TLDR
Woolworths launched a three-month Price Freeze on 300 staples on 1 May 2026, then raised prices on at least four of those products within days. Price data shows rises of between 17 and 67 per cent on the affected lines, with two products later reverting.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What the freeze promised
On 30 April 2026, Woolworths Group CEO Amanda Bardwell made a straightforward commitment. Bardwell promised that the shelf price visible that day was the most shoppers would pay across 300 staples for three months, and that Woolworths would invest to absorb any extra costs agreed with suppliers on those products.[1]
The Price Freeze covered 300 popular own-brand and exclusive products from 1 May 2026. The list included eggs, pasta, beef sausages, nappies and, explicitly, chicken breast fillets.[1]
What the price data shows
Analysis by comparison tool CW Scanner tells a different story for at least four of those products. RSPCA-approved chicken breast fillets in 350 g deli portions climbed from $9/kg on 29 April 2026 to $12/kg on 5 May 2026, a 33 per cent rise in five days.[2] Bardwell had named the chicken fillet herself in the launch-day press release.
The other three products recorded the following movements:
| Product | Before | After | Rise | Reverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSPCA chicken breast fillets 350 g | $9/kg (29 Apr) | $12/kg (5 May) | 33% | No |
| Washed potatoes 2 kg | $6 (29 Apr) | $8 (6 May) | 33% | No |
| Mexican Style 3 Bean Mix 420 g | $0.60 (before 17 Jun) | $1.00 (17 Jun) | 67% | Yes (17 Aug) |
| 12-pack fresh cinnamon donuts | $3 (before 6 May) | $3.50 (6 May) | 17% | Yes (18 Aug) |
Woolworths washed potatoes in 2 kg bags moved from $6 on 29 April to $8 on 6 May, the same week the freeze officially began.[2] The 420 g can of Mexican Style 3 Bean Mix rose 67 per cent, from $0.60 to $1.00, on 17 June 2026, before dropping back to $0.60 on 17 August 2026.[2] The 12-pack of cinnamon donuts went from $3 to $3.50 on 6 May 2026 and returned to $3 on 18 August 2026.[2]
Woolworths' defence
The company's position, delivered through a spokesperson, is that it kept its word. Woolworths said the Price Freeze gave customers the certainty that they would not pay more than the shelf price on 300 popular products for three months, and that the company delivered on that commitment.[2]
That defence rests on the wording of the original promise: the pledge was that shoppers would not pay more than "the shelf price you see on these items today." Bardwell's statement referred to the price on 30 April 2026, the day of the announcement. For at least two products, the shelf price moved within seven days of that commitment.[1]
Bea Sherwood, senior campaigns and policy adviser at consumer advocacy group CHOICE, framed the structural problem plainly. Sherwood said prices have changed significantly over recent years with continuous increases, making it unrealistic for consumers to track what a regular shelf price is. She said that when Woolworths or Coles claim something is a standard price, consumers lack the transparency to understand how those companies arrived at that figure.[2]
Trust and the regulator
Roy Morgan's June 2026 quarterly survey ranked Woolworths the fourth most distrusted brand in Australia.[3] That ranking landed before the CW Scanner price data entered public circulation, so the distrust pre-dates this specific episode but forms the backdrop against which the Price Freeze was meant to help.
The ACCC had already pursued Coles and Woolworths over misleading promotional pricing before the Price Freeze launched. From 1 July 2026, excessive pricing of grocery products by very large supermarket retailers became illegal under new ACCC rules.[4] The price movements documented by CW Scanner occurred before that date, so the ACCC's new power did not apply to them directly, though the rule changes the stakes for any future promotion that produces similar results.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which products rose in price during the Woolworths Price Freeze?
What did Woolworths promise with the Price Freeze?
Is Woolworths breaking any law over these price rises?
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
