Consumer advocacy groups have welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to open consultation on strengthening the mandatory Unit Pricing Code.
Treasury has released a Consultation Paper on ways to strengthen the Retail Grocery Industry (Unit Pricing) Code of Conduct administered by the ACCC.
The Code is a mandatory industry code of conduct made under Part IVB of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
It requires certain grocery retailers to use unit pricing when selling groceries to consumers. This makes it easier to compare prices. This helps shoppers make more informed purchases.
The Paper seeks feedback on options to:
- expand the scope of retailers covered
- improve display requirements
- make unit pricing measurements and cross?retailer price comparisons more consistent
- address shrinkflation
- introduce civil penalties for supermarkets that breach the Code
The Consultation Paper, along with contact information and recommendations on how to make a submission, is available here https://consult.treasury.gov.au/c2025-639227.
The closing date for responses is 19 September 2025.
For more background on the importance of unit pricing and shrinkflation please see past articles on our website or check out CHOICE’s response to the consultation and their shrinkflation investigation and their submission to the ACCC supermarket inquiry here.