The six-ingredient sliced bread triggering a massive shakeup in Aussie supermarkets
Updated . First published at
Sliced bread is one of the single most consistent, high-volume sellers in Australian supermarkets, right alongside milk, eggs, and fresh fruit. But with as many as 12 different brands in your average supermarket, which is best?
There isn’t a simple answer – some would say it’s the sliced bread with the healthiest ingredients and the least artificial ones, while many parents would say it is whichever one their kids are happy to eat.
A major disrupter has appeared in the supermarket sliced bread aisle. Jo Abi
Now, a new supermarket sliced bread is forcing a complete rethink of the everyday staple – and it appears to be flying off shelves.
Meet ‘Just’ bread
Just bread is made by Goodman Fielder, the parent brand of Helga’s, Wonder, Mighty Soft, Buttercup, Vogel’s, Molenberg, and La Famiglia.
Just bread appears to be flying off the shelves. Jo Abi
It’s reasonably affordable at $4, and comes in white and wholemeal and boasts six ingredients: Baker’s flour (wheat flour, vitamins), water, yeast, canola oil, vinegar, and iodised salt, with no artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives.
By comparison, two of the most popular supermarket sliced breads have at least double the number of ingredients.
So is Just bread as healthy as it appears to be?
The expert verdict
She described Just bread as ‘definitely better than some of the others that are being offered’. Jo Abi
Paediatric nutritionist Mandy Sacher told nine.com.au Just bread is “definitely better than some of the others that are being offered”, but it could go further.
Sacher said if this bread had been around when she was working in the childcare space as Australia’s first chief nutrition officer, she would have been encouraging childcare centres to purchase it.
“It’s the right budget, and it does have a short ingredient list. So that is a pro,” she said.
“The only thing they could have done better is they have used canola oil, which is an industrial seed oil. It undergoes a lot of different processing steps.”
That being said, canola oil is commonly used in supermarket sliced breads, including the two most popular brands.
Canola oil is commonly used in supermarket sliced breads, including the two most popular brands. Jo Abi
“What we do like to see, especially when it comes to bread which is a staple for a lot of people, we want to see a good quality fat in there,” Sacher said.
She explained not all canola oils are created equal, with non-genetically modified (GMO) canola oils being the top tier.
“Don’t get me wrong, and I really want to be on the record saying this, I applaud Just bread for trying to do better ... you can see the intention here,” she added.
Her top picks when it comes to supermarket breads is Bill’s Organic Sourdough, and the Edwards Sourdough range, but these are much pricier and not everyone is a fan of sourdough bread, particularly children.
Nine.com.au asked Just if the canola oil used in their product is higher-quality GMO or cold-pressed.
“Just uses canola oil, which is commonly used in baking for its neutral taste and performance,” Nikoleta Kastanias, Head of Portfolio – Everyday Baking, at Goodman Fielder, responded.
She said Just bread was developed “in response to growing demand with Aussie shoppers looking for simpler, affordable options that deliver on taste and quality”.
“The name ‘Just’ reflects the core idea behind the product – just the simple, quality ingredients needed to make a great loaf of bread.”
Sliced bread is one of the biggest supermarket sellers across the country. Jo Abi
When asked if the product has a shorter shelf life due to the absence of artificial preservatives, Kastanias said: “Just is designed to deliver freshness and quality in line with everyday bread expectations.
“It can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place, like other packaged loaves, freezing it is also a great option,” she added.
“Delivering a product that balances quality, simplicity and affordability was central to the not only developing the products, but in driving value for money for shoppers.
“We believe this has been key to the strong uptake of Just products so far.”
What is Australia’s favourite sliced bread?
Earlier this year, before the launch of Just bread, Aussie shoppers voted a $3 sliced bread as their favourite supermarket option.
Coles Bakery won Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award for White Bread earlier this year. Nine
Coles Bakery won Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award for White Bread, with Aussie shoppers giving it the highest rating across seven categories.
Consumers gave the range a full five stars in overall satisfaction, freshness, value for money, and variety.
It fell just one star short of five stars for texture and taste, scoring four stars for each of these, and only three stars for packaging.
Helgas, Aldi Bakers Life, and Tip Top, each scored four stars in Canstar’s 2024 Most Satisfied Customers Award for White Bread, just behind Coles.
Wonder, Woolworths and other Coles brands scored just three stars in the White Bread category.
Aldi sliced bread products also made it onto the list. Nine
Coles also won Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award for Wholemeal Bread, which comes in sandwich loaf, high fibre wholemeal and country loaf wholemeal.
Aldi also scored five stars in the Wholemeal Bread category.
Helga’s and Wonder each scored four stars, and Tip Top and Woolworths were give three stars each for their wholemeal range.
It remains to be seen if Just can challenge Australia’s favourite supermarket sliced breads.
