Feature

Verdict Store brand. Both products have a distinct orange flavor and are moderately sweet, but our trained tasters reported that the Publix juice
has a bit less of a cooked (or processed) flavor and is slightly less bitter than the Tropicana.

Store brands
vs. name brands
In our latest taste-off, store-brand foods were often at least as good

A
ny smart supermarket shop-
per knows that buying store-
brand products instead of big
names can save big bucks. In
our latest price study (see page 21), filling a
shopping cart with store brands saved us
an average of 30 percent. If you spend $100
a week on groceries, those savings add up
to more than $1,500 a year.
Yet some shoppers are still reluctant to
try store-brand products. The top reasons
from our recent nationally representative
survey: “I prefer name brands,” “The name
brand tastes better,” and “I don’t know
if store brands are as high in quality.”
Respondents 18 to 39 years old were par­
ticularly likely to question the quality of
store brands.
Shoppers are quite leery of some catego-
ries. Although they’ll snap up store-brand
paper goods and plastics, at least half of
our survey respondents rarely or never buy
store-brand wine, pet food, soda, or soup.
That may be especially true when the cate-
gory includes a name-brand superstar such
as Coca-Cola or Campbell’s.
The message from our latest taste-off:
Don’t be reluctant to give any private-label
product a try. In fact, our results may
knock some of those iconic brands off their
pedestals. Albertsons peanut butter was
similar in quality to Skippy; Target’s Mar-
ket Pantry ketchup was as good as Heinz.
Overall, national brands won seven of
the 21 matchups and store brands won
three. For the rest, the store brand and
name brand were of similar quality. A tie
doesn’t mean the taste was identical. Two
products may be equally fresh and flavor-

16 co n sum er r ep o rt s oc to b e r 2 0 1 0
ful, with ingredients of similar quality, flavor) and a bit of bitterness, probably tee if their products don’t meet your ex-
but taste very different because ingredi- from peanut skins. Those flaws were no- pectations. (National brands often give
ents or seasonings differ. A case in point is ticeable even when the peanut butter was unsatisfied buyers coupons, but the pro-
ketchup. In Heinz, the spices stand out; spread on bread. Many chains sell second- cess might take a while.) And there’s
Market Pantry is more tomatoey. tier brands, including A&P (under the plenty of opportunity for reward. “The
Although 17 percent of our survey re- names Savings Plus and Smart Price), secret’s out,” says Lisa Rider, vice president
spondents said that “name-brand foods Safeway (Basic Red), Stop & Shop (Guaran- of retail consulting solutions for Niel­sen,
are more nutritious,” we found nutrition teed Value), and Food Lion (Smart Option). the marketing-information company.“Store
similar for most of the tested products. The Bottom line. Almost any store-brand brands are just as good. Store-brand buy-
most notable differences: Mott’s apple- product is worth a try. There’s little risk: ers are no longer seen as cheapskates but
sauce has more sugar than Publix, Ore-Ida Most grocers offer a money-back guaran- as savvy shoppers.”
fries have more sodium than Jewel, and
Kellogg’s Froot Loops have 3 grams of fiber
vs. 1 gram in Stop & Shop Fruit Swirls.
There’s no reason store brands shouldn’t
hold their own against the big boys. After Taste-test results
all, some of the same companies manu-
facture both. Among the big names that In blind tests, our trained tasters evaluated 21 pairs of staple foods. National
also make store-brand products: Sara Lee brands won seven times; store brands, three. There were 11 ties. Prices are based
on an average of what we found. The store brands cost 7 to 60 percent less.
(baked goods), Reynolds (wraps, storage
containers), 4C (bread crumbs, iced tea,
soup mixes), McCormick (seasonings, ex-
tracts, sauces, gravies), Feit (lightbulbs),
1 Store-brand winners
Manischewitz (frozen appetizers, soup
mixes, side dishes), Joy Cone (ice cream
cones), Stonewall Kitchen (gourmet con-
diments, specialty foods), and Royal Oak
(charcoal).
Two examples of a different type of
store brand—“second tier” brands, which
may cost even less—fared worse in our
tests. We tasted second-tier Kroger Value
Sandwich Singles Imitation Pasteurized
Process Cheese Food and Shoppers Value
creamy peanut butter, bought at Albert-
sons. Testers said the Kroger faux cheese
is inferior to Kraft and regular Kroger
singles. It’s salty and chalky, with the
artificial-butter aroma common in micro-
wavable popcorn. The Shoppers Value pea-
nut butter is so-so, with off-notes (raw-nut

1 did you know?

