Written by Catherine Saxelby on Monday, 16 December 2013.
A. Unit pricing makes it easy for you to compare the price and value of similar foods against the same weight or volume. On the shelf label next to the actual price, you'll now spot the price per kg, per 100 grams, per kilo, per 100ml, per litre or per item for a multi-pack.
It was introduced into large supermarkets in Australia in 2009 but the concept is widely accepted in Europe and the US.
Small corner stores and supermarkets less than 1,000 square metres are exempt.
We're used to seeing bananas at $5 a kilo but how can you compare different sizes and volumes on different packs to get the lowest price? How would you know which is better value - a large 1 kg box of breakfast cereal that costs $4.50 or the smaller 750 g pack at $4.00?
With unit pricing, you don't need to take a calculator with you when shopping or make complicated calculations to work out what is better value.
With unit pricing, here's how to decide what's better value - a 2.5 litre container of orange juice costing $4.99 or a 1.5 litre container costing $3.99?
Orange juice 1 - the 2.5 litre container
2.5 L @ $4.99 so its unit price is $1.99 per litre
Orange juice 2 - the 1.5 litre container
1.5 L @ $3.99 so its unit price is $2.66 per litre
You can see that Orange juice 1 is a cheaper buy than Orange juice 2.
The unit price of $1.99 per litre for Orange Juice 1 is better value than Orange Juice 2 at a unit price of $2.66 per litre.
Generally larger packs are better value - but not always. It pays to check out the Price per 100g or per 100ml and compare.
Catherine Saxelby has the answers! She is an accredited nutritionist, blogger and award-winning author. Her award-winning book My Nutritionary will help you cut through the jargon. Do you know your MCTs from your LCTs? How about sterols from stanols? What’s the difference between glucose and dextrose? Or probiotics and prebiotics? What additive is number 330? How safe is acesulfame K? If you find yourself confused by food labels, grab your copy of Catherine Saxelby’s comprehensive guide My Nutritionary NOW!
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