REPORT: Coles and Woolies profits enough to feed every Australian child living in poverty
A report released today by the Green Institute shows that every year since 2020, the combined annual profits of Coles and Woolworths’ supermarkets could cover the costs of feeding more than 1.5 million children every year.
Depending on the measure used, between 757,000 and one million children live in poverty across Australia. The total cost of feeding these children for a year, based on an average cost of around $60 a week, ranges between $2.5 billion and $3.3 billion.
Analysis of Coles and Woolworths annual reports found that in the 2025-26 financial year, the duopoly’s combined profits as earnings before interest and tax in their supermarkets division totalled $5.3 billion – enough to meet the food costs of every child living in poverty and more.
Read the report methodology here.
Since 2019, the supermarket profits of Coles and Woolworths have surged by 58% and 41% respectively while real wages have declined by 6%.
YouGov polling commissioned by the Green Institute revealed that 1 in 5 parents have sent their child to school without enough to eat in the last 12 months, with nearly a quarter of working class parents reporting having done so.
The poll also revealed 79% of Australians had said it was harder to afford groceries in the last 12 months, and more than one in three (38%) had skipped meals or eaten less due to the cost of food.
The findings follow the Green Institute’s recently released plan for a network of public supermarkets to tackle the rising cost of groceries in Australia.
Since 2020, Coles and Woolworths have together amassed $32 billion in supermarket profits, far less than the $25 billion in capital costs required to establish 624 Fair Go Grocers public supermarkets.
84% of Australians supported publicly owned supermarkets being tried in Australia to bring down the cost of groceries.
Here’s what Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather had to say:
“What kind of political and economic system lets kids starve while supermarket bosses get filthy rich?”
“Coles and Woolies are making record profits, and it’s pushing more and more Aussie families into poverty with rising prices.
“Coles and Woolies profit levels are now so excessive, they make enough money that they could feed each of the million Aussie children living in poverty for the entire year and still have billions of dollars left over.
“This is exactly why The Green Institute are calling for a publicly owned supermarket chain to cut out the price gouging and profiteering – slashing the cost of essentials by 30%.
“Australia has one of the most concentrated supermarket industries in the world, with Coles and Woolies holding enormous power over prices and farmers. Only a public alternative can compete with the Coles and Woolies at scale and break their grip on the essential service that is providing food.
“Every day politicians sit on their hands and allow Coles and Woolies to run rampant is another day these politicians choose to put the mega profits of their corporate donors above ensuring every kid has enough food to eat.
“Given the choice between Coles and Woolworths mega profits and ensuring every kid has enough food to eat, I’ll choose the kids every single time.”