84%
Campbell’s Food Lion
41 cents per serving 36 cents per serving
Verdict Food Lion. These soups have soft, almost mushy noodles. Food Lion’s
flavors are a little more intense, the dehydrated spice taste is not as pronounced,
and the soup doesn’t leave as much of a fatty feeling in the mouth. The Campbell’s
broth is oily, with fatty pieces of chicken, and it leaves a lingering taste of garlic powder.

That’s the percentage of Americans who

have bought store brands in the past year, Verdict America’s
based on a recent survey of 1,727 shoppers Choice. The A&P franks
by the Consumer Reports National are juicy and full of
Research Center.  And 93 percent said they flavor, with a pleasing
would keep buying as many store brands blend of garlic and
after the economy recovers. Nationwide, slight smokiness. The
store brands accounted for almost one of Oscar Mayer franks are
four products sold in supermarkets and a OK, though slightly
record $55.5 billion in sales last year. ashy-tasting and Oscar Mayer America’s Choice (A&P)
rubbery. Both are salty. $3.65 per package $2.64 per package

octob e r 2010 w w w.C o n su m e r R e p o rt s. org 17

Feature store brands vs. name brands

1 Toss-ups

Kraft Fred Meyer

Verdict Tie. $1.04 per box 50 cents per box
They’re good and
Verdict Tie. Differences are minimal.
are similar enough
They have a mild, cheddarlike powdered-
in quality and style
cheese sauce that gave a slight artificial-
that most people
butter flavor (think microwave popcorn)
probably couldn’t
to the al dente pasta cooked by our foods
tell them apart.
technicians. If anything, the Kraft is milder.
They have a mild
ginger ale flavor
with a short
finish (the taste
doesn’t linger).

Kraft Kroger
$3.20 per package $2.52 per package

Verdict Tie. There were lot-to-lot

variations within the brands, but
they would probably go unnoticed in
a sandwich. The cheeses are soft,
Canada Dry America’s Choice (A&P) mushy, and pasty.
$1.76 per bottle 97 cents per bottle

Verdict Tie. They are

quite good overall,
though tasters
detected more deeply
roasted nuts (think
dark toast vs. light
toast) in Skippy.
Albertsons has a hint
of molasses flavor.

Skippy Albertsons
19 cents per serving 15 cents per serving

Verdict Tie. They

have full-dairy flavors
and are very good
overall. Dannon is
slightly sweeter;
Food Lion, a bit more
tangy, with more
real-vanilla flavor.
Dannon Food Lion Kellogg’s Stop & Shop
$3.14 per container $1.99 per container $3.69 per box $2.60 per box

18 co n sum er r ep o rt s oc to b e r 2 0 1 0
Dole Safeway
$1.66 per can $1.23 per can

Verdict Tie. They’re similar in overall

quality but fluctuate in color, texture,
and flavor from lot to lot and even
within the same can (as you’d expect
with a natural product). The Dole slices
were slightly more sour and acidic.

Jell-O
$3.10 per package

Fred Meyer
$2.49 per package

Verdict Tie. These puddings are

thick, dense, and cocoa-flavored.
They’re slightly gummy and chalky, and
the Fred Meyer is also a bit gelatinous.
Lay’s
29 cents per serving
Verdict Tie. These chips have a nice balance of real Great Value (Walmart)
potato flavor, fat, and saltiness. They are crisp and 15 cents per serving
have no off-notes. The Great Value chips are slightly less
salty, a tad more toasty and earthy in flavor, and a touch
bitter—perfectly acceptable in a potato chip.

