Member Matters
Australians eating more meat but less chocolate
16 April 2025
The report on the Apparent Consumption of Selected Foodstuffs in Australia (1) by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides estimates of food consumption per capita based on sales data from the retail sector annually.
While these annual reports do not capture the complete picture of dietary habits or individual consumption patterns, they provide valuable insights into average dietary intake trends based on retail sales data over time. This information is essential for understanding overall food consumption patterns in Australia.
The latest report for the 2023-24 financial year was released on March 28, 2025. The analysis focuses on food and non-alcoholic beverages purchased from various retail outlets, including supermarkets, convenience stores, and specialty shops, covering years ending in June from 2018-19 to 2023-24. However, it excludes food purchases from fast food outlets, cafes, or catering services and does not account for food obtained through home-growing, foraging, hunting, or fishing. Additionally, it does not adjust for food stored for later use or items discarded before consumption (e.g. food waste).
Notable findings include a 2.3% increase in the consumption of meat and poultry products (beef, lamb and pork) and 2.2% increase in non-alcoholic drinks (bottled water, carbonated soft drinks, and energy and sports drinks) compared to the previous year, while total dietary energy per capita was approximately 8,667 kJ per day—comparable to the 8,673 kJ recorded in 2022-23.
In terms of food groups, the greatest increases in consumption by weight (per capita per day) were Snack foods (4.7%), Seed and nut products (4.5%) and Egg products (3.7%). The major food groups with the greatest decreases in consumption were: Cereal based products (2.2%), Confectionery (chocolate) (3.9%), and Fats and oils (4.2%). While soup experienced the greatest decline in consumption (13%), berries were consumed 24 % more than six years ago. Discretionary foods accounted for 38.5% of total dietary energy, remaining stable from the previous year (38.7%).
On a side note, ABS’ plans to release the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) ‘Food and Nutrients’ publication and data in the third quarter this year. This is an important national survey that collects information about the nutrition and physical activity of people living in Australia. The survey looks at health conditions, food intake (from a 2-day dietary recall), physical activity and sleep.
Reference
(1) Apparent Consumption of Selected Foodstuffs, Australia, 2023-24 report
