Security tags have been placed on meat at a Coles supermarket in the Melbourne suburb of Knox.
It might seem minor, but we need to talk about this: what is going on with our cost of living that basic food is the target of theft?
Last week, a Melbourne Kmart made headlines for locking chocolate bars in security casing.
Placing chocolate in anti-theft cases is amusing, but there is something very sad about having to ensure nobody steals meat.
The meat security measures were first reported by the Knox Leader after one shopper noticed tags placed on steaks.
The tags, though seemingly harmless, speak to a larger problem. Surely the supermarket giant wouldn’t slap on a series of tags for one shady shopper, but they might do it after a series of incidents.
The Knox Leader reported the customer asked a Coles employee about the tags, only to be told they were to prevent theft.
Coles told Mamamia the tags were simply a security measure to reduce theft in the store.
“EAS (electronic article surveillance) tags are one of the range of security measures we have in place to reduce theft from our stores,” a spokesperson said.
But can you blame the woman who steals the loaf of bread to feed her family? Is a piece of meat not just the 2016 equivalent of that loaf?
It is, after all, a basic item whose pricing is being placed further and further out of reach.
The ABC reported the price of meat hit a record high this year when the 600 cent per kilogram carcass weight was reached for the first time in January.
Meat is not the only food item expected to maintain a high level of cost.
Top Comments
Meat has always been high on the shoplifters hit list and it's been 15 years since I worked at Woollies.
I saw a physical fight break out over reduced meat (close to expiry) in one shop I worked at.
Don't be naive. Meat is stolen in exchange for drugs. Any police officer could give you a list of items that drug dealers will accept. (Eg. Shampoo, Razors, Medications) People aren't stealing it because it's too expensive!