New Zealanders cannot say for sure that the price they pay for mince is fair, Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen says, with retail beef mince up more than 30% since 2020 to $24.40 a kilo.

A Commerce Commission market study found the supermarkets earning excessive profitability, and the latest annual grocery report shows little has shifted.

“We have the illusion of choice, but really there’s only two major supermarkets,” she says.

Suppliers are squeezed on price and have little say in what an item is finally sold for, and some find it easier to sell overseas. She found an eye fillet for $71.99 a kilo at Pak’nSave in the North Island, down to $49.99 in Australia.

“I don’t think that the prices that New Zealanders are paying are probably fair.”

Australia has introduced fines for excessive markups.

She says National’s bet on a third player has not worked, with research finding people skipping meals and cutting fruit and vegetables.

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