The "best" lamb is subjective but often refers to premium grass-fed lamb from New Zealand (known for tenderness) or specially bred Australian lamb like Margra Lamb (focused on chef-driven flavor/marbling), with unique regional varieties like France's Agneau Prés-salés (salt marsh-grazed) and Greece's Arnaki Elassonas also highly acclaimed for distinct tastes. The ideal lamb depends on preference for richness, leanness, or unique terroir flavors, with new ultra-premium, high-marbling Australian options emerging.
Consequently, New Zealand lamb is generally better than Australian lamb, but this is a generalization because there are Merinos in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island high country, and there are sheep breeds other than Merino in Australia.
American Lamb:
This breed is the largest in size and many say is the highest in quality and consistency. American lamb has grain in its diet and thus tastes less “gamey” compared to imported lamb which is typically grass fed. It is also the most expensive available.
US does some lamb, but generally higher quality (so higher $$). Australia and NZ are the leaders in volume. If you're familiar with Australia, they got a looooot of cattle grazing land, and NZ is practically made for sheep herding. You may have seen the memes, but NZ has something like six times more sheep than people.
British lamb, when purchased locally, is typically much fresher. This translates to a superior taste and texture. New Zealand lamb, due to its long journey, is often frozen, which can affect its quality. The British climate, with its lush pastures, contributes to the distinctive flavor of British lamb.
“The blunt commercial reality is that New Zealand lamb is cheaper to source, and therefore cheaper to sell, than British lamb.
Known as the crème de la crème of red meat, New Zealand dominates the industry. The combination of New Zealand's passion for farming, the varied climate, and lush pastures make for the very best beef in the world.
According to recent 2025 customer satisfaction surveys (Canstar Blue), ALDI is often rated Australia's best supermarket for overall meat quality, winning top spots for Chicken, Lamb, Fish, and Seafood, while Costco excels in Beef and Pork, offering great value across categories. Coles and Woolworths also have quality options, especially with specific brands or cuts, but Aldi and Costco frequently lead for customer satisfaction and value.
All our Coles Own Brand fresh lamb is 100% Australian. GRAZE; our specialty lamb range, is 100% Australian, grass-fed and has no added hormones. Growers adhere to high standards where sheep are free to roam and are not fed grain at all.
New Zealand lamb is naturally packed with goodness. Those perfect growing conditions result in a product which is deliciously tender, succulent, and naturally lean. Being free-range, grass-fed and free of additives and hormones guarantees that the Maimoa lamb you pick will be stacked with flavour.
The most unhealthy meats are processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, salami, deli meats) due to high salt, fat, and preservatives (nitrates/nitrites) linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; followed by fatty red meats (beef, lamb, pork) and charred/burnt meats cooked at high temperatures, which form carcinogens; while even poultry becomes unhealthy with skin, heavy breading, and high sodium.
Lamb is full of essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, iron and zinc. It was also found that lamb has more omega-3 fatty acids compared with other meats such as beef. You are probably aware that omega-3 promotes joint, heart and brain health, but did you know it can also help you sleep better?
From pasture to pallet: Costco's lamb has a passport
Take Swift, for example. This meatpacking heavyweight, with roots stretching back to the 1800s, supplies lamb raised on open Australian pastures under carefully regulated welfare standards.
High-quality Australian beef has a long history, for over 200 years it has been an important part of Australian culture and heritage. Australian beef is known for its high quality and is considered the best in the world.
Grass-fed lamb has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to reduce inflammation and reduce risk of a cardiovascular disease. disease. Additionally, the CLA found in grass-fed lamb has been shown to reduce body fat and improve lean muscle mass.
Price increases to continue
Australia's sheep flock is shrinking, with numbers expected to stay low until at least 2027. Lamb prices are expected to remain high until the flock recovers from the drought.
Located on their Wiltshire farm, Mark, Alice and their 3 sons AKA, the Blakeney family have been supplying quality, British lamb to Aldi for over 10 years. Their passion and dedication make the difference in our West Country Lamb selection, and they're only just getting started.
China. China leads the world in sheep production for meat, wool, and milk. With approximately 175 million sheep, it has the largest sheep population globally.
Australia's top supermarkets, by market share and preference, are consistently Woolworths and Coles, forming a near duopoly, with ALDI as the strong third player in market share, customer satisfaction (value for money), and number of stores, followed by IGA (Metcash) as the next major competitor. These four dominate the market, with Woolworths and Coles holding the largest portions, while Aldi often leads in customer satisfaction ratings, especially for price.
ALDI's fresh meat in Australia is proudly 100% Australian grown, sourced from top Australian farmers and suppliers like the Bindaree Food Group (Jindurra Station for beef), ensuring local production for beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, meeting high-quality standards like APIQ for pork.
Each week, you'll buy five different vegetables, five fruits, four grains, three proteins, two dairy items, two spreads or condiments, and one fun treat. Different foods offer a variety of vitamins and minerals, so eating a wide range helps you get the nutrients you need.
IGA is consistently ranked as Australia's most expensive supermarket chain, according to regular reports from consumer advocacy group CHOICE (Source 3, 4, 7, 8, 11). While Aldi is usually the cheapest, IGA's basket of common goods often costs significantly more than Coles and Woolworths, particularly for shoppers in regional areas where it's often the only option.
From the classic Big Mac® to the Serious Beef, enjoy a burger made with 100% New Zealand beef for the juiciest, freshest flavours.
Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 4 hours or more must be thrown away. The time between 5oC and 60oC is cumulative— that means you need to add up every time the food has been out of the fridge, including during preparation, storage, transport and display.
The most consumed meat in Australia is overwhelmingly chicken, making up nearly half of all meat eaten, with Australians consuming around 48-50kg per person annually due to its affordability, versatility, and convenience compared to beef, lamb, and pork, whose consumption has declined relatively.