We are always looking for brands that can provide us with quality, affordability, and variety.

After all, there’s nothing wrong with making sure every cent spent is worthwhile, right?

Well, Aussies have decided on their top picks for products this year, and Coles and Woolies items won big!

More than 5,000 people decided on their favourite supermarket items by participating in a survey, which saw many brands vie for selection in the 2023 Product of the Year awards.

Product of the Year is celebrating its biggest-ever winner's pool in its 14th edition, with major brands such as Lyre's, Roll'd, and Moccona taking home several first-place awards.

Without further ado, here are this year’s top picks (with prices included, where applicable, for your convenience, please note prices are accurate as of posting):

Glade’s Aromatherapy Cool Mist Diffuser has 3 mist settings and 6 light settings. Credit: Glade

Air Care/Fragrance: Glade Aromatherapy Cool Mist Diffuser

At-Home Teeth Whitening: Optic White Pro Series LED Teeth Whitening Kit

Baby Care: CUB Biodegradable Fragrance-Free Baby Wipes 80pk ($2.00-$10.00)

Bread: Woolworths 35hr White Sourdough Loaf ($6.00)

Cakes/Cupcakes: Woolworths Vanilla Cake with Lotus Biscoff 450g ($8.00)

Strike Pro Multipurpose Cleaner ‘cuts through grease and grime’, according to its description. Credit: Woolworths

Household Cleaning: Strike Pro Multipurpose Cleaner 750ml Apple & Cedarwood

Convenience Meals: Woolworths COOK Bone In Chicken Portions with Oregano & Lemon 1.2kg

Entertaining Snacks: Hans Grazing Platter (292g, $17.00)

Eye Health: Murine Red eyes

Frozen Chips: Coles Sweet Potato Chips ($5.40)

Fresh Meat: Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef Scotch Fillet Steak ($26.60)

Health & Wellbeing: Hot Hydration Berry Fusion & Hot Hydration Lemon Ginger

Healthy Snacks/Lunchbox: Coles 90 Calorie Fibre Bakes Choc Brownie 5 Pack 120G ($4.50)

Environmentally friendly Household Products: Multix® Greener™ Plant Based Cling Wrap

Kids’ Vitamins/supplements: Inner Health Plus Kids Daily Defence (60g, $44.95)

Coles’ Salted Caramel Vienna Sticks serve 5 per pack. Credit: Coles

Ice Cream: Coles Salted Caramel Vienna Sticks 5 pack ($5.00)

Men's Skincare: KOi for Men Hydrating Aloe & Patchouli Face Moisturiser 100ml

Milk: Rokeby Farms ReMilk

Non-Alcoholic spirits: Lyre's Pink London Spirit ($44.99)

Oats: Coles Rolled Oats Value Pack 1.8kg

Over-the-Counter Medicine: Voltaren Osteo Gel 12 Hourly ($34.49)

Coles recommends its Extra Virgin Olive Oil for use on salads. Credit: Coles

Pantry Staples: Coles Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1L ($10.00)

Plant-Based Meal Alternatives: Plant-Based Greek Lamb Style Strips

Mattress (over $1500): Emma Diamond Hybrid Mattress

Mattress (under $1500): Emma Comfort Mattress

Ready-to-Eat/On-the-Go food: Hans Mild Hungarian Salami Lunch Plate ($6.50)

Sauces and Dressings: Roll'd Vietnamese Sauces

Woolies’ Truffle Arancini has arborio rice, mushrooms, creamy mozzarella, parmesan, and truffle sauce. Credit: Woolworths

Savoury Snacking: Woolworths Truffle Arancini 225g

Smallgoods: Coles Free Range Pan Sized Middle Bacon 200g ($7.00)

Coffee: Moccona Mocha Created with Cadbury

Soups (Pantry): Coles Flavour Creations Homestyle 8 Veg & Chicken Soup 430g ($3.80)

Soups (Convenience): Coles Perform Chicken, Kale & Quinoa Soup

Weight and Performance Management: BioSlim VLCD (very low-calorie diet)

Excuse us while we make a quick grocery trip…

As inflation hacks away at Aussies’ grocery budgets, many have opted for more budget-friendly items as a result.

Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths took 11 and 5 awards, respectively, for their home-brand offerings offered at doable prices.

‘The rising cost of living has definitely changed the landscape, with affordability now the most important consideration for Aussies making their weekly grocery trip,’ Product of the Year Director Sarah Connelly said.

‘Typically, during a recession, you will see many people cut back on holidays and indulgent expenses like eating out, but interestingly, the data indicates something else is happening entirely.’

‘Only a third of Aussies reported that they cut back on splurge-like expenses such as dinners and food delivery, instead opting to switch to cheaper brands, buy fewer groceries or rejecting their favourite brands altogether.’

Key Takeaways

• Product of the Year is an annual event that crowns the best supermarket products in Australia.
• Supermarkets Coles and Woolworths were the big winners at this year's event, with home-brand, deli and bakery products taking out many of the top prizes.
• Health and wellbeing products were also well represented among the winners, with products like Hydralyte, Voltaren, and BioSLIM taking out top honours.

Health and well-being is still front-of-mind for most Aussies, considering almost a third of the winners were within the health, pharmacy, and cleanliness categories, according to Connelly.

On another note, local businesses also have something to look forward to as corresponding data from Nielsen IQ research revealed 32 per cent of Aussie shoppers want retailers that support homegrown brands.

Woolies also has the best selection of fresh and organic products, according to the surveyed shoppers.

If you’re curious which products made it to last year’s list, we’ve got you covered! Read the article here.

So, did your favourite product win? Are there any results you disagree with? And are there any in this list you’re raring to try?

Tell us in the comments section below!

 

[Ricci]

Hmmm, I must be shopping all wrong, nothing I usually buy is on that list!!

 

[JayKay]

I also have never purchased even one of those items....???
Maybe I should try different brands.
I don't have a Coles near me.

 

[Capsam]

Never bought a single one of the items listed! Happy with what I purchase e.g. Tuffy paper towels!

 

[RTS]

Cole's rolled oats at $1.80 are a good buy for porridge, muesli muffins and biscuits. Oats have 8% protein, are very nutritious and gluten free too. In the old days a lot of Scots lived on porridge.
Oats are still fed to racehorses because they are so good.

 

[Liz]

Happy with Aldi's equivalent to Weetbix. And I couldn't believe the difference between Aldi's disinfectant at $2 something compared to Woolworths one at $8.00. I certainly don't buy any of the things on the above list.

 

[Big M]

Never bought any of those items - who are the people that they survey for these results?

 

[JustPat]

The only thing on that list I buy on a regular basis is the Coles EVO.

 

[Donald Dewson]

Bacon @ $3.50 per 100g is ridiculously overpriced!

 

[Possum Lover]

I think that many homemakers could put together a much better list.