Product of the Year has announced its 2019 winners with Coles scooping 11 awards, Metcash taking 10 and ALDI an impressive 9 awards.
Mars Foods had three wins and fellow newcomers to the awards, Freedom Foods, secured two wins.
The awards recognise product innovation with Palmolive, Heinz, Baileys and Lacura Skincare among some of the other worthy winners.
Diageo and Australia’s Podpac were awarded for their world-first Australian innovation licensing partnership, Baileys Nespresso compatible Premium Coffee Pods.
The products span across 50 categories including house and home; skincare, hair and beauty; home cooking and pantry; snacks and entertaining; kids; indulgence; healthy options and gluten free; and everyday staples
Now in its tenth year in Australia, the awards saw over 14,000 Australian consumers vote for their favourite products.
Out of a total of 50 wins, ten went to new products offering healthy and allergy free alternatives to everyday food and beverage items, responding to rising consumer demands for health conscious and dietary specific foods.
The gluten free category has grown in popularity with two categories being created this year for general and kid friendly specific products.
Product of the Year Director, Sarah Connelly said: “I’m thrilled at the increase in innovative healthy option products that are being made available on shelf and being entered into the Awards. It’s a trend that we’ve not seen much of before in the history of the Awards and it signals increasing consumer demand for manufacturers to innovate in these areas. These options are becoming far more mainstream and more affordable than they have ever been before.”
“A category that we have seen consistent growth in each year is ‘convenience foods’ but this year we are seeing more vegetarian easy-option foods, which simply haven’t been available before. It’s wonderful to see these dietary requirements being met by brands, showcasing their leadership in this space,” Connelly added.
The new Heinz pasta sauce range came out on top in the pasta and cooking sauce category, recognised for its thick and rich sauce varieties.
Bruno Lino, CEO for Kraft Heinz Australia said the brand leveraged its long-standing expertise in sauces to deliver a range of tasty and flavoursome pasta sauces.
“We’ve had a love affair with tomatoes for over 100 years, so when we created our first ever pasta sauce, we put all of our experience, knowledge and passion into the recipe. The result was a rich, thick and most importantly, a delicious pasta sauce range,” Lino said.
The consumer survey by Nielsen revealed that over half of consumers have tried four or more new brands in the past year. Woolworths stands out against competitors for their range of organic, healthy and fresh products, while Coles is associated with having better deals/promotions than other supermarkets.
Nielsen also found that the most important factors for customers when choosing a supermarket is the range of available products, the location of the store and the deals available.