Verdict Tie. They are

crispy and sugar-coated,
with pronounced artificial
fruit flavors that kids may
love but that reminded
our tasters of lemon-
scented household cleaner.
Fruit Swirls tasted slightly
stale. Froot Loops leave
a vitaminlike aftertaste,
and when tasters added
milk, they noticed a slick, Heinz Market Pantry
waxy residue in the milk $2.76 per bottle (Target)
and on the bowl and $1.74 per bottle
spoon. Kellogg’s
Verdict Tie. Tomatoes are about
spokeswoman Susanne
the only attribute these two have
Norwitz cited a “flavor
in common, so the choice comes
coating commonly used
down to personal preference.
on cereal, which has a
Heinz is spicier, with distinct
light oil base” as the Mott’s Publix
Worcestershire notes. Market
probable cause. $1.96 per jar $1.59 per jar
Pantry has mostly tomato flavor,
Verdict Tie. These are quite good and have a fairly which comes through precisely
smooth texture. They’re slightly sweet and a touch because it’s not as spicy. The flavor
sour, with distinct apple flavor. But that flavor differs, differences are apparent straight
probably because of different apple varieties. from the bottle or with fries.

octob e r 2010 w w w.C o n su m e r R e p o rt s. o rg 19

Feature store brands vs. name brands

1 Name-brand winners

Oscar Mayer Stop & Shop

$3.70 per package $3 per package

Verdict Oscar Mayer. Neither resembles

roast turkey breast carved from the bone,
but Oscar Mayer’s is clearly better. It’s readily
identifiable as turkey: moist and slightly
chewy, with salty and brothy flavors. It also
has better overall texture. The Stop & Shop
turkey consists of very pink, wet slices of salty,
rubbery meat that’s more like ham.

Sargento America’s Choice (A&P)

$3.24 per package $2.55 per package

Verdict Sargento. For snacking out of the bag or topping a pizza, Sargento is
the clear winner because of its clean taste and fresh-dairy flavor. America’s Choice
is OK but leaves a slightly chalky feeling in the mouth and has some off-tastes.

Birds Eye
$1.90 per package

Wegmans
90 cents per package
Verdict Birds Eye. Although these
two are bright green and similar in
texture, the Birds Eye peas are sweeter
and taste fresher.
Ore-Ida Jewel
$3.91 per bag $1.99 per bag
Hellmann’s Jewel
7 cents per serving 5 cents per serving Verdict Ore-Ida. They’re crisp, tender,
and good enough to eat out of the oven
Verdict Hellmann’s. It’s smooth and without condiments. Unlike the Jewel fries,
moderately thick, fresher-tasting, and more the Ore-Ida fries retain their potato flavor
flavorful, with a nice combination of saltiness even when they’re slathered in ketchup.
and a tangy vinegar note. Jewel is milder overall. The Jewel fries are less crisp.

Bumble Bee Market Pantry

$1.06 per can (Target)
76 cents per can
Land O’Lakes Wegmans
$4.52 per package $1.94 per package Verdict Bumble Bee. It’s flavorful and is
the clear winner. Two of three lots of the
Verdict Land O’Lakes. The name brand wins, but not by much. When these butters Market Pantry had barely any identifiable
were spread on bread, there wasn’t much difference; when sampled on their own, the tuna flavor and suffered from off-tastes that
Land O’Lakes was slightly better. They are mild, though the Wegmans borders on bland were tinny or reminiscent of diesel fuel and
and lacks a touch of sweet-cream flavor evident in the Land O’Lakes. that even mayonnaise couldn’t totally mask.

