From butter chicken sauce to taco shells, Australians are used to seeing a range of ingredients on supermarket shelves.

But lately, there seems to be more international options than ever.

A Coles spokesperson told The New Daily the supermarket wanted to “inspire” customers to experiment with new food experiences at home as some cut back on dining out.

“With a multicultural country like Australia, we work hard at Coles to adapt to and meet the culinary needs of our customers by ensuring a wide range of international meals and products,” they said.

“Cost-of-living pressures have meant that over the past 12 to 18 months we’ve seen a clear trend of customers eating out less and the rise of a ‘fake-away’, as customers opt for home-cooked, takeaway-style options.”

Woolworths tailors the ranges in its international food aisle for each store based on local demographics and shopping trends.

A Woolworths spokesperson told The New Daily demand for popular international foods “rapidly accelerated” over recent years.

Over the past few years, demand at Coles has increased for authentic Indian, American, New Zealand, and Asian snacks (Indian fare is categorised separately from other Asian cuisines). Popular products include Black Knight Licorice, Obap roasted seaweed, Kewpie roasted sesame dressing, and Maharajah’s Choice Masala Crunch chips.

The most popular items in Woolworths’ international aisle are chocolate churros-flavoured Turtle Chips, Kewpie mayonnaise, Starburst lollies, as well as Nongshim and Samyang noodles.

@amazingsydneylife Omggg, the best Woolworths finds ever 😋👍🏽 #frozenkimbap #koreankimbap #woolworthsfinds @Woolworths_au @bibigo.anz ♬ original sound – Jules Park

Change fuelled by financial pressure and diversity

Queensland University of Technology consumer and retail expert Gary Mortimer said the evolution of home cooking was partially due to the shows such as MasterChef, but it has also been driven by cost-of-living pressures.

Likewise, he said supermarket product ranges evolved over the decades in response to macro-environmental shifts such as cost of living and increased migration.

“Over time, we’ve seen the growth of plant-based meal alternatives, organic alternatives, and now more predominantly the expansion of international food categories,” he said.

“We’ve moved away from a standard sort of Indian fare, which is certainly present in supermarkets today, but an expansion into other Asian cuisines including Latin American and Mexican style meals as well.”

@nectoriouspapi Tajin at Woolies #tajin #tajine #mexican #woolworths #international #seasoning #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – @nectoriouspapi

Local demographics, both ethnic and religious, play large roles in what ingredients supermarkets choose to stock.

“You’ll find in [Sydney suburbs like] Lakemba, Auburn, Blacktown, probably as far as Cabramatta, shifts between Lebanese and Arabic foods through to stronger Vietnamese ranges,” Mortimer said.

“We also generally see a shift in religious-inspired foods such as halal in certain suburbs that have a high proportion of Muslim consumers, as well as … kosher meals in certain … suburbs with high proportion of Jewish consumers.”

Aussies cutting back on takeaway

After recovering from massive dips in 2020 and 2021, spending at cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services has been relatively steady over the past two years.

However, Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows spending fell by 0.1 per cent (-$6.6 million), across the industry in May.

Takeaway food services took the biggest hit (-$5.6 million).

The dip in dining out and takeaway spending comes as Australians battle higher costs of everything from education to health.

Higher shelf prices at major supermarkets have also contributed to increased financial pressure.