Canstar Blue’s first-ever review of organic food products compared and rated Just Organic (ALDI), Coles Organic, My Organics and Macro Organic on taste, quality, freshness of produce, ingredients, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
ALDI’s Just Organic range was rated to have the best organic food products for quality, freshness of produce, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction.
Consumer demand for organic products and the subsequent rise of organic farming means that Aussies are now more spoilt for choice when buying foods free from chemicals and genetically modified components. Our latest survey found that 41% of consumers try to buy organic products where possible, and the same portion (41%) also believe organic products are of better quality. Both health food stores and supermarkets boast organic aisles abundant with products and brands claiming to be good for your health and the planet, but how do you know which to trust and which to toss?
To offer some guidance, Canstar Blue surveyed nearly 900 consumers for their feedback – good or bad − on the organic food products they’ve bought (and consumed) in the last 12 months, including items purchased from a supermarket or specialty health food store. Brands were compared and rated on taste, quality, freshness of produce, ingredients, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those that received the minimum required survey sample size of 30 responses are included in our results.
Just Organic (ALDI) was rated the best organic food brand with a five-star review for overall satisfaction and in the majority of categories.
Here are the best brands of organic food products in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s inaugural review:
Just Organic (ALDI) topped our ratings of organic food brands, achieving five-star reviews for quality, freshness of produce, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Runner-up Coles Organic scored the only top marks for ingredients, and five stars for packaging and quality, alongside Macro Organic. My Organic got the only five-star review for taste.
ALDI’s Just Organic products offer a good bang for buck on organic products. All foods within the range are made without the use of chemicals or additives, according to the discount supermarket. ALDI’s organic range includes everything from pantry staples like cooking oils, dried pasta, and tea (and chocolate), to fresh products like butter, eggs, yoghurt, and milk. There’s also an organic brie for $3.99 (125g) and organic granola for $4.49 (500g).
Organic food refers to agricultural products that are farmed, grown and processed without using fertilisers, pesticides, synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This may encompass meat, fresh produce and food products like honey, coffee, eggs and dairy, to name a few examples. Organic farming is considered a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way of farming that uses crop rotation, organic manures, hand weeding and biological pest control to grow, and produce food.
Most organic food products display a symbol, logo, or trademark on their packaging to show that they are certified organic. This stamp of approval is provided by various private bodies (not the Australian Government), which means minimum standards required for certification may vary. This is because there are no mandatory requirements for organic products sold in Australia to be certified in order to be labelled ‘organic’, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). However, many organic businesses and farmers voluntarily choose to become certified by an organic certification body like the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, to support their organic labelling claims and promote consumer confidence. The ACCC states that all organic claims should be able to be substantiated, whether they display an organic tick of approval or not.
A third of consumers we surveyed (31%) believe that organic products are worth the extra cost, perhaps because organic food is widely accepted as a better alternative for both our health and the environment. There’s a lot of research out there that points to the fact that organic produce is more nutrient-rich and has higher levels of antioxidants than conventional produce, and it seems that nearly half of Aussies agree (48%), and believe organic products are better for their health.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased organic food products in the last 12 months (note: this includes items purchased from a supermarket or specialty health food store, and does not include non-food items) – in this case, 875 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
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