Apparent Consumption of Selected Foodstuffs, Australia

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Provides experimental estimates of apparent consumption per capita of selected foods based on sales of products in Australia

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Reference period
2022-23 financial year

Key statistics

  • 14.8 million tonnes of food and non-alcoholic beverages were sold in 2022-23, 1.9% less than in 2021-22
  • The majority of the reduction in the total weight of food consumed came from declines in vegetables, fruit, and milk products
  • Total dietary energy available averaged 8,703 kJ per capita per day, down 3.7% from 2021-22
  • Discretionary foods contributed 38.6% of total dietary energy available, similar to 2021-22 (38.5%) and 2020-21 (38.6%)

Summary

Apparent consumption

Apparent consumption in this publication measures the amount of food and non-alcoholic beverages purchased from the food retail sector (major supermarkets and smaller outlets such as convenience stores, butchers, seafood shops, bakeries, delis and fresh food markets). The reporting periods in this publication are years ending in June (from 2018-19 to 2022-23) and the calendar months within each financial year. 

Apparent consumption data does not include:

  • food purchases from fast food outlets, cafes, restaurants or institutions utilising catering services that source from non-supermarket suppliers.
  • food obtained by other means such as home-growing, foraging, hunting or fishing.

Apparent consumption does not make any consumer adjustment for:

  • amounts of food purchased for storage (or drawdowns of existing stocks)
  • foods that are discarded, or otherwise not consumed by humans. 

Although the scope of the apparent consumption collection means that the apparent consumption data does not provide a complete picture of total dietary consumption or the consumption patterns of individuals or groups, it offers insights into the ‘average’ dietary intake based on the food sold in Australia’s retail sector and how that is changing over time. For more information on the scope and methods of this study, please refer to the Explanatory Notes.

Apparent consumption by weight

In 2022-23, 14.8 million tonnes of food and non-alcoholic beverages were sold from supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience and specialty food stores across Australia. This was 1.9% less (292,300 tonnes) than the previous 12-month period (2021-22).

Overall lower estimates of consumption in 2022-23 compared with previous years may be associated with recent food price inflation. In the two years to June 2023, the cumulative Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase for food and non-alcoholic beverages totalled 13.9% compared with a 4.9% cumulative increase over the three years prior (2018-19 to 2020-21)[1].  The recent price increases in food, along with a general increase in all consumer prices is consistent with a lower volume of food being purchased despite the value of food retail turnover in 2022-23 exceeding previous years[2]. 

In daily per capita terms, 2022-23 apparent consumption averaged just over 1.5 kg per day with 1,544 grams per capita, down 63 grams (3.9%) from 1,607 grams in 2021-22 and the second lowest since 2018-19. 

Major food groups

The overall reduction in the total weight of food and beverages available for consumption was driven primarily by drops in:

  • Vegetable products, down 14 grams per capita, per day to 186 grams 
  • Fruit products (-12 grams to 138 grams)
  • Milk products (-11 grams to 267 grams)
  • Non-alcoholic beverages (-8.9 grams to 400 grams)
  • Cereal products (-3.7 grams to 129 grams) 
  • Meat and poultry products (-2.5 grams to 147 grams).
  1. Per capita, per day
  2. Includes balance of major food group categories. See "Food classification or food groups" in Glossary.

The greatest percentage declines in consumption of major food groups between 2021-22 and 2022-23 were from:

  • Legume and pulse products (-9.9% or -0.8 grams per capita per day)
  • Fruit products (-7.9% or -12 grams)
  • Vegetable products (-7.1% or -14 grams)
  • Dairy and meat substitutes (-7.0% or -1.5 grams)
  • Sugar products (-5.9% or -1.3 grams)
  • Fats and oils (-5.8% or -1.3 grams)

Despite the annual fall in the dairy and meat substitutes group, consumption of this group has increased 30% between 2018-19 and 2022-23. Similarly, per capita consumption of snack foods grew 10% between 2018-19 and 2022-23, despite the recent annual drop of 3.2%.   

