One of Australia's leading consumer product surveys, Product of the Year, today released its third annual survey results for innovative new products in the Australian supermarket retail industry. Product of the Year was established 25 years ago in France and currently operates in 28 countries worldwide.

For a product to be eligible for the survey, each product must be one that has launched 18 months before the survey and a proven established product in the relevant market. Seven thousand Australian household shoppers were surveyed to find the "most innovative new products to hit supermarket shelves in recent times". Product of the Year Category 'Winners' in the six food categories for 2012 were:

  • Fresh Food: Coles Grill Range
  • Frozen Savoury foods: McCain Sweet Potato Fries
  • Beverages: V8 Smoothies
  • Packed Foods: Be natural Cereals
  • Savoury Snacks: Woolworths Select Deli Style Chips 185g
  • Sweet Snacks: Tim Tam Dark Chocolate Mint and Dark Chocolate Rum and Raisin

The two private label products in the Fresh food category and the Savoury snack category respectively are indicative of the growth of private label marketing. Commenting on the survey results, Product of the Year's Sarah Connelly said, "Consumers are looking for good value, with supermarket home brands scoring two awards this year. A number of category winners are not the cheapest options, but clearly consumers think they are worth paying a little bit extra for".