The AFL has not only been able to stem a decline in crowd numbers, it also appears to have made spectators hungrier.

Sales of pies at the footy have doubled in the past four months after the MCG and Etihad Stadium slashed the price of food and drinks to levels not seen in more than a decade.

Patties, maker of Four'n Twenty pies, has backed the $230 million takeover. Credit:Angela Wylie

The maker of Four'N Twenty pies, Patties Foods, praised the AFL-led initiative, saying its sales at the two venues had surged up to 100 per cent.

The revenue gain comes after a tough 12 months for Patties. Its net profit dived 88 per cent to $2.1 million for the year to June 30, following an outbreak of hepatitis A linked to packets of its Nana's frozen mixed berries.