Indie supermarket pricing to face new scrutiny as survey shows Woolies, Coles pricier than Aldi

Prices at IGA supermarkets will come under closer scrutiny in future taxpayer-funded research, Competition Minister Andrew Leigh says, after a new report on prices at Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi considered just four independent grocers.

The federal government has supplied consumer advocacy publication CHOICE with $1.1 million to produce quarterly analyses of supermarket pricing over the next three years.

Its first edition, released Wednesday, shows a basket of 14 items costs an average of $69.33 at Coles stores nationwide, and $68.58 at Woolworths.

A comparable basket of items comprised of Aldi products cost $51.51.

The 25% price difference between Coles and Woolworths compared to Aldi — and the small gap between prices at Coles and Woolworths themselves — is useful information for consumers, Leigh said.