Coles has revealed a cost-of-living “trend” that has seen an explosion of international food fill its aisles.
The retailer's stores now offer a larger selection of popular products from a number of different countries, including Japan, India, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, the US and the UK.
With increased supply, the once small international department is now taking over the supermarket aisles.
The photos show “exciting” items such as Ireland's Tayto cult chips, Cadbury Wispa bars from the UK and even cans of Warheads Sour Apple Soda – imported from the US – displayed on many Coles aisle end caps.
A Coles spokesperson told news.com.au: “Over the last 12 to 18 months, we have seen a clear trend towards customers eating out less due to cost of living pressures.
“With the return to cooking more and enjoying meals at home, we've seen the rise of 'fake food' as consumers opt for ready-to-eat options at home.
“We want to help our customers create and enjoy new food experiences at home, and they can find a diverse range of ingredients to help them recreate recipes inspired by different world cuisines.”
The new product offering is delighting shoppers, with Melbourne food blogger @AngeEats describing Cole's makeover as “unreal”.
“It gives people more options on top of the groceries we already have on Australian shelves,” he told news.com.au.
“And for fans of foods you can't normally buy here, I find it's often cheaper when the supermarket has them.
For example, cans of Fanta and Dr Pepper from overseas can cost between $3 and $4 online, not including shipping.
Coles has it for $2.70, and if it's on special, it can go up to $2.30.
Foodie @nectoriouspapi, who shares videos about taste testing as much as possible, said it's great to see Coles increasing its imports.
“With the rise of social media, we're seeing all these great things being reviewed overseas and we want to try them too,” he told news.com.au.
“The FOMO kicks in. Even if we only try them once out of curiosity.
“People like to see new and exciting things on the shelf rather than having to order online and pay more for it.”
Both have gained a huge following on TikTok and recently launched it The Three Food Guys Podcast Along with Dub Eats Everything,
Nectorious recently shared a video detailing the latest addition to the Coles International section with his almost 60,000 followers, telling news.com.au Takis Mexican Tortilla Chips are among his top picks.
“People who have moved here from overseas want a taste of home, which is great to see,” he added.
“We all just want convenience, to be able to go to our local and pick up a product to enjoy right away.”
Woolworths has also recently expanded its international food offerings, noting that the supermarket giant needs to “evolve and adjust its international range based on the demographics of each local community and changing customer demand”.
A spokesperson told news.com.au: “We have seen a rapid increase in demand for popular international foods in recent years.
Our international food team works hard to stay abreast of emerging food trends to better understand our customers' needs.
It is estimated that 26.6 million people currently live in the country. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this includes 18.5 million people born in Australia and 8.2 million born elsewhere.
The statistics also show that the proportion of Australia's population born overseas is on the rise, rising to 30.7 per cent in 2023, up from 29.5 per cent the previous year.