  1. Selected major food groups from the AUSNUT 2011-13 classification
  2. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

Sub-major food groups

Among the sub-major food groups, the most significant contributors by weight (grams per capita per day) in 2022-23 were:

  • Dairy milk (176 grams, down 6.1 grams from 2021-22)
  • Soft drinks (165 grams, down 9.6 grams from 2021-22)
  • Bottled water (139 grams per day, up 2.2 grams from 2021-22)
  • Regular breads and bread rolls (55 grams, down 1.2 grams from 2021-22)
  • Fruit and vegetable juices and drinks (52 grams, down 1.8 grams from 2021-22).
  1. Selected sub-major food groups. See "Food classification or food groups" in Glossary
  2. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

The sub-major food groups with the greatest relative decreases in consumption between 2021-22 and 2022-23 included: 

  • Stone fruit, which decreased 20% to 7.2 grams per capita per day
  • Formula dietary foods (-13%, to 1.3 grams)
  • Other fruiting vegetables (including avocado, pumpkin, sweetcorn, cucumber and mushroom) were down 13% to 40 grams
  • Mature legumes and pulses (-12% to 4.3 grams)
  • Other fruit (made up mostly by watermelon and grapes) down 11% to 26 grams
  • Meat substitutes (-12% to 1.5 grams) 

While per capita consumption from all major food groups decreased between 2021-22 and 2022-23, some sub-major groups saw small increases. The sub-major groups with the greatest relative increases in daily per capita consumption were:

  • Muesli bars which rose 5.4% to 3.9 grams per capita per day
  • Electrolyte and energy drinks (up 3.3% to 22 grams) 
  • Poultry-based mixed dishes (up 2.6% to 12 grams)
  1. Selected sub-major food groups. See "Food classification or food groups" in Glossary.

Dietary energy

Food and non-alcoholic beverage sales in the food retail sector provided the equivalent of 8,703 kilojoules (kJ) of dietary energy per capita per day in 2022-23, down 3.7% (or 337 kJ) from the previous 12-month period (2021-22). Dietary energy per capita per day had remained relatively steady across 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 after increasing 3.2% between 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Decreases in dietary energy per capita per day were seen across all major food groups between 2021-22 and 2022-23. The groups with the largest kilojoule declines were:

  • Milk products, falling 51 kJ per day 
  • Vegetable products (-46 kJ)
  • Fats and oils (-44 kJ).

Over the five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, the groups with the largest kilojoule decreases in daily per capita dietary energy were:

  • Milk products, which decreased by 39 kJ per day
  • Fats and oils, (-38 kJ)
  • Fruit products (-27 kJ)
  • Infant formulae and foods (-29 kJ) 
  • Sugar products, falling by 22 kJ per day.

Several major food groups saw an increase in dietary energy provided between 2018-19 and 2022-23. The groups with the largest increases were:

  • Confectionery, increasing by 42 kJ per day
  • Snack foods (up 28 kJ)
  • Meat and poultry products (up 20 kJ).
  1. Selected major food groups. See "Food classification or food groups" in Glossary
  2. Apparent consumption in kJ per capita per day
  3. Includes cereal/nut/fruit/seed bars.

At the more detailed sub-major food group level, largest daily per capita kilojoule decreases between 2021-22 and 2022-23 were:

  • Plant oils, which decreased by 28 kJ
  • Potatoes (including potato products other than crisps) fell 20 kJ
  • Other fruiting vegetables (such as avocado, sweet corn, pumpkin, mushrooms, capsicum and zucchini) fell 18 kJ
  • Dairy milk (-14 kJ)
  • Ready to eat breakfast cereals (-13 kJ).

While all major food groups saw a decrease in per capita energy provided between 2021-22 and 2022-23, some sub-major food groups saw small increases. The greatest increases in daily per capita energy among sub-major food groups between 2021-22 and 2022-23 were seen for:

  • Poultry-based mixed dishes, which rose 3 kJ
  • Muesli bars (3 kJ)
  • Pasta products (1 kJ).

Over the five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, the sub-major food groups with the largest decrease in daily per capita energy were:

  • Dairy milk, which fell 37 kJ
  • Breads and bread rolls (-31 kJ)
  • Infant formula (-30 kJ)
  • Plant oils (-24 kJ)
  • Sugar, honey and syrups (-21 kJ)
  • Ready to eat breakfast cereals (-19 kJ)

Sub-major food groups with the greatest increase in daily per capita energy between 2018-19 and 2022-23 were:

  • Chocolate, which rose 33 kJ
  • Poultry-based mixed dishes (28 kJ)
  • Potato snacks (such as crisps) rose 22 kJ
  • Pasta products (17 kJ)
  • Poultry (16 kJ).
  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Includes avocado, sweet corn, pumpkin, mushrooms, capsicum and zucchini
  3. Includes chocolate-based confectionery. 

