Fact Checked

How we rate frozen vegetables

Getting your five servings of greens per day isn’t always practical. That’s where frozen veggies can step in and ‘green up’ your plate. However, you don’t always get what you hoped (or paid) for when you buy snap-frozen produce, especially if you get more air than greens in your packet, or if the peas outnumber the corn 10 to one (sigh). With so much variety in the freezers, it’s hard to know which brands to trust and try. Canstar Blue compares the most popular frozen vegetable brands in the freezer section to find the greens to make you grin.

How many Australians do we survey for our ratings?

Canstar Blue surveyed 1,634 Australians for their feedback on the frozen vegetables they’ve purchased and consumed in the last six months. Note: this includes frozen vegetables purchased from a supermarket or grocer.

• The outcomes reported in these ratings are measured via accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics.

What criteria are used to rate frozen vegetables?

Respondents rate their satisfaction with their frozen vegetable brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:

• Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a frozen vegetable brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria.
• Taste: the frozen vegetables tasted fresh and authentic (i.e. the flavour matched the description and type of vegetables used).
• Variety & range: the frozen vegetables brand offered several products that included different combinations of vegetables, different sizes, and flavours.
• Value for money: the frozen vegetables were reasonably priced given the quality and quantity.
• Packaging convenience: the frozen vegetables brand used packaging that was easy to open, store in the freezer, and maintained optimal freshness.

How do we determine the winner?

The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.

• Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
• When we cannot determine a clear winner from the criteria for the Overall satisfaction rating, we will then look at the other criteria measured in the rating.
  • The brand with the highest number of five-star ratings within the supporting criteria will become the five-star recipient in overall satisfaction, and thus win the award. If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared.

Which frozen vegetable brands do we rate?

Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.

1. Birds Eye
2. McCain
3. ALDI
4. Woolworths
5. Coles

Birds Eye scooped up five stars for taste, variety and range, packaging convenience, and overall satisfaction. Supermarket brand ALDI also scored five stars, earning top marks for value for money.

Find more detailed information on our ratings methodology.

Top Frozen Vegetables Brand – Birds Eye

Having been around since the 1940s, Birds Eye is one of the oldest frozen food producers in Australia, recognisable via the famous tagline ‘Give ‘Em Your Best’. Some Birds Eye vegetables – like the pea range – are sourced locally in Australia, while other products are shipped in from overseas. The frozen food range also includes frozen potato chips, bakes, fish and plant-based meats, but it’s the Birds Eye frozen veggies range that is most extensive, with over 50 product combinations available. Some products include:

• Birds Eye Veggie Rice Carrot, Broccoli & Cauliflower
• Birds Eye Country Harvest Peas, Corn & Capsicum
• Birds Eye Steam Fresh Beans, Broccoli & Sugar Snap Peas
• Birds Eye Stir Fry Carrot, Water Chestnuts, Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas & Red Capsicum

Birds Eye frozen veggies start at $2.90, and can be purchased at most major supermarkets.

• Birds Eye snapped up a win with five stars for taste, variety and range, packaging convenience, and overall satisfaction. It finished on four stars for value for money.

Which frozen vegetables should you buy?

Almost a third of survey respondents (27%) said they buy frozen veggies to save time when cooking. Besides convenience, there are other reasons to buy your veggies from the frozen section. Frozen veggies are harvested and snap frozen at the peak of ripeness. This means that flavours and essential nutrients are better retained and don’t dissipate with time like with other fresh produce. That’s particularly important if you’re buying out-of-season fruits and veg. You can also store frozen vegetables for much longer than fresh greens, which tend to turn mushy pretty quickly. Lastly, frozen veggies tend to be cheaper to buy as there’s less complexity to their supply chain and operation scale. So, buying frozen veggies can save you time, and money and help reduce food waste.

Whether you prefer a vegetable mix option or just greens, you should start by checking the nutritional information panel on the back of your frozen veggies packet. Look for products that are higher in fibre and protein and that are low in sodium, and check whether your frozen produce is non-GMO.

While frozen veggies are typically cheaper than the fresh alternative, you still want to get the best bang for your buck at the checkout. How? With unit pricing. It’s a labelling system that compares the selling price of a product against a standard unit of measurement (i.e. per litre, kilogram, etc.). This allows you to compare prices more accurately, regardless of packaging size or brand.

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Meet our consumer experts

Megan Birot: Home & Lifestyle Editor

Megan is Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Editor, leading the team that focuses on consumer products and services, ranging from supermarkets and groceries to home and personal appliances and retail stores. She interprets Canstar Blue’s bespoke research on the thousands of brands that we compare, rate and review, to help shoppers make better purchasing decisions.

Meet the Editorial Team

Samantha Howse: Consumer Research Specialist

Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.

Meet the Research Team