Aldi has once again come out on top as the supermarket with the cheapest groceries, according to a new comparison of a basket of products.
Consumer group Choice found a basket of 20 items cost $72.41 at Aldi, $98.98 at Woolworths, $100.04 at Coles and $109.25 at IGA, excluding specials.
This represented "quite a significant gap" between Aldi and the second-cheapest store, Woolworths, Choice editorial director Mark Serrels said.
The quarterly government-backed supermarket survey focused its latest report on entertaining essentials ahead of Christmas in addition to grocery staples.
The basket contained items like milk, Weetbix, dried apples, carrots, bananas, chicken breast fillets, cherry tomatoes, bagged mixed salad, salted peanuts, plus other products for a festive gathering such as mineral water, crackers, camembert, stuffed olives and more.
When comparing seven items of basics, including apples, bananas, strawberries, carrots, Weetbix, milk, and chicken breast fillets, and excluding specials, Aldi remained the cheapest at $31.41, followed by Woolworths at $32.20, Coles at $33.16, and IGA at $39.20.
Aldi has once again been found to contain the cheapest groceries in Australia, according to the latest supermarket survey by Choice. Source: AAP / Joel Carrett
It's not entirely a like-for-like comparison, with Choice saying that in order to compare the same products as often as it could, the baskets from Coles, Woolworths and IGA contained more name-brand products than the Aldi basket.
"Buying more home-brand products from these supermarkets would bring the cost down, but we also know that shoppers often choose national-brand products when entertaining," Choice said.
Where can you get the freshest lettuce?
To determine which supermarket had the freshest produce, the group also compared the freshness of mixed lettuce two days after buying across all four supermarkets.
Choice said it can't answer the question for every item, but looked at lettuce because it shows signs of decay quickly.
Coles came out on top, with 77 per cent of its mystery shoppers saying its lettuce leaves were fresh after two days. Woolworths, IGA and Aldi followed respectively.
"In this survey, there was some evidence of decay in the mixed lettuce purchased at all supermarkets, but Coles ultimately received the highest score for freshness," Serrels said.
Choice advised shoppers hoping to reduce their costs to shop around, check unit pricing, and opt for cheaper alternatives like meat cuts, frozen fruit and vegetables, and "imperfect" ranges.
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