Aldi blitzes Aussie meat awards as it wins top spot for second year running

Australians are known for their love of a good ol’ barbecue, with sausage sizzles and patties a top choice for a family gathering, and now the best supermarket to purchase those goods has been revealed in the country’s annual meat awards.

While years ago a trip to Woolworths or Coles would be the norm for those in the Land Down Under, the rise of German food retail giant Aldi has changed the norm with the discount supermarket blitzing the competition for the second year in a row. From mince to lamb chops and chicken breast, Aldi has shown it really knows what it’s doing, receiving excellent scores from the best in the business – Aussies themselves.

The yearly Canstar Blue review surveyed over 2,000 Australian adults to find out which supermarket product they had purchased in the past four weeks. They then rated the meat, giving it a score from 0 to 10 for overall satisfaction, while also providing feedback on freshness, taste and value for money.

A total of 16 different meat categories were put to the test, covering beef, chicken, lamb and pork, with Coles, Woolies and Aldi featuring in most, while IGA was only included in some. “The quality and price of meat products in store plays a significant role in where many Aussies choose to do their supermarket shopping,” Head of Canstar Blue Megan Doyle explained.

“But it’s also an area where consumers will cut back if they need to save money, so they’ll want to know that they’re getting the best they can for they can afford.” In the beef category, Aldi received the prize for its sausages, mince and steak with customers ranking it highly for its taste and value for money.

However, Coles beat them with its roast and Aussies couldn’t go past Woolworths’ burgers. If you’re looking for a good piece of chicken, Aldi is also the place to go, wiping the other supermarkets out of the competition and receiving first place in chicken breast, mince, wings and drumsticks.

While barbecues are much loved by Aussie families, so is a good lamb roast, and Aldi is apparently also the place to shop for this piece of meat. And while you’re there, you might as well grab some lamb chops because Aldi received high praise for the delicious meat, with Canstar Blue describing it as the “clear winner”. Last but certainly not least, was pork and Aldi was again crowned the favourite place to shop for sausages, mince and roast. However, the German store couldn’t quite get over the line for chops, with Coles taking home that win.

Speaking about the results, Doyle claimed although there was some tough competition in a few categories, customers ultimately couldn’t go past their favourite store Aldi. “While Coles and Woolworths have performed well in some areas, Aldi’s dominance in these rating is clear,” she explained. “The trend is that consumers who buy their meat products at Aldi generally believe they’re getting bang for their buck.”

The release of the “meat wars” results comes just months after Aldi took home the Canstar Blue rating for customer satisfaction – it’s seventh win in nine years. Beating IGA, Coles, Woolworths and Foodland to the top spot, the retailer matched or beat the others in food quality and value for money.

It fell short when it came to customer service however, with just three out of five stars – but Coles and Woolworths failed to beat it there either, as IGA got the best score in that category. “Coles and Woolworths have made their respective ‘Down Down’ and ‘Cheap Cheap’ slogans far less prominent in recent years, while ALDI continues to differentiate itself on price, but at the same time promotes its products as being ‘good different’,” Canstar said in a statement.

Almost 3,000 shoppers were asked about their experiences of buying groceries from their local store of choice in the survey, with the feedback forming the final ratings. IGA took the second spot behind Aldi, with Coles coming in third ahead of Woolies, and Foodland taking fifth spot.

Meanwhile, Aldi reigned supreme in the supermarket meat wars last year too and beat out major rivals Coles and Woolworths to win the top customer satisfaction rating in another Canstar Blue survey. The major chain topped 2018’s Supermarket Meat Awards, thrashing competitors across all four meat categories: beef, pork, chicken and lamb. Measuring overall satisfactions, as well as freshness, taste and value for money, the 2,273 Australians surveyed undeniably showed their support for the store.