Macronutrient contribution to total dietary energy available

Dietary energy from food and beverages is sourced from macronutrients which include carbohydrate, protein, fat, dietary fibre and alcohol. 

In 2022-23, the relative contribution of each macronutrient to the total dietary energy available from all food and beverages sold in the food retail sector was:

  • 43.6% from carbohydrate, including 20.1% from sugars
  • 39.1% from fat, including 15.9% from saturated and trans fats
  • 15.4% from protein
  • 1.9% from dietary fibre
  • 0% from alcohol (Note, alcoholic beverages are not in scope for this data. See Explanatory Notes for more information).

The relative contributions of each macronutrient to total dietary energy were stable between 2021-22 and 2022-23. Between 2018-19 and 2022-23, the proportion of energy from total sugars decreased from 20.8% to 20.1%, while the proportion from starch increased from 21.9% to 22.3%.

An imbalance among relative proportions of macronutrients is considered a risk factor for nutrient deficiencies and chronic disease[3]. Recommendations known as Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) specify the proportion of total energy from each macronutrient that is recommended. The proportion of energy available from protein was within the relevant AMDR, while the proportion of energy from carbohydrate and fat were below and above of their relevant AMDRs, respectively.

Proportion of total energy available from macronutrients and Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges(a)
MacronutrientApparent consumption proportion (%)AMDR(a) (%)
 2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 
Protein15.415.215.315.315.415-25
Carbohydrate43.843.943.543.643.645-65
Total fat38.939.039.339.139.120-35
Dietary fibre1.91.91.91.91.9n.a.
  1. Acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges. See glossary for definitions.

Australian Dietary Guidelines

The Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) recommend Australians “enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups every day”[4]. The five food groups are: 

  • Grain (cereal) foods
  • Vegetables and legumes/beans
  • Fruit
  • Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives
  • Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans (lean meats and alternatives).

The ADG include minimum recommended daily serves of the five food groups. The recommendations reflect the different nutrient requirements across the life course so they vary by age, sex and life stages such as pregnancy and lactation[4]. The 'serves' are defined by the weight or volume of a particular food, based on nutrient and energy density. For example, in the grain / cereals group, a serve of cooked rice is around 75 grams, which is considered equivalent to a serve of bread weighing 40 grams. 

In this publication, the ADG minimum recommended serves for each of the five food groups are compared with the daily per capita serves available from non-discretionary foods[4]. The recommended amount for each food group was derived from an average of recommended serve value for each food group, where the Estimated Resident Population by age and sex was used to 'weight' the ADG serve recommendations for different age and sex groups. See Glossary for more information.

It is important to note that apparent consumption data in this publication is based on sales data rather than consumption data, and only reflects a proportion of the total food supply (the food retail sector). Furthermore, the per capita values are derived from a national total value (rather than based on individual intakes). As a result, comparisons between per capita apparent consumption and average recommended serve values are not a reliable indicator of the proportion of the population meeting the ADG minimum recommended serves and should be interpreted with caution. See Explanatory Notes for more information.

Compared to the average recommended serves per day, the apparent daily consumption per capita for all Australians in 2022-23 was:

  • 3.9 serves of grains and cereals (average recommendation 5.5 serves)
  • 2.2 serves of vegetables and legumes/beans (average recommendation 5.0 serves)
  • 1.3 serves of fruit (average recommendation 2.0 serves)
  • 1.5 serves of milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives (average recommendation 3.0 serves)
  • 1.8 serves of lean meats and alternatives (average recommendation 2.5 serves).

All five food groups saw a decrease in apparent consumption from 2021-22 to 2022-23. The largest absolute decrease was for vegetables and legumes/beans, from 2.4 to 2.2 serves. Over the five years to 2022-23, apparent consumption was steady for grains and cereals and lean meat and alternative food groups, and decreased for the other food groups.

  1. Australian Dietary Guidelines five food groups. Includes non-discretionary foods only
  2. Average minimum recommended serve values reflect the size of the population in each age and sex group (excluding pregnant and breastfeeding recommendations)
  3. Includes fruit juice
  4. Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives
  5. Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nut and seeds and legumes/beans.

For the grains and cereals food group, the ADG recommends these foods be mostly wholegrain or high fibre, rather than refined or low fibre. In 2022-23, slightly less than one-third (31.5%) of apparent consumption serves from the grains and cereals food group were wholegrain or high fibre. This proportion has trended downwards since 2018-19, when 34.1% of serves were wholegrain or high fibre. 

