Australians have continued to strip shelves bare nationwide amid growing coronavirus fears, despite pleas from authorities to cease panic buying supplies.
Products such as toilet paper roll and dry pasta have been flying off the shelves, but a News.com.au report found that other goods are also running low.
The outlet visited six supermarkets – including ALDI, Coles and Woolworths – in Sydney on Thursday and found other pantry items such as oats, baked beans and two-minute noodles were dwindling in stock.
Other food products that were running thin included lentils, canola oil, UHT milk, canned tuna and frozen meals. The stocks were also low for surface wipes, sanitary pads, surface wipes and pain relief medications.
Online grocery sales have climbed by more than 45 per cent compared to the same four-week period a year ago, according to Nielsen Homescan.
Pasta sales saw a 76 per cent increase over the four-week period ending on February 22, while sales of eggs and canned meals rose by 72 per cent and 71 per cent respectively.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison advised Australians to remain calm amid concerns over growing number of COVID-19 cases.
“It is important that people just go about their business and their normal processes in a calm manner,” he said.
“What helps people is just getting access to the right information. And the source of that information is coming well through our health agencies, both at a state and a Commonwealth level. And that’s what people should base their decisions on.”
