• New research has found choosing a healthy diet can save families $150 a fortnight at the checkout
• Most Queenslanders do not meet the recommended daily serves of any of the five food groups
• An affordable healthy diet can have the biggest impact in regional areas where rates of chronic conditions are higher and families earn less than those living in the city

Families could save $150 a fortnight at the checkout by choosing a healthy diet, new research has found.

The affordability of shopping healthy was shown by a regional Victorian hospital’s food affordability study, which compared a trolley of items that meet the Australian Dietary Guidelines to what the average Australian family buys in a fortnight.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland senior public health nutritionist Rebecca Farletti said savings could be found across most of Australia.

‘Studies have shown that Australian families spend between 53% to 64% of their food budget on items that are not part of healthy diet patterns,’ Ms Farletti said.

‘Takeaway meals and ultra-processed foods like chips, lollies and biscuits are not only high in fat, sugar and salt, but they really drive up the price of our weekly shop.

‘Most Queenslanders do not meet the recommended daily serves of any of the five food groups outlined in the daily Australian Dietary Guidelines.

‘This new study shows that if our trolley reflected the five food groups, we could be saving money at the checkout and improving our health.’

Ms Farletti said the affordability of eating healthy was especially important in regional Queensland, where families often earned less than those living in the city and rates of chronic conditions including Type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers were higher.