s just about trying to make your money go further,’ says Robyn Power. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

Shoppers are buying canned tomatoes, lentils and long-life milk. Tinned spaghetti is popular, and so is rice. As fears that an enduring Middle East conflict could lead to a prolonged fuel crisis and higher food prices – and even shortages – long-life pantry staples are squarely back on the menu.

Ballarat resident Robyn Power says families in her community are starting to shop like they did during the pandemic lockdowns.