In another important election for 2020, Australians have voted for their favourite supermarket products. Over 9,000 Australian shoppers cast votes in the annual Product of the Year Awards to narrow down the 29 most popular items on shelves.
The Product of the Year awards is in its 12th year in Australia and is the world’s largest consumer-based awards program. Products are divided by category, brand and company, with Coles taking out the highest number of products at 11.
Australia’s top products
Research has found that Australian’s are valuing vegetarian and vegan products higher than in recent years. Eight out of the 19 winners sit in the health food categories with products such as NESCAFE plant-based lattes, Passage to India veg curry bowl, V2 plant-based meat, 7-Eleven’s No Sausage Roll (vegan) and the Faba bean snack range from Human Bean Co.
Top bakery and dessert items went to Coles with its traditional recipe croissants and chocolate and hazelnut mirror glaze mousse. Coles also took out the vegan dessert item with its chocolate hazelnut slice.
The best beauty and skincare products saw LPO foaming gel cleanser and night cream, and KOI-branded body butter and hand cream emerging as top picks. Also an important PSA for tea drinkers: Dilmah Australia’s inspiration selection nabs the most popular tea trophy.
Check out the full list for some of the top products including Australian’s favourite mattress, toothbrush and pet care products. Good old Aussie staple, Old El Paso Hard N Soft Tacos, also made the list.
How the winners were chosen
To determine the winners, a panel of industry experts test a range of products, narrowing the field down to 8000 different items. These are then voted on by more than 9,000 Australians. The products were evaluated against six criteria determined by Nielsen: relevance, uniqueness, excitement, likeability, distinctiveness and innovation.
Research from Roy Morgan found that nearly 2.5 million Australians have either completely moved to a vegetarian diet or are close to doing so. You can definitely see this reflected in this year’s product choices as more Aussies go meat-free. Industry experts are projecting that the meat-free sector will exceed $25 billion by 2030.
Other findings from the consumer research show that COVID-19 had a big impact on the supermarket experience. But 70% of those surveyed were positive of how retailers managed to adapt and handle the pandemic, particularly Coles and Woollies. Plus, heading into 2021, 75% of consumers said they will be more likely to purchase products that are Australian made.
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