  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

The ADG recommends that for the fruit food group, fruit juice and dried fruit should only be consumed occasionally as a substitute for fresh, frozen or canned fruit. This is because fruit juices are acidic and often low in dietary fibre compared to fresh fruit, while dried fruit is energy dense and can increase the risk of dental decay[5]. In 2022-23, almost one-third (32%) of the apparent consumption serves from the fruit food group came from fruit juice (23%) or dried fruit (9.2%). The proportion of fruit serves coming from fresh, frozen or canned fruit decreased from a peak of 69% in 2021-22 down to 68% in 2022-23, similar to the proportion in 2019-20.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

Discretionary foods

Discretionary foods (such as biscuits, confectionery, pastries, processed meats, salty snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages) are discouraged in the ADG as they are not necessary for a healthy diet[6]. Discretionary foods are typically low in essential nutrients and high in energy, saturated fat, added sugar and/or added salt. 

In 2022-23, 38.6% of dietary energy from food and non-alcoholic beverage sales in the food retail sector came from discretionary foods. This was similar to the previous two 12-month periods, and an increase from 37.9% in 2018-19.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

Between 2021-22 and 2022-23, dietary energy from discretionary foods decreased by 3.7% which was similar to the proportional decline in non-discretionary foods (3.8%). However, over the five years to 2022-23, dietary energy from discretionary foods increased slightly (0.7%) while energy from non-discretionary foods decreased by 2.0%.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

The major food groups that contributed most to discretionary energy in 2022-23 were:

  • Cereal based products (20.9%)
  • Confectionery (16.5%)
  • Snack foods (9.3%)
  • Meat and poultry products (8.9%)
  • Non-alcoholic beverages (8.6%)
  • Sugar products (8.0%).

The largest percentage point increase among major food groups contributing to total discretionary energy from the previous 12-month period (2021-22) was confectionery, which increased by 0.6 percentage points from 15.9% to 16.5%.  

Over the longer term, from 2018-19 to 2022-23, the major food groups with the largest percentage point change in contribution to total discretionary energy were:

  • An increase of 1.2 percentage points from confectionery, from 15.3% to 16.5%
  • An increase of 0.8 percentage points from snack foods, from 8.5% to 9.3%
  • A decrease of 0.7 percentage points from sugar products, from 8.7% to 8.0%
  • A decrease of 0.6 percentage points from cereal based products, from 21.5% to 20.9%.
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day
  2. Selected major food groups. See "Food classification or food groups" in Glossary
  3. Includes cereal/nut/fruit/seed bars

Within sub-major food groups, leading contributors to energy available from discretionary foods in 2022-23 were:

  • Chocolate (10.9%, and increasing 0.4 percentage points from 2021-22)
  • Sweet biscuits (7.9%, increasing 0.3 percentage points)
  • Sugar, honey and syrups (6.1%, decreasing 0.1 percentage point from 2021-22)
  • Potato snacks (5.2%, up 0.1 percentage point from 2021-22)
  • Pastries (5.0%, declining 0.1 percentage point as a contributor to discretionary foods)
  • Processed meat (4.9%, also had declining contribution of 0.1 percentage point).

Over the longer term, from 2018-19 to 2022-23, the sub-major food groups with the largest percentage point change in contribution to total discretionary energy were:

  • Chocolate, with an increase of 1.0 percentage points, from 9.9% to 10.9%
  • Potato snacks, with an increase of 0.7 percentage points from, from 4.5% to 5.2%
  • Sugar, honey and syrups, which decreased 0.7 percentage points from 6.8% to 6.1%
  • A decrease of 0.4 percentage points from soft drinks, from 5.0% to 4.6%.
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Basic food groups

In addition to assessing apparent consumption of the ADG five food groups and discretionary foods separately, examining apparent consumption of basic food groups (without distinguishing between non-discretionary and discretionary foods) provides a more complete summary of amounts of basic food groups obtained from the food retail sector. Because the basic food groups include discretionary sources, they are not equivalent to intake of the ADG food groups, and as such should not be assessed directly against the ADG recommended minimum serves.

In 2022-23, apparent consumption of each basic food group (in grams per capita per day) consisted of:

  • Grains and cereals (248 grams)
  • Vegetables and legumes/beans (214 grams)
  • Fruit (190 grams including fruit juice, 142 grams excluding fruit juice)
  • Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives (264 grams)
  • Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans (170 grams).

