On The Land
7 December, 2025
Vegie goodness labelling boosts sales
SMALL changes in how prices are displayed in shops can have a big influence on getting Australians to buy and eat more vegetables, new research has found.
Adding nutritional serve pricing provided a more relatable option to the more traditional price-per-kilogram labelling.
The Monash University-led research collaboration, supported by Deakin University and Ritchies Supermarkets, evaluated nutritional serve pricing, which was rolled out in Ritchies stores nationally in March 2024
The preliminary findings – informed by analysis of loyalty card data before and after the rollout – showed average daily purchases by semi-regular and less frequent vegetable shoppers increased by 46.3g (25.7 %) and 60.6g (+28.4 %) respectively.
AUSVEG, the national peak industry body for Australia’s vegetable, potato and onion producers, has welcomed the research, describing it as a breakthrough in getting more Australians eating more vegetables.
“Ritchies Supermarkets should be commended for rolling out this visionary price display initiative, and Monash and Deakin researchers congratulated for this groundbreaking study,” AUSVEG chief executive officer Michael Coote said.
“Encouraging shoppers to put 25 % more vegetables in their shopping basket is no mean feat.
“It’s good news for consumers’ health, good news for Ritchies Supermarkets, and good news for Australian growers, who need more Aussies to eat more vegetables.”
With Australians on average eating just 1.8 serves of vegetables daily, AUSVEG, with support from Hort Innovation, is leading the Plus One Serve initiative, a national evidence-based program to help every Australian eat one extra serve of vegetables each day by 2030.
The benefits would lead to $4.7 billion in triple-bottom-line benefits to national health, the economy, and growers in the national vegetable industry.
Managing Director of Plus One Serve, Justine Coates, said, “Nutritional-per-serve pricing gives consumers a clear and meaningful way to understand both value and recommended dietary intake through a practical, scalable tool that makes choosing vegetables easier every day.”
