Best-Rated Plant-Based Food

See Our Ratings Methodology.

Most Satisfied Customers | Linda McCartney

Aussies have rated Linda McCartney as the top pick in Canstar Blue’s latest plant-based food ratings, with five-star reviews across taste, texture & consistency, packaging convenience and overall satisfaction.  

 

 

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How we rate plant-based foods

Our review compares plant-based food brands 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 plant-based food brand they think is best!


Canstar Blue surveyed 641 Australians for their feedback on plant based (vegan) food products they have purchased and consumed in the last 12 months.

  • The outcomes reported in these ratings are measured via accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics.


Respondents rate their satisfaction with their plant-based food brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
  • Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a plant-based food brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria.
  • Value for money: the cost was reasonable for the quality and quantity of the plant-based food.
  • Taste: the product tasted authentic given the ingredients and flavour description on the packet.
  • Packaging convenience: the product packaging kept the food fresh, provided storage options (i.e. a resealable tab) and provided sufficient information/instructions.
  • Texture & consistency : the product had the desired/expected texture and consistency for the food and flavour description (i.e. a vegan replacement for fish had a similar texture to the meat it was designed to replicate.).
  • Variety & range: the brand of plant-based food offered a variety of products to choose from.

The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.

  • Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
  • When we cannot determine a clear winner from the criteria for the Overall satisfaction rating, we will then look at the other criteria measured in the rating.
    • The brand with the highest number of five-star ratings within the supporting criteria will become the five-star recipient in overall satisfaction, and thus win the award. If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared.

Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.

  • Linda McCartney
  • Vegie Delights
  • Plantitude
  • Bio Cheese

Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.


Top Plant-Based Food Brand – Linda McCartney’s

linda-mccartneys-2-vegan-cheese-1-4-lb-burgers-227g-pacshot

Linda McCartney Foods’ story centres around kindness and creating food alternatives that turn away from animal cruelty. The brand was founded in the 90’s by Linda McCartney and has grown to become a popular choice for meat alternative or vegan foods. Many of its products include vegan cheese, sausage rolls, katsu chicken bites and more across the frozen, chilled and vegan range, and are available at major supermarkets and grocers.   

  • Linda McCartney received five stars in overall satisfaction, taste, packaging convenience and texture & consistency, with four stars for value for money and variety & range. 

What is plant-based food?

A plant-based diet involves avoiding consuming foods and drinks that contain animal products. This includes avoiding any meat, poultry, wild game and seafood, and in some instances eggs, dairy and even honey. Instead, people who follow a plant-based diet, like vegans and vegetarians, tend to stick to eating vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, grains and protein substitutes including tofu, tempeh, seitan and ‘faux meat’. While most plant-based foods are considered healthy, remember that many are processed to look and taste like real meat and therefore can contain more refined ingredients, including grains, vegetable oils and sugar.

Is plant-based food healthy?

Following a plant-based diet is said to have various health benefits, including reducing chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and certain types of cancers, according to government health information. Many people also like to consume vegan-friendly products for environmental and ethical reasons.

About our consumer experts


kate-king-Canstar-150-150.png

Kate King: Home & Lifestyle Content Producer

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Producer Kate King. Kate holds a Bachelor of Creative Industries from QUT majoring in Journalism and Media and Communications, and has written for a number of publications over the past five years.

 

Meet the Editorial Team

 

Samantha Howse: Consumer Research Specialist

Sam Howse 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

Past ratings

Here are the past winners from Canstar Blue’s plant-based food ratings:

  • 2022: Veganz
  • 2021: Gardein

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