Compared with the previous 12-month period, apparent consumption in 2022-23 declined for all basic food groups. The largest relative decreases in apparent consumption were:

  • Vegetables and legumes/beans decreased by 6.8%
  • Fruit decreased by 6.1%
  • Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives decreased by 3.5%.

Over the five years to 2022-23, apparent consumption declined for all basic food groups except for grains and cereals, which increased slightly (0.7%). The largest relative decreases were:

  • Fruit decreased by 6.2%
  • Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives decreased by 5.1%.
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Contributing food types within grains and cereals basic food group

In 2022-23, apparent consumption of the grains and cereals basic food group was equivalent to 248 grams per day per capita. This consisted of:

  • 99 grams (40%) from grains (such as rice)
  • 69 grams (28%) from breads
  • 41 grams (16%) from flour
  • 27 grams (11%) from oats
  • 12 grams (5%) from breakfast cereal flakes.

Apparent consumption decreased for all sub-groups of grains and cereals between 2021-22 and 2022-23. The largest relative decreases were for:

  • Breakfast cereal flakes, declining by 4.7%
  • Flour, falling by 4.0%.

Note, ‘flour’ as a sub-category of the cereals group above refers to purchased flour and flour inherent in manufactured (mostly baked) products other than bread (e.g. in biscuits, cakes, pastries).

Over the five years to 2022-23, apparent consumption decreased for all sub-groups of grains and cereals except for grains (such as rice) which increased 7.6%. The greatest relative decreases over this period were:

  • Breakfast cereal flakes, which reduced by 7.6%
  • Oats, which reduced by 6.9%.
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

In 2022-23, apparent consumption of wholegrain or higher fibre cereals/grains was:

  • 3.8% lower compared with the previous 12-month period
  • 7.8% lower than in 2018-19.

For refined or lower fibre cereals/grains, apparent consumption in 2022-23 was:

  • 1.9% lower than the previous 12-month period
  • 4.2% higher than apparent consumption in 2018-19.

The proportion of apparent consumption of the grains and cereals basic food group coming from wholegrain or higher fibre cereals/grains has trended downwards from 31% in 2018-19 to 28% in 2022-23.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Contributing food types within vegetables and legumes/beans basic food group

Apparent consumption of the vegetables and legumes/beans basic food group was equivalent to 214 grams per capita per day in 2022-23, consisting of:

  • 87 grams (41%) from 'other' vegetables (such as tomato, cucumber, avocado and pumpkin)
  • 61 grams (29%) from starchy vegetables
  • 33 grams (15%) from green and brassica vegetables (such as lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and bok choi)
  • 22 grams (10%) from orange vegetables
  • 11 grams (5.3%) from legumes 

Apparent consumption decreased for all sub-groups of vegetables and legumes/beans between 2021-22 and 2022-23. The largest relative decreases were for:

  • Legumes, decreasing by 10%
  • ‘Other’ vegetables (such as tomato, cucumber, avocado and pumpkin), decreasing by 8.1%

Over the five years to 2022-23, apparent consumption decreased for all sub-groups of vegetables and legumes/beans except starchy vegetables which increased 4.6%. Similar to the short-term trend, the greatest relative decreases over this longer period were:

  • Legumes, which decreased by 8.1%
  • ‘Other’ vegetables (such as tomato, cucumber, avocado and pumpkin), decreasing by 3.4%
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Contributing food types within fruit basic food group

Apparent consumption from the fruit basic food group was 190 grams per day per capita in 2022-23, coming from:

  • Fresh or canned fruit (138 grams or 73%)
  • Fruit juice (48 grams or 25%)
  • Dried fruit (4.6 grams or 2.4%)

Apparent consumption decreased for all fruit basic food group subtypes between 2021-22 and 2022-23. The largest relative decreases were for:

  • Dried fruit, decreasing by 9.8%
  • Fresh/canned fruit, decreasing by 7.8%

Similar to the short-term trend, over the longer-term between 2018-19 and 2022-23, apparent consumption decreased for all sub-groups of fruit. The greatest relative decreases over this longer period were:

  • Dried fruit decreased by 16%
  • Fresh/canned fruit decreased by 7.6%.

