McCain vs Wattie's:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Wattie's had more branded searches than McCain among frozen food brands in New Zealand. Wattie's had about 3,100 branded searches, while McCain had 940. Wattie's made up 29.6% of all frozen food brand searches we track, and McCain accounted for 9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about frozen food brands, McCain appeared in four of the five answers and Wattie's in three. Wattie's was mentioned before McCain in two out of three answers.
Who do people search for more?
Wattie's, about 3 searches for every 1 for McCain
Who does AI mention more?
McCain, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Wattie's in 3
Who does AI recommend more?
Wattie's, named ahead of McCain in 2 of 3 answers
Follow McCain vs Wattie's and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top frozen food brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, McCain was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Wattie's was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Wattie's was listed before McCain in two out of three answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Wattie's1st
- McCain2nd
Birds Eye3rd
Tegel4th
Talley's5th
LeaderBrand–- Oob Organic–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- McCain4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Wattie's3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Tegel2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Talley's1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Birds Eye1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- LeaderBrand0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Oob Organic0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about frozen food brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which frozen food brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best frozen food brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best frozen food brand in New Zealand for easy dinners?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“frozen food nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best frozen meals”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.
Is McCain or Wattie's more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for McCain and Wattie's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven frozen food brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Wattie's, McCain. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Wattie's | Tegel | Talley's | LeaderBrand | McCain | Birds Eye | Oob Organic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 28.6% | 21.7% | 27.1% | 9% | 7.6% | 4.3% | 1.7% |
| Nov 2025 | 29.1% | 22.3% | 17.9% | 12.9% | 9% | 5.9% | 2.9% |
| Dec 2025 | 23.4% | 24.8% | 19.9% | 12.4% | 8.7% | 4.8% | 6% |
| Jan 2026 | 29.6% | 22% | 14.8% | 11.6% | 9.1% | 5% | 7.8% |
| Feb 2026 | 29.7% | 22.8% | 18.3% | 9.9% | 9.2% | 5% | 5% |
| Mar 2026 | 67.2% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 3.2% | 12.6% | 2% | 1.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 35.6% | 20.6% | 16.7% | 8.9% | 10.4% | 4.6% | 3.2% |
| May 2026 | 34.9% | 20.5% | 17.3% | 9% | 11.7% | 4.7% | 1.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 28.7% | 23.8% | 19.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% | 6.1% | 2.2% |
| Jul 2026 | 29.9% | 23.6% | 16.1% | 8.9% | 12.8% | 6.5% | 2.3% |
| Aug 2026 | 34.5% | 24.9% | 14% | 10.9% | 9.3% | 5.7% | 0.77% |
| Sep 2026 | 29.6% | 27.7% | 15.6% | 11.5% | 9% | 5.6% | 1.1% |
How has the McCain and Wattie's comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Wattie's was ahead of McCain in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McCain’s share of searches among frozen food brands in New Zealand moved from 7.6% to 9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 940.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wattie's’ share of searches among frozen food brands in New Zealand moved from 28.6% to 29.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.8K to 3.1K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand frozen food brands in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Wattie's lost share of searches among frozen food brands in New Zealand, from 34.5% to 29.6%.
How are branded searches counted?
19 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McCain’s and Wattie's’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
McCain
5 branded search terms
- mccain
- mccain chips
- mccain fries
- mccain frozen
- mccain frozen vegetables
Wattie's
14 branded search terms
- chilli beans watties
- wattie s
- wattie's
- watties
- watties beans
- watties beetroot
- watties big eat
- watties chilli beans
- watties ketchup
- watties mexican beans
- watties spaghetti
- watties tomato
- watties tomato paste
- watties tomato puree
Other head-to-heads among frozen food brands
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.