Spike in corned beef sales as Aussies desperate to stretch weekly food budget

Corned silverside is making a comeback in homes across the country as Australian shoppers search for new ways to stretch their weekly food budget to combat the growing cost-of-living.

The surprising meat product has experienced a dramatic increase in sales, with IGA revealing annual sales for the protein have jumped by the 31 per cent.

Corned silverside, also known as corned beef, has quickly become one of IGA’s most popular beef products, with beef mince, beef scotch fillet, rump steak and corned beef the top four sellers in the protein category.

Priced at about $8 per kilo, IGA executive general manager Estella Young said the meat product is “great value” for Aussies looking to make their food budget “go that extra bit further”.

“We know that there’s a lot of Aussie families that are doing it tough and really … working hard to make ends meet,” she told NewsWire.

“When you’re able to get a great value protein and make meals, recipes that potentially don’t just do dinner for that evening (but) lunch the next day as well … that’s a great way to stretch your budget.

“No matter which way you cut it, it’s really good value.”

But Ms Young noted, for Australians who grew up eating corned beef, a sense of nostalgia during the chilly winter months could be one of the reasons shoppers are reaching for the product.

“It’s been a really cold winter and people absolutely resonate with childhood recipes, comfort food recipes that you remember your mum cooking for you,” she said.

Ms Young said IGA recently dropped the price of the now popular product from $12.50 as a growing number of shoppers are searching for promotional offers while shopping at IGA.

She also noted stores have experienced customers making changes in other areas of their trolley, with many reaching for frozen vegetables and private label products to save money.

“There’s been a fair shift in that shopper … behaviour in the last definitely six months,” she said.