Apparent consumption of fruit juice was relatively unchanged in 2022-23, only 0.4% lower than the previous 12-month period and 0.8% lower than in 2018-19.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Contributing food types within milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives basic food group

For the milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives food group, apparent consumption in 2022-23 was equivalent to 264 grams per capita per day, consisting of:

  • 210 grams (79%) from dairy milk
  • 25 grams (9.3%) from cheese
  • 22 grams (8.3%) from yoghurt
  • 8 grams (3%) from dairy milk alternatives (such as soy and almond milk).

The majority (73%) of dairy milk was regular fat, up from 71% in 2018-19.

Compared with the previous 12-month period, in 2022-23:

  • Dairy milk decreased by 3.6%
  • Cheese decreased by 3.5%
  • Yoghurt decreased by 2.7%
  • Dairy milk alternatives decreased by 2.5%.

Over the five years to 2022-23:

  • Dairy milk decreased by 7.7%
  • Cheese increased by 0.4%
  • Yoghurt increased by 0.9%
  • Dairy milk alternatives increased by 55%.
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Decreases in apparent consumption of dairy milk occurred across regular fat, reduced fat and skim milk types. In 2022-23:

  • Regular fat dairy milk decreased 2.0% and 4.0% compared with 2021-22 and 2018-19, respectively
  • Reduced fat dairy milk decreased 6.3% and 15% compared with 2021-22 and 2018-19, respectively
  • Skim milk decreased 7.4% and 17% compared with 2021-22 and 2018-19, respectively.
  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Between 2018-19 and 2022-23 apparent consumption of lactose-free dairy milk increased by 33%, up to 11g per capita per day.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Contributing food types within meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes basic food group

Apparent consumption of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans was 170 grams per capita per day in 2022-23, including:

  • 69 grams (40%) from red meat
  • 48 grams (28%) from poultry
  • 18 grams (11%) from eggs
  • 13 grams (8%) from legumes as a meat alternative
  • 13 grams (8%) from fish and seafood
  • 10 grams (6%) from nuts and seeds

More than three-quarters (79%) of all meat was unprocessed, slightly higher than in 2018-19 (77%).

Compared with the previous 12-month period, in 2022-23:

  • Legumes as a meat alternative decreased by 9.9%
  • Fish and seafood decreased by 5.1%
  • Nuts and seeds decreased by 3.8%
  • Red meat decreased by 2.4%
  • Eggs decreased by 2.2%
  • Poultry decreased by 1.0%.

Over the longer-term, between 2018-19 and 2022-23:

  • Poultry increased by 9.1%
  • Eggs were at the same level of apparent consumption
  • Nuts and seeds decreased by 2.9%
  • Red meat decreased by 3.8%
  • Fish and seafood decreased by 5.1%

Legumes as a meat alternative decreased by 5.2%.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Apparent consumption of processed meat in 2022-23 was 3.1% lower than the previous 12-month period and 6.0% lower than in 2018-19. This decline was largely driven by a downward trend in apparent consumption of ham, from 6.5 g in 2018-19 to 5.7 g per capita per day in 2022-23.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita, grams per day

Non-alcoholic beverages

Volumes of non-alcoholic beverages presented in this publication are derived solely from the food retail sector only (i.e. excludes restaurants, fast-food and cafes). In addition, these estimates do not account for the tap water consumed either as plain water or added to other beverages such as tea and coffee, and therefore will significantly underrepresent total beverage consumption of the population. 

Per capita apparent consumption of selected non-alcoholic beverages was 378 mL per day in 2022-23, down 2.3% from 386 mL per day in 2021-22.  The recent drop of 8.7 mL per capita, follows consecutive year-on-year increases between 2018-19 and 2021-22, resulting in the 2022-23 figure being a 38 mL (11%) increase from 2018-19.  

In 2022-23, the daily per capita volume of non-alcoholic beverages comprised:

  • Soft drinks, 161 mL (43%)
  • Packaged water, 139 mL (37%)  
  • Fruit and vegetable juices, 34 mL (9.1%)  
  • Fruit and vegetable drinks, 16 mL (4.1%)
  • Energy drinks, 12 mL (3.2%)
  • Electrolyte drinks, 9.3 mL (2.5%)
  • Cordials, 5.9 mL (1.6%).

The largest decreases in daily per capita volumes between 2021-22 and 2022-23 were from:

  • Soft drinks, down 9.4 mL to 161 mL (-5.5%)
  • Fruit and vegetable drinks, down 1.7 mL to 15.5 mL (-9.9%) 

The most significant increase (in volume) was for bottled water, which rose 2.2 mL to 139 mL per capita (up 1.6%). While the 2022-23 volumes of electrolyte drinks and energy drinks were similar to the 2021-22 levels, they have increased 48% and 46% respectively over the five years to 2022-23.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day.

