Fresh food posts stronger performance in 2025
Fresh food in Australia posted modest total volume growth over the year, aided partly by weaker inflation in 2025. Consumer purchasing behaviour was heavily shaped by affordability, as cost of living pressures remained high, resulting in downtrading across multiple categories. Health and nutrition were key factors driving demand with sustainability also bearing a stronger influence on product choices. Supermarkets reinforced their dominant position in fresh food with improved price transparency and quality standards supporting growth in volume sales.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Fresh Food industry in Australia with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Eggs
- Fish and Seafood
- Fruits
- Meat
- Nuts
- Pulses
- Starchy Roots
- Sugar and Sweeteners
- Vegetables
If you're in the Fresh Food industry in Australia, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Fresh Food in Australia report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Fresh Food in Australia?
- What is the impact of commodity price fluctuations on local production and consumption?
- What are the key campaigns or legislation driving Fresh Food sales?
- How are consumer attitudes towards fresh food evolving?
- How significant is health and wellness in shaping consumer demand?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Fresh Food in Australia
Fresh food posts stronger performance in 2025
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Modest performance in fresh foods as sales stabilise
Downtrading coincides with focus on nutrition and wellbeing
Rising consumer expectations around sustainability
Poultry and eggs to show solid performance
Supermarkets enhance price transparency and quality standards
Retail e-commerce gains pace amid heavier digital investment
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Eggs in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Steady growth despite challenges on the supply side
Eggs category remains resilient as prices shift upwards
Sustainability credentials advance through traceability, innovation, and community engagement
Egg production is set to recover even as structural costs reshape pricing strategies
Welfare-led changes to reshape supply-side dynamics
Fish and Seafood in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Sustainability and provenance more influential in purchasing decisions
Crustaceans reinforce premium appeal of seafood
Sustainability emerges as a differentiator in seafood
Domestic demand and climate resilience to shape performance
Country-of-origin labelling reform to support domestic producers
Fruits in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Fruit registers healthy performance over 2025
Fresh fruit volume growth is supported by price-savvy shopping and retail tactics
Asian consumer base drives growth of exotic fruits in Australia
Fresh fruit set for steady growth driven by smarter retail execution and resilient supply
Tighter biosecurity and chemical regulations pose challenges for fresh fruit industry
Meat in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Meat performance is heavily influenced by cost of living pressures
Chicken leads meat category growth as affordability and versatility sustain demand
Regulatory flexibility around free-range labelling supports poultry supplies
Australian beef poised for export-led growth amid domestic pricing pressures
Meat alternatives look to regain momentum through mainstream repositioning and flexitarian appeal
Nuts in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Health awareness drives category performance
Steady growth driven by nutritional benefits and value-led strategies
Wellness wave gains momentum through fibre-rich nutrition
Sustained growth driven by product mix and uplift in foodservice
Sustainability will become a core growth pillar for Australia’s nut industry
Pulses in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Health and budget-friendly appeal lifts sales of pulses
Beans lead the pulse category as health, value and versatility drive everyday appeal
Mung beans enhance the wide variety of pulses in Australia
Pulses set for sustained growth due to health and value positioning
Plant-based diets to create growth opportunities as Australians embrace these sustainable, protein-rich staples
Starchy Roots in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Healthy growth despite supply volatility
Starchy roots post steady gains amid price volatility and rising appeal of sweet potato
Climate volatility and biosecurity protocols limits supply of fresh potatoes
Premium health trends and supply resilience to shape future growth of starchy roots
Import pressure and producer-retailer tensions shape market dynamics
