A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Vanuatu

The largest supermarkets in Vanuatu are found in Port Vila on Efate, with Au Bon Marché and HXM Supermarket being the two main chains to know about. These are the most convenient places to stock up on groceries, local and imported fruit and vegetables, dry goods, drinks, snacks, toiletries, alcohol and imported items, especially if you’re self-catering or preparing for travel to the outer islands.

Both Au Bon Marché and HXM Supermarket generally open Monday to Sunday from around 6 am to 7:30 pm or 8 pm, making them some of the most reliable food shopping options in the country. You’ll find several branches around Port Vila, including:

• Au Bon Marché Numbatu, corner of Kumul Highway and Elluk Road, Nambatu, Port Vila, Efate
• Au Bon Marché Manples, Kumul Highway, Manples, Port Vila, Efate
• Au Bon Marché Freswota, Freswota, Port Vila, Efate
• Au Bon Marché Tassiriki, Eauma Road, Tassiriki, Port Vila, Efate
• HXM Supermarket, corner of Rue Dartois and Rue Bretagne, Port Vila, Efate
• HXM Freswota, opposite Au Bon Marché, Freswota, Port Vila, Efate
• HXM Manples, Lini Highway, Manples, Port Vila, Efate
• HXM Black Sand, route to Mele, Tagabe, Port Vila, Efate

On Espiritu Santo, supermarkets are generally smaller than Au Bon Marché but still useful for stocking up in Luganville. LCM Supermarket on Main Street is one of the more varied options, usually opening around 7:30 am or 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays, with shorter Saturday hours. Daming Supermarket, described as one of Santo’s larger options, opens longer hours, around 7:30 am to 9 pm, with branches around Avenue Pasteur, Avenue Picanon and Boulevard du Général de Gaulle. Sunshine Supermarket on Main Street, near the market, has a less varied grocery selection than LCM and Daming, but offers more variety goods.

On Malekula, supermarkets are much smaller again. The main store to know is Lakatoro Consumer Cooperative or "Consumers" in Lakatoro, located on Lakatoro Back Road behind Wilkins Memorial Stadium. It is one of the largest shops on Malekula but still smaller than supermarkets in Port Vila and Santo. It usually opens from around 6:30 am to 7:30 pm Monday to Friday, with more limited weekend hours.

Across Vanuatu, supermarket stock can vary, so don’t expect the same range you’d find in New Zealand or Australia. Port Vila is the best place to buy imported food, specialty items and larger grocery hauls, while Santo works well for basics. Once you reach Malekula and the outer islands, plan around simple staples and shop when you see what you need.

Convenience stores are common around Port Vila, Luganville and the main centres of Malekula, such as Lakatoro and Litzlitz. They’re handy for everyday basics like snacks, drinks, canned food, toiletries and simple pantry items, especially when you don’t need a full supermarket shop.

In Port Vila and Luganville, convenience stores are generally easy to find along main streets and often have long opening hours, making them useful for last-minute supplies. Many are small, independent stores, so the range varies from shop to shop. Some are better for drinks and snacks, while others carry a more practical mix of dry goods, frozen items, household products and personal care essentials.

Most convenience stores are also resellers of at least one of the local phone networks, should you need to top up your phone.

Once you travel beyond the main centres, convenience stores become much scarcer and opening hours are less predictable. On islands like Malekula, one small shop might open from 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday and close on weekends, while another might open from 6:30 am to 8 pm on weekdays, close at midday on Saturday and reopen from 3:30 pm on Sunday. In short, shop when you can rather than assuming somewhere will be open later.

A handy tip for Malekula: Tautu Shopping Centre in Tautu is worth knowing about, as it has one of the few ATMs on the island. The ATM at Consumers in Lakatoro was not working during our last visit, so don’t rely on a single cash source when travelling around Malekula.

For fresh fruit and vegetables in Vanuatu, markets and roadside stalls are usually much better than supermarkets. The produce is local rather than imported, the selection reflects what’s in season and prices are generally better than buying fruit and vegetables from supermarket shelves.

