Ever wondered which Australian supermarket has the cheapest bakery and deli items? SplitCart compares prices at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, and IGA so you can quickly see where bread, pastries, cheese, and cured meats cost less today. Add your items once, include substitutes, and SplitCart automatically finds the cheapest way to complete your shop.
65% of Deli tested was cheaper at Coles than Iga.
278 common products compared
60% of Deli tested was cheaper at Woolworths than Coles.
243 common products compared
75% of Deli tested was cheaper at Woolworths than Iga.
280 common products compared
77% of Bakery tested was cheaper at Coles than Iga.
234 common products compared
60% of Bakery tested was cheaper at Woolworths than Coles.
183 common products compared
80% of Bakery tested was cheaper at Woolworths than Iga.
211 common products compared
While specific times vary by store manager, most Australian supermarkets begin their bakery markdowns after 4:00 PM, with the steepest discounts (often up to 80%) occurring one hour before closing. Supermarkets are not legally required to discard bread daily, but they do so to maintain a 'fresh daily' standard.
Yes, it is completely legal. According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), there is no law forcing bakeries to bin bread at the end of the day unless it violates the '4-hour rule' for hazardous ingredients like meat or cream. If a bakery sells you a day-old baguette, they are complying with the law, provided it is not mouldy.
Each major retailer handles bakery waste differently. Woolworths partners with OzHarvest, while Coles utilizes SecondBite to redistribute unsold bread to community programs. Aldi's tighter supply chain results in less surplus, but they also partner with food relief agencies.
Baking your own bread is often 40–70% cheaper than buying a loaf at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, or IGA. A homemade loaf made from flour, yeast, salt, and water usually costs $1–$2, while supermarket loaves range from $3–$7+ depending on the brand and style. If you bake regularly or buy flour in bulk, the cost per loaf drops even further.
Our price comparisons are based on all products shared by two companies in our system for a category. This 'product overlap' is why you'll sometimes see more items compared between companies like Coles and Woolworths then stores that have a more unique range, such as IGA or Aldi. Sometimes the range is so unique for a category that there is not enough product overlap to do a fair comparison. In such a case, we will omit the results entirely. Aldi, Coles and Woolworths generally have nationally consistant pricing but for IGA prices differ store to store, therefor we take the average price for IGA stores.
