inside Australia’s christmas food industry: the top trends & spends
With Australians forecast to spend a staggering $26.7 billion on food alone during the festive season, the competition for attention is fierce. There are so many ways food brands can leverage authentic Australian Christmas traditions, adapt to changing consumer spending habits, and create visual content that positions their products as essential to the Aussie festive table.
Christmas in Australia is far from the snowy, fireplace-filled celebrations seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we gather around icy seafood platters, smoky barbecues captained by dads, pavlovas crowned with tropical mangoes, and long summer lunches under the Aussie sun.
It’s festive, it’s fresh, and it’s one of the busiest (and most competitive) times of the year for the food industry. For brands, Christmas is the moment for your product to shine - and sell. And for food stylists, photographers, and recipe creators? Well, it’s the Holy Grail of content creation. Understanding what Australians eat, how they spend, and what resonates visually is key to building campaigns that cut through the constant bombardment of Christmas ads all around us.
Australia’s Christmas Food Spending Snapshot
Festive food is serious business (in more ways than one!).
Australians are forecast to spend $66.8 billion across November and December, with $26.7 billion going to food alone.
Household budgets for festive feasts are also climbing, averaging $406 per household, a significant jump from $306 last year.
On an individual level, the average Aussie will spend $1,479 during the season, covering gifts, dining, and groceries.
Whilst it sounds like a lot of stats and values just being thrown around, for businesses, these numbers highlight the scale of the opportunity. But with so much being spent, competition for attention is fierce. Brands need content that doesn’t just showcase their products but positions them as essential to the Aussie Christmas. A beautifully styled grazing table, an irresistible shot of a glazed ham, or a refreshing spritz cocktail can instantly connect your product to the holiday mood.
What’s on Your Aussie Christmas Table?
No matter the household, no matter the family, there’s a few holiday staples that you’ll find on every table, big or small.
Seafood leads the charge as the quintessential Christmas lunch treat. In the 36 hours before Christmas, the Sydney Fish Market moves over 130 tonnes of seafood, while Woolworths sells nearly 890,000 kilograms of prawns.
Ham remains iconic, with 8,000 tonnes consumed nationally, while turkey enjoys its moment in the spotlight - 75% of all turkey eaten in Australia is consumed at Christmas.
And let’s be honest, dessert is never optional: pavlova, trifle, and pudding remain firm favourites, often dressed up with seasonal fruit.
This mix of tradition and summer freshness is a goldmine for food brands. A cold seafood platter styled on crushed ice instantly feels festive and distinctly Australian. A fruit-topped pavlova photographed in natural light captures both indulgence and vibrancy. For producers of fresh seafood, deli meats, or seasonal fruit, these moments are visual shorthand for ‘Christmas is here’, and the right styling can help consumers imagine your product at the centre of their table.
It’s the Most… Expensive Time of the Year!
Not to bring out my inner Grinch, but there’s no avoiding it - the cost of living crisis is even taking its toll on Christmas. Rising food costs are nudging families to adapt. Instead of splurging on premium hams or decadent seafood buffets, many households are swapping in beef, lamb, or simple barbecue-style dinners. Sharing platters and communal meals are increasingly popular: they feel abundant, but don’t break the budget.
Supermarkets have been quick to respond, with options like Woolworths’ full Christmas meal kit that feeds eight people for under $100. Shoppers are also leaning into loyalty programs, comparing prices, and stretching their budgets with versatile pantry staples.
For food brands, this shift creates opportunities to position products as both affordable and festive. Styling plays a role here too. A budget-friendly cut of meat can look luxurious when plated beautifully with seasonal garnishes. A supermarket meal kit can feel like a special occasion when shot as a cheerful grazing table surrounded by friends. The message? Festivity doesn’t have to mean overspending, and your product can be the hero of a stylish, affordable celebration.
How to Bring that Christmas Joy to Your Own Campaign
The best Christmas campaigns are the ones that feel authentic to Aussie traditions while still delivering a touch of magic. Here’s how brands can approach it:
Lean into summer. Barbecues, seafood, cocktails, and fruit-topped desserts shot in bright, natural light scream Aussie Christmas.
Balance indulgence with value. Use styling to make affordable products look premium. Shared platters, colourful salads, and oh-so-simple-but-stylish dishes work beautifully.
Play with seasonal palettes. Move beyond the classic red and green! Think tropical yellows, ocean blues, fresh greens, and natural textures like wood and wicker.
Highlight convenience. Busy consumers love shortcuts. Styled shots of ready-to-serve platters, meal kits, or festive novelty items can position products as time-savers without sacrificing joy.
Tell cultural stories. Bring the real Aussie experience into your visuals, like queues at fish markets, backyard barbecues, beachside picnics, or friends clinking cocktails at sunset.
Each of these approaches helps position your product not just as something people buy, but as something people build their holiday memories around.
Take a (Holly) Leaf Out of the FDS Playbook…
Australia’s Christmas food industry is huge and it’s not just about what’s eaten, but how it’s celebrated. From record-breaking seafood sales to budget-conscious BBQs, the festive season is full of opportunities for brands to connect with consumers through the right visuals and storytelling.
By blending tradition with modern habits, indulgence with affordability, and summer freshness with festive flair, food brands can position themselves as not only part of the Christmas table but as essential to it. For creatives, that means this season isn’t just busy, it’s brimming with possibility!
Looking to make your brand shine this Christmas? I’m always ready to chat strategy, and I’ll show you how to take market research and turn it into visually irresistible, summer-fresh, and on-trend festive food content.
If you’re interested in high quality photography and social media ready video content for your food brand to support your marketing, reach out HERE.