Sugar and Sweeteners in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Sugar and sweeteners enjoy stable performance
Positioning as affordable indulgence drives volume growth
Brown and raw sugars capitalise on flavour-driven home-style cooking and multicultural diets
Consumer demand expected to stabilise amid health-conscious behaviours
Climate volatility and export dynamics shape sugar’s forward trajectory
Vegetables in Australia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Steady performance amid strong reliance on vegetables
Fresh vegetables sustain growth as value, versatility and convenience reshape shopper behaviour
Retailers utilise data-led marketing strategies to grow vegetable sales
Vegetable sales will remain resilient as retailers lean into value and convenience
Agri-tech investment will strengthen long-term supply and retail competitiveness in fresh vegetables
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Fresh Food
- Eggs
-
- Crustaceans
- Fish
- Molluscs and Cephalopods
-
- Apples
- Banana
- Cherries
- Cranberries/Blueberries
- Grapefruit/Pomelo
- Grapes
- Kiwi Fruit
- Lemon and Limes
- Oranges, Tangerines and Mandarins
- Peaches/Nectarines
- Pears/Quinces
- Pineapple
- Plums/Sloes
- Strawberries
- Other Fruits
-
- Beef and Veal
- Lamb, Mutton and Goat
- Pork
- Poultry
- Other Meat
-
- Almonds
- Coconuts
- Peanuts (Groundnuts)
- Pistachio
- Walnuts
- Other Nuts
-
- Beans
- Peas
- Other Pulses
-
- Cassava
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Other Roots
- Sugar and Sweeteners
-
- Cauliflowers and broccoli
- Maize
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Other Vegetables
Fresh Food
Fresh Food refers only to fresh uncooked and unprocessed foods (packaged and unpackaged). Packaged sugar products and natural sweeteners (e.g. brown sugar, table sugar, molasses) are also included. For Fresh Food, we research total sales across distribution channels including retail, foodservice and institutions. For a selected 18 markets, we have a breakdown of total fresh food sales according to the following formats: • Retail • Foodservice sales • Institutional sales Retail Retail sales is defined as sales through all legal establishments primarily engaged in the sale of fresh, packaged and prepared foods for home preparation and consumption. Retail sales excludes sales to hotels, restaurants, cafés, duty free sales and institutional sales (canteens, prisons/jails, hospitals, army, etc). Our retail definition excludes the purchase of food products from foodservice outlets for consumption off-premises, eg grilled chicken/meat/fish bought from counters of cafés/bars. This falls under foodservice sales. For foodservice, we capture all sales to foodservice outlets, regardless of whether the products are eventually consumed on-premise or off-premise. We estimate sales through the following channels: Modern Grocery Retailers • Supermarkets • Hypermarkets • Discounters • Convenience stores • Forecourt retailers Traditional Grocery Retailers • Independent small grocers • Food/Drink/Tobacco Specialists • Other grocery retailers (morning/speciality/open/wet/farmers’ markets, stalls and kiosks, etc) Non-grocery retailers • Health and beauty specialist retailers • Other non-grocery retailers Non-store retailers • Homeshopping • Internet retailing • Vending • Direct selling Foodservice Foodservice sales are defined as sales TO consumer foodservice outlets that serve the general public in a non-captive environment. In other words, this means that the foodservice volumes track sales of all fresh food going into restaurant kitchens, regardless of what the restaurant actually does with that food. Foodservice outlets include cafés/bars, FSR (full-service restaurants), fast food, 100% home delivery/takeaway, self-service cafeterias and street stalls/kiosks. Sales to semi-captive foodservice outlets are also included. This describes outlets located in leisure, travel and retail environments. • Retail refers to foodservice units located in retail outlets such as department stores, shopping malls, shopping centres, super/hypermarkets etc. • Leisure refers to foodservice units located in leisure establishments such as museums, health clubs, cinemas, theatres, theme parks and sports stadiums. • Travel refers to foodservice units based in airports, rail stations, coach stations, motorway service stations offering gas facilities etc. Institutional sales Institutional sales is defined as sales to captive foodservice units that serve captive populations such as in hospitals, schools, prisons, military camps, hotels, hostels, nursing homes, homes for elderly people, religious houses, etc.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
This report originates from Passport, our Fresh Food research and analysis database.
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