Outrage at cost of everyday item

A savvy supermarket customer has taken to social media to vent her shock after she noticed a popular milk product now costs nearly $10.

The shopper said she was stunned to notice a 3L container of a2 milk is priced at $9.80 in Coles.

She explained she hadn’t immediately seen the price of the 3L container because it had been reduced to 98c.

“Is $9.80 for a2 milk normal,” she asked.

“Surely that’s not the norm.”

Members of the Markdown Addicts Facebook group informed the woman she unfortunately had the right price tag.

“Yep A2 is 9.80. That’s all I can stomach,” one social media user said.

“Yeah, it’s expensive milk. I pay $9.50 for 3.5L at Costco,” another added.

A Markdown Addict member noted the price hike was not exclusive to a2 milk products.

“Yep, even home brand milk is almost $5 for 3 litres these days,” they said.

Another said they had to switch their family to alternative milks because “it’s so expensive” to buy dairy products.

“(Is it) made by prized cows?” a Facebook user quipped.

Although the a2 milk price increase is not recent, it is understood to be the result of soaring costs over the past two years.

The a2 Milk Company and its dairy producers have been affected by increased manufacturing, freight, labour and input costs since the start of the pandemic.

The cost pressures have been intensified by natural disasters such as ongoing floods which have driven up the cost of producing milk.

The milk company is certainly not alone in increasing its prices, but it is understood the majority of the a2 price increase will be passed on to dairy farmers.

Coles did not respond to requests for comment.

Woolworths also stocks a2 milk for $9.80, but declined to comment on the cost increase.

A2 milk is considered a premium product because it is sourced from cows specifically selected to naturally produce milk which only contains the A2 beta-casein protein.