Sugar-sweetened and diet beverages

The most recent drop in non-alcoholic beverage consumption appeared steeper for intense-sweetened beverages falling 6.3% compared with 4.2% among the sugar sweetened varieties. The decrease in per capita consumption of intense-sweetened beverages in 2022-23 also halts the growth trend over the previous four years in which the sugar-free beverages went up 28% (from 59 to 76 mL per capita per day). 

The resulting 2022-23 share between sugar-sweetened and diet beverages shows a slight decline in the proportion of beverages that were intense sweetened from 35.1% in 2021-22 to 34.6% in 2022-23.

  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Comprising soft drinks, cordials, energy and electrolyte (sports) drinks.

The proportion of apparent consumption that was intense-sweetened differed by beverage type. In 2022-23:

  • 41% of soft drink apparent consumption was intense-sweetened (compared with 42% in 2021-22)
  • 20% of cordial apparent consumption was intense-sweetened (down from 23% in 2021-22)
  • 14% of energy drink apparent consumption was intense-sweetened (down from 15% in 2021-22)
  • 14% of electrolyte drink apparent consumption was intense sweetened (up from 12% in 2021-22).
  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Comprising soft drinks, cordials, energy and electrolyte (sports) drinks.

Consumption by month shows: 

  • A strong seasonal pattern for both types, but a sharper December peak for sugar-sweetened beverages 
  • Diet beverages grew steadily (comparing each month with same month in previous year) until 2022-23. 
  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Comprising soft drinks, cordials, energy and electrolyte (sports) drinks.

Added and free sugars

Added sugars are defined as sugars that have been added to foods during their processing or preparation[7]. Free sugars include all added sugars as well as the sugar that is naturally present in juice and honey. The sugar naturally present in unrefined foods, such as whole fruit or unflavoured milk, is not considered free sugar. 

The World Health Organisation recommends that for both children and adults, free sugars should make up less than 10% of an individual's dietary energy, and that a further reduction to less than 5% of dietary energy would provide additional health benefits[8]. 

Apparent consumption data in this publication can be used to assess the percent contribution of energy from free sugars to total dietary energy available from food and non-alcoholic beverages sales in the food retail sector. This may differ significantly from the percent contribution of energy from free sugars to total dietary energy from all sources, including fast food, takeaway and restaurants.

In 2022-23, per capita apparent consumption of free sugars was 67 grams per day, equivalent to 12.3% of all dietary energy available from sales of food and non-alcoholic beverages. This proportion was similar in 2020-21 and 2021-22 and exceeds the World Health Organisation’s recommendation that free sugars make up less than 10% of dietary energy.

The vast majority (92% or 62 grams) of free sugar apparent consumption in 2022-23 came from added sugar rather than naturally occurring sugar in the form of juice or honey. Most of the apparent consumption of free sugars (89%) came from discretionary foods. 

The sub-major food groups contributing most to apparent consumption of free sugars in 2022-23 were:

  • Sugar, honey and syrups (19%)
  • Soft drinks (14%)
  • Chocolate (11%)
  • Other confectionery (6.8%)
  • Fruit and vegetable juices and drinks (6.2%)
  • Sweet biscuits (5.9%).

The sub-major food groups with the greatest increases in percent contribution to total free sugar apparent consumption between 2021-22 and 2022-23 were:

  • Chocolate (increased from 11.1% to 11.4%)
  • Sweet biscuits (increased from 5.7% to 5.9%).

The greatest decreases in percent contribution to total free sugar apparent consumption were seen in:

  • Sugar, honey and syrups (decreased from 19.2% to 18.8%)
  • Soft drinks (decreased from 14.4% to 14.2%).
  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Selected sub-major food groups. See “Food classification or food groups” in Glossary. 

Saturated fat

Of the total dietary energy available from food and non-alcoholic beverages sold in 2022-23, 15.2% came from saturated fat and 0.7% from trans fatty acids. This was similar to 2020-21 and 2021-22, and exceeds the recommendation in the Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (NRVs) that recommends saturated fat and trans fatty acids together make up less than 10% of dietary energy[9]. The 0.7% of total dietary energy coming from trans fatty acids in 2022-23 meets the World Health Organisation recommendation that no more than 1% of daily energy intake come from trans fatty acids. 