Port Vila Central Market on Kumul Highway, near the ferry wharf, is the easiest market for travellers to visit. It has an impressive range of tropical fruit, vegetables and local staples, from dragon fruit, soursop, custard apples and green coconuts to taro, yam, breadfruit, turmeric, ginger, wild chillies and island nuts such as nangai, natapoa and navele. Local mamas also sell prepared foods, including traditional dishes like laplap, snacks such as banana chips and peanuts, and there is a small restaurant-style area at the back where you can try simple island meals.

On Espiritu Santo, Luganville Market on Main Street, between Cook Street and Sarakata Bridge, is the main produce hub. Open Monday to Saturday, it’s best visited in the morning when stalls are fullest and the atmosphere is liveliest. Expect locally grown fruit and vegetables, cooked peanuts, bananas, avocados, watermelons, ginger and other island ingredients. The market also has traditional food booths serving ready-made meals such as fish, chicken or steak with rice, tomatoes and leafy greens.

On Malekula, Lakatoro Market on Lakatoro Main Road is the main place to buy fresh produce and one of the few public places to find casual food outside your accommodation. It opens from around 5 am until about 5 pm, Monday to Friday, with the busiest time usually between 7 am and 8 am. Alongside fruit, root crops and local vegetables, you’ll see kava being weighed and sold, snacks and sweet treats along the back of the market, and cooked meals behind the market near Wilkins Memorial Park.

Roadside stalls are also worth stopping for, especially in village areas such as around Havannah Harbour on Efate or along Santo’s East Coast Road. Look out for small sheltered huts displaying fruit, vegetables, drinking coconuts, taro, cassava, kumala or whatever has been harvested locally. They’re usually manned by someone nearby, and cash is essential at all markets and roadside stalls.

Some travellers bring their own food from home, especially for dietary needs, children’s snacks or travelling to remote islands. However, as an island nation with a fragile environment and agricultural economy, Vanuatu has strict biosecurity rules to stop pests and diseases from entering the country.

In short: Yes, you can take some food to Vanuatu, but you must declare it. Biosecurity Vanuatu states that travellers need to declare all food items, plants, animals and their products on arrival, and that false or incorrect declarations can result in an instant penalty fine.

Do You Really Need to Take Food to Vanuatu?

Before filling your bag with groceries, consider whether you really need to bring food to Vanuatu.

As you’ve seen from this guide, Port Vila has supermarkets, markets and convenience stores, while Luganville also has enough options for basic self-catering. Even on islands like Malekula, you’ll find small stores and produce markets in the main centres, although choice becomes much more limited.

For most travellers, it makes more sense to buy food once you’re here, especially if you’re staying in Port Vila, Efate or Santo. The main exceptions are if you have essential snacks, baby food, medical dietary needs or specialist products that are unlikely to be available, such as certain gluten-free, allergy-safe or vegan items (even then, we have some tips in The Gluten-Free Guide to Vanuatu and Vanuatu for Vegans & Vegetarians + 10 Best Restaurants). With any food items, keep it commercially packaged, clearly labelled and declare it.

Tips for Taking Food to Vanuatu

If bringing food to Vanuatu:

• Declare food on your passenger arrival card, even if you think it is allowed
• Make a list of all food items to show Biosecurity officers if asked
• Keep food commercially packaged and clearly labelled
• Avoid bringing fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, raw nuts, meat, eggs, dairy, seafood, honey or plant material unless you have checked the rules carefully
• Pack specialist foods in your checked luggage where practical
• Use the amnesty bin on arrival if you are unsure and don’t want to risk inspection, confiscation or a fine

What Food Can You Bring to Vanuatu?

Biosecurity Vanuatu specifically notes that “food of any kind” should be declared, with some low-risk exceptions listed, such as biscuits, confectionery, cakes and beverages.

Personal food items and cooking ingredients that need declaring include fresh fruit and vegetables, dried mushrooms, raw nuts, spices and herbs, seeds, meat, eggs, seafood, dairy products, cooked or preserved fruit and vegetables, honey products and items such as kimchi. As a rule of thumb, these food items can't be brought into Vanuatu without a permit.

Honey and honey products require a health certificate from the country of origin; they may be confiscated or destroyed.

The simplest rule? Declare everything. Biosecurity officers will decide whether your food can enter, needs treatment, requires a permit or must be surrendered.

For more information about declaring food on arrival, check out the Arriving in Vanuatu: Airport Customs, Biosecurity & Arrival Process.