NATIONALLY owned enterprises have dominated 99 per cent of Wagga’s retail food sector in what was described as “economic leakage”, according to a local culinary expert.
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It is estimated Wagga’s local economy loses $265 million every year to supermarket powerhouses, which would otherwise be injected into local butchers, bakeries and green grocers.
The short-fall has sparked renewed calls for residents to support locally owned enterprises to keep money within town.
Eat Local Thursday founder and eco-farmer Pennie Scott said large corporations were costing the economy millions of dollars that would otherwise be helping Wagga grow.
“Over the past few months, plenty of Wagga people said they love having a weekly farmers’ market in town but talk is cheap,” she said.
“Walking your talk requires reprioritising habits and playing your part in ensuring regional farmers can sell their fresh produce and products reliably every week.
“This is possible if customers buy directly from our farmers so the money goes into their deserving pockets, not those of executives from far, far away.”
The city currently has 12 supermarkets and dozens of local businesses spread through the CBD and outer suburbs.
Wagga Business Chamber president Tim Rose said the chamber would love to see these local businesses prosper, but the responsibility lies with them to meet the challenge.
“We prefer to see people buy local but it’s one of those things where supermarkets are for a large part more convenient and cheaper,” Mr Rose said.
“I shop locally because I’m happy to pay a little bit more for the extra quality, but we know not everybody thinks like that.
“The local businesses employ locals, retain locals, and they have the benefit of the community in their mind, but they have to meet the challenge and counter the advantages of supermarkets.”
But powerhouse chains like Coles and Woolworths claim they have established initiatives to work with and support local farmers.
Woolworths states that 96 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables sold are grown on farms in Australia.
While Coles has established the Nurture Fund, which will allocate $50 million to help small Australian farmers, producers and manufacturers.
