An $8.50 dinner staple wins big in the Product of the Year Awards 2026

The results of the Product of the Year Awards 2026 have been announced, with Coles and Woolworths home brands dominating all grocery categories.

Product of the Year is the world's largest consumer-based awards program, now in its 17^th year in Australia. More than 5000 Australian shoppers have voted for their favourite supermarket products via NielsenIQ survey.

The major supermarkets competed with national brands to take out 27 of the top spots.

Aldi and Kmart didn't submit any products for this year's awards, which included food items, vitamins, cleaning products, beds and mattresses.

Coles home brands won in 16 food categories and Woolworths took out the top spot for 10 of their grocery items.

The awards also saw first-time winners in 2026, including Made Group Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scholl, Rokeby Nutrition, Flora Food Group, and Bespoke Foods.

Coles Asian Fried Shallots were named Product of the Year in the Asian category and retails for $2.80.

READ MORE: The one question hanging over Aldi's 'Special Buys'

READ MORE: Meghan makes rare comment about daughter Lili's future

READ MORE: Prince Prince

Coles popular Coles Made With KitKat Cake won the top spot in the Bakery Cakes. This 1.25kg decadent dessert will set you back $35.

Coles also landed in top spot for Coles Finest Granola Honey Roasted with Nut in the Breakfast category and costs $8.50 for 500g.

Coles Special Herb Mayo was voted the best of the condiments and is just $3.50.

Coles Finest Chilli Cheddar Cheese Slices took out top spot in Dairy and is $6 for 160g.

A number of Coles frozen desserts also took out top spots, including Coles Finest French Lemon Meringue Tart 2 pack for Sweets Frozen Desserts. These are on special this week for $7 and normally cost $8.

Coles Strawberry & Chocolate Milkshake Pops and Coles Finest Mango Sorbet also took out top spots, selling for $5 and $7 respectively.

Coles Finest Frozen Potatoes with Herb Butter was voted the best frozen potato product and costs $5.

Coles' Made Easy Slow Cooked Pork Belly Bites in BBQ Honey won for Best Ready Meal Fresh and cost $15 for a 500g pack.

Coles Finest Potato Gnocchi with Cacio e Pepe Sauce took out top spot for Best Ready Meal Frozen and costs $9 for a 400g pack.

Woolworths took out the top spot for Bake At Home Snack Apple Pies which are priced at $3.50 for a pack of four.

Woolworths Indulgent Hot Cross Buns Filled with Cinnabon won in the Bakery Snacking category and Woolworths Apple Slice Cookies was voted best Biscuit Snacking and are $6 for a 225g pack.

Woolworths Belgian Dark Chocolate with Himalayan Salt was named best Confectionary Chocolate and are priced at $4 each.

Best Entertaining Savoury product is Woolworths Chicken Parmi Balls and cost $5.80 for a 240g pack.

Woolworths Smash Beef Burgers took out top spot for Fresh Meat Burgers and costs $8.50 for a pack of six – a dinner staple for many families.

Sarah Connelly, from Product of the Year said in a statement: "Of the 40 winning products in the 2026 Product of the Year Awards, 27 were innovative products from Coles and Woolworths.

"Last year, home brands claimed 55 per cent of the winning categories, while this year that figure has jumped to 68 per cent, showing us that investments in innovation from private labels are continuing to resonate with shoppers."

Connelly told nine.com.au the level of investment from retailers "to try and break into a number of new categories in the supermarket is extraordinary".

"They're branching out and going into all kinds of categories that they haven't been in before," she added,

"But I think the most important thing is the quality of the private (home brand) label has just improved so dramatically in the last five years that they're starting to make real inroads across a whole range of categories.

"We need to be able to afford things but at the same time, we don't want to have poor quality.

"It just speaks to the retailers recognising that they have the capacity to really innovate and start producing manufacturing products for an affordable price that fit under their appealing brands that they've created."

A total of 5,000 Aussie shoppers voted in the Product of the Year Awards 2026, judging items based on relevance, uniqueness, excitement, likeability, distinctiveness and innovation. Prices were also shared with voters.

Over half of consumers said they now trust supermarket home brands as much as, or more than, national brands, with Choice data reporting Aussie shoppers can save up to 42 per cent by choosing supermarket home brands.

READ MORE: Our honest thoughts on Apple's $429 AirPods

Choice Editorial Director, Mark Serrels, told nine.com.au: "While we know people typically buy a mix of branded and home-brand products at the supermarket – you might be a dedicated Weetbix fan, but have no issue buying a pack of home-brand pasta – we often get asked how much money you can save by buying exclusively the cheapest products."

When Aldi items were compared with Coles and Woolworths home brands in a recent supermarket comparison, Serrels said they "tend to be a bit more competitively priced between the big three".

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.