Per capita apparent consumption of saturated fat was 35.8 grams per day in 2022-23, 3.5% lower than in 2021-22 and 2020-21 (both 37.1 grams per day). Discretionary and non-discretionary foods each contributed around half of the available saturated fat in 2020-21 (49.6% and 50.4%, respectively).

Just under one-third (31%) of saturated fat came from milk products in 2022-23. Other leading contributors at the major food group level were:

  • Meat and poultry (17%)
  • Fats and oils (14%)
  • Cereal based products (such as biscuits, cakes, pastries and mixed dishes) (12%)
  • Confectionery (8.8%).

By sub-major group, the leading contributors were:

  • Cheese (11%)
  • Dairy milk (9.1%)
  • Chocolate (8.1%)
  • Beef, lamb and pork (6.4%)
  • Butter (5.6%)
  • Cream (4.6%).
  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Selected sub-major food groups. See “Food classification or food groups” in Glossary. 

Sodium

Food and non-alcoholic beverages sold by the food retail sector in 2022-23 provided the equivalent of 3,095 milligrams of sodium per capita per day. This was a decrease of 3.2% from 2021-22 (3,198 milligrams per day) but a 1.5% increase from 2018-19, despite fewer kilojoules being consumed in 2022-23.

More than half of sodium apparent consumption (58%) came from discretionary foods.

Per capita apparent consumption of sodium in 2022-23 was 55% higher than the adult Suggested Dietary Target of 2,000 milligrams per day, an NRV set with the aim of reducing the average population blood pressure in Australia[9]. Foods purchased from outlets such as fast food, takeaway and restaurants can be high in sodium and do not contribute to the apparent consumption amounts in this publication.

The proportion of salt purchased for non-food uses is unknown, so apparent consumption of sodium from sales of salt may be an overestimation (see Explanatory Notes). 

The major food groups contributing most to apparent consumption of sodium in 2022-23 were:

  • Miscellaneous category (includes cooking and baking ingredients, such as seasonings, salt and baking soda) (26%)
  • Meat and poultry (16%)
  • Cereals and cereal products (14%) 
  • Savoury sauces and condiments (9.7%)
  • Cereal based products (9.0%)
  • Milk products (8.6%).

The leading sub-major food groups contributing to sodium apparent consumption in 2022-23 were:

  • Herbs, spices and seasonings (includes salt, stock and stock powders) (21%) 
  • Regular breads and bread rolls (8.3%)  
  • Processed meat (7.7%)
  • Gravies and savoury sauces (includes tomato, barbecue and soy sauce, marinades and pasta sauces) (7.6%)
  • Cheese (5.2%).
  1. Apparent consumption per capita per day
  2. Selected sub-major food groups. See “Food classification or food groups” in Glossary. 

Data downloads

Data tables

Data files
Download xlsx [916.83 KB]

Footnotes

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Consumer Price Index, Australia’, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/consumer-price-index-australia/latest-release; accessed 05/04/2024.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘Retail Trade, Australia’, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/retail-and-wholesale-trade/retail-trade-australia/latest-release#analysis-by-industry; accessed 05/04/2024.
  3. National Health and Medical Research Council, ‘Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Macronutrient balance’, https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/chronic-disease/macronutrient-balance; accessed 05/04/2024. 
  4. National Health and Medical Research Council, ‘Australian Dietary Guidelines’, https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/guidelines;  accessed 15/11/2023.
  5. National Health and Medical Research Council, ‘Fruit’, https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/fruit; accessed 05/04/2024.
  6. National Health and Medical Research Council, ‘Discretionary food and drink choices’, https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/discretionary-food-and-drink-choices; accessed 05/04/2024.
  7. Food Standards Australia New Zealand, 'Determining the amount of added sugars and free sugars in foods listed in the AUSNUT 2011-13 dataset', https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/monitoringnutrients/ausnut/foodnutrient/Determining-the-amount-of-added-sugars-and-free-sugars-in-foods-listed-in-the-AUSNUT-201113-dataset; accessed 05/04/2024.
  8. World Health Organisation, ‘Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children’, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028; accessed 05/04/2024.
  9. National Health and Medical Research Council, ‘Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Summary’, https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/chronic-disease/summary; accessed 05/04/2024.

Methodology

Apparent Consumption of Selected Foodstuffs, Australia methodology, 2022-23 financial year

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