Supermarket Christmas Awards 2022

Fact Checked

Christmas is an important time of the year for the supermarkets, but it’s an even more important time for Australian consumers who want the best food for their festive feasts.

That’s why Canstar Blue produces an annual review of supermarket Christmas food products, inviting more shoppers to report their satisfaction with the leg ham, turkey, Christmas pudding, pavlova, and fruit mince pies they purchased in the lead-up to the big day.

“The festive season is an important time for most Aussie families and people of all faiths and convictions, so these ratings are about finding out which supermarket got it right for Christmas,” said Canstar Blue Site Editor, Dean Heckscher.

“While the Christmas food shop includes so many different items – and people will have their own preferences – we wanted to focus specifically on the products that really make an Aussie Christmas, and allow consumers to reflect on the value they got from their purchases. It may help them make a better decision on where to spend their festive dollar next year.”

The supermarket with the highest satisfaction score in each category takes out the award. In our fifth year of rating Christmas supermarket products, this is what we found.

How we rate supermarket Christmas foods

Our review compares supermarket Christmas foods on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which supermarket Christmas foods they think is best!

Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.

Leg Ham Award Winner – Woolworths

Woolworths brought home the bacon with a win for Christmas Leg Ham. The supermarket scored five stars for taste, freshness and overall satisfaction, but finished on four stars for value for money. Coles and IGA received four stars across the board, sharing the same result for value for money, taste, freshness and overall satisfaction. ALDI enjoyed five stars for value for money, and four stars for taste, freshness and overall satisfaction. Costco and Foodland shared three stars for value for money, taste and overall satisfaction, while Costco earned an additional four stars for freshness, and Foodland earned three. Canstar Blue surveyed 1,019 shoppers to see which supermarket rated best for Christmas leg ham.

Turkey Award Winner – ALDI

ALDI served up a win with five stars for value for money, taste and overall satisfaction, and four stars for freshness. Runner up Woolworths received five stars for taste and freshness, and four stars for value for money and overall satisfaction. Coles was consistent, earning four stars in every category, including value for money, taste, freshness and overall satisfaction. IGA achieved four stars for value for money and overall satisfaction, and three stars for taste and freshness. Foodland enjoyed four stars for value for money and freshness and three stars for taste and overall satisfaction. Finally, Costco rounded up the ratings with three stars for value for money, taste, freshness and overall satisfaction. Canstar Blue surveyed 659 shoppers to see which supermarket rated best for Christmas turkey.

You may also be interested in:

• Supermarket Meat Awards
• Supermarket Satisfaction Ratings
• Online Grocery Shopping Ratings

Christmas Pudding Award Winner – ALDI

ALDI scored a sweet win across the board, earning five stars for its Christmas pud, in categories including value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. Coles achieved four stars for value for money, taste, packaging, overall satisfaction and three stars for freshness. Woolworths scored four stars for value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. Costco and IGA shared three stars for value for money, taste, freshness and overall satisfaction, with Costco receiving and additional three stars for packaging, while IGA received four. Canstar Blue surveyed 756 shoppers to see which supermarket rated best for Christmas pudding.

Pavlova Base Award Winner(s) – Coles & Woolworths

Coles and Woolworths shared a win, rating five stars for value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. ALDI scored a solid four stars in every category, including value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. Costco rounded out the results, earning three stars for value for money, taste, freshness and overall satisfaction and four stars for packaging. Canstar Blue surveyed 650 shoppers to see which supermarket rated best for pavlova bases.

Fruit Mince Pies Award Winner – ALDI

ALDI received five stars for value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. Coles and Woolworths shared four stars for value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. IGA rounded out the scores with three stars for value for money, taste, freshness, packaging and overall satisfaction. Canstar Blue surveyed 783 shoppers to see which supermarket rated best for fruit mince pies.

How Aussies prepare for Christmas

Whether it’s turkey, leg ham, or fruit mince pies – it seems that picking the right food is important to Aussies at Christmas, especially seeing as nearly half of respondents (49%) celebrate with their immediate families, while a third (31%) like to pass around the Christmas feast honour, by taking turns to host.

In preparation for the big day, nearly half of people surveyed (42%) said they preferred to buy the food last minute to ensure freshness, and a handful more (49%) said they chose fresh, seasonal food for optimum quality. Although it seems we can get a bit too overzealous when it comes to packing the trolley, with quite a few (43%) admitting they buy more than they need. It is interesting to note that those with lots of leftovers, do try to keep the Christmas spirit alive, with over a third (37%) giving it away to family, friends, and those in need.

The most popular time to eat is Christmas Day lunchtime by a mile (70%), followed by dinner (41%), and finally by an early Christmas Eve dinner (31%). When Christmas is over, half of Aussies (50%) like to reuse the leftover food in other meals, showing that we like to keep those festive flavours around for as long as possible.

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About our consumer experts

Dean Heckscher: Site Editor

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.

Meet the Editorial Team

Samantha Howse: Consumer Research Specialist

Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.

Meet the Research Team