For the past five years, Aldi has come out on top as the favourite supermarket for fresh produce customer satisfaction. It’s also held the crown for cheaper prices compared to the major supermarkets, but despite cost of living pressures, the budget supermarket chain has been toppled on the produce satisfaction ranking.
IGA has now taken the winning spot, coming out on top in Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award for Supermarket Fruit & Veg. Yet, back in March, Aldi was shown to still be the cheapest place to shop for groceries, with an average basket coming in at $75.98 compared to IGA’s $101.84.
Despite the big difference in basket costs, Canstar’s analysis revealed freshness in produce is actually the main driver of customer satisfaction, still beating out value for money.
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Canstar consumer expert Eden Radford says the survey of more than 2,500 respondents proves that for shoppers, crispness and quality remain non-negotiable – despite prices being top of mind for most.
“The data has also shown that for more than one-fifth of those surveyed, trying to save has meant cutting down on the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables consumed altogether,” Radford said.
Aussies turning to more frozen produce
Those still wanting to keep fresh produce in their baskets while balancing cost and satisfaction amid a period of rising prices are choosing to change their buying habits while in-store.
Nearly half of respondents (42 per cent) say they are choosing to buy only what is affordable rather than what they would like to eat, followed closely behind by 33 per cent of shoppers buying the ‘ugly’ produce that’s marked down.
Buying frozen food was another popular option, which 25 per cent do because it’s cheaper and 23 per cent say it’s to avoid food spoiling.
Choosing frozen over fresh is a way Australians are trying to save money and prevent food spoiling. · Yahoo
More than one-in-ten (12 per cent) shoppers even admitted to reducing the weight of the produce to cut down on cost, such as removing stalks from broccoli, while six per cent admitted to selecting the cheaper option of a more expensive item at self-serve checkouts.
These tactics have been making a difference, with the weekly average spend on fresh fruit and vegetables going from $43 to $32 in the past year, a 26 per cent drop.
“These shifting habits have had an impact, with the average weekly produce spend dropping 26 per cent to $32. Whether it’s adopting new saving tactics or switching supermarkets entirely, this is evidence that Australian households are taking active steps to manage rising grocery costs,” Radford said.
“Canstar’s analysis shows produce freshness is the single biggest driver of customer satisfaction, outranking value for money and sitting far ahead of variety and presentation,” he added.
Shoppers levelling down to save
It’s not just fresh produce some Australians are being forced to be more selective about.
Consumer insights platform Vypr ran an exclusive shopper survey for Yahoo Finance, showing about half of Australians who are attempting to save money on groceries have snacks and confectionery as the first thing to be cut, regardless of the age or gender of the respondents.
Only seven per cent said they would cut fresh produce like fruit, vegetables and meats from their trolley next in order to further reduce grocery spending in the next three months.
Instead of ceasing to buy certain grocery products altogether, the biggest change Australians are making is switching to cheaper alternatives (30 per cent).
Some Australians admit to selecting the cheaper option for expensive items while using self-serve checkouts. · Yahoo
Despite the changes Aussies have been making in the grocery aisles, 32 per cent of respondents say their household’s financial situation is about the same as it was six months ago.
Meanwhile 25.5 per cent say their situation is slightly worse, while 20 per cent say its much worse than it was.
The 45-54 age bracket is feeling it the most, with 28.1 per cent answering ‘much worse’ to the six-month change in their financial situation, while under six per cent of 25-34 year olds felt the same.