20 con s um er r ep o rt s oc to b e r 2 0 1 0
Store brands saved us up to 52 percent Other products
Industry experts say that store brands
usually cost about 25 percent less than
differences for the same items from
one store to another. There was
worth trying
We combed through past reports to
their national-brand counterparts. We a 40 percent spread between the
find the highest-rated store brands in
say you can save even more. cheapest and costliest half-gallon of
a dozen additional product categories.
Reporter Tod Marks visited five Ocean Spray cranberry juice, for
All items are still being sold.
supermarket chains (A&P, Pathmark, example, and Marks found similar gaps
ShopRite, Stop & Shop, and Walmart) for McCormick pepper, Wish-Bone salad
AA batteries
in New York and New Jersey and dressing, Crisco oil, Kellogg’s raisin bran,
Kirkland Signature
compared store- and name-brand Barilla pasta, Kraft mozzarella, and
(Costco) Very good
prices for 30 items, from cotton swabs Breakstone’s sour cream.
to pepper. Marks obtained four or five The price difference was even wider
Bread
price quotes for each item, collecting among store brands—as high as
365 Touch of Honey
283 quotes in all. 63 percent, for salad dressings. The
Organic (Whole
The average savings with store moral: Shop around, wait for sales, use
Foods) Very good
brands was 30 percent. For  10 of the a savings card, and clip coupons.
products, Marks would have saved at Despite the savings Marks scored,
Cereal
least 35 percent. Prices in the chart the price advantage may be narrowing.
Great Value Raisin
were in effect the day he visited and In recent years, some national-brand
Bran (Walmart)
include discounts through instant makers have lowered prices and
Very good
coupons and savings cards. National stepped up promotional activities, a
brands are generally pricier, not so tactic that hasn’t escaped eagle-eyed
Chardonnay
much because of what’s in the package consumers. In a survey by the Nielsen
Trackers Crossing
but because of the cost of developing Co., 58 percent of Americans in 2009
365 2008 (Whole
the product and turning it into a agreed with the statement  “store
Foods) Very good
household name. brands are a good value for the money.”
Marks encountered wide price A year earlier, 67 percent agreed.
Chicken nuggets
Kirkland Signature
In order of savings with store brands. Disney (Costco)

Product Name brand Store brand Savings Very good
Pretzel twists $2.91 $1.41 52%
Compact
Steak sauce 4.05 2.21 45
fluorescent
Cotton swabs 3.53 1.98 44
lightbulbs
Canned orange segments 2.07 1.22 41
EcoSmart 14-watt
Bread crumbs 2.03 1.22 40 423599 (Home
Sour cream 2.20 1.33 40 Depot) Excellent
Baked beans 1.71 1.06 38
Cream cheese 2.15 1.35 37 Food bags
Granulated sugar 4.14 2.65 36 Great Value Slider
Pancake syrup 3.45 2.25 35 (Walmart)
Pancake mix 2.84 1.88 34 Very good
Grape jelly 2.47 1.65 33
Freezer bags
Spicy brown mustard 2.77 1.86 33
Up & Up Slider
Shredded mozzarella 3.39 2.33 31
(Target) Excellent
Dry pasta 1.24 0.87 30 for strength
Creamy peanut butter 2.85 2.05 28
Raisin bran cereal 3.65 2.63 28 Ice Cream
Crescent rolls 2.71 1.98 27 Archer Farms
Butter quarters 4.03 3.03 25 Belgian Chocolate
Aluminum foil 8.47 6.54 23 (Target) Excellent
Quick rice 2.55 1.97 23
Chocolate-flavored syrup 4.13 3.22 22 Paper towels
Walgreens Ultra
Canola oil 4.28 3.34 22
Quilted Very good
Sugar substitute 2.70 2.11 22
Zippered sandwich bags 2.55 1.99 22 Sunscreens
Dry-roasted peanuts 3.53 2.79 21 Up & Up Continuous
Half & half (quart) 3.24 2.57 21 Spray SPF 30
Salad dressing 2.55 2.02 21 (Target) Excellent
Ground black pepper 2.04 1.74 15
Cranberry juice cocktail 2.82 2.42 14 Toilet paper
ALL PRODUCTS 93.05 65.67 30 Kirkland Signature
(Costco) Very good

octob e r 2010 w w w.C o n su m e r R e p o rt s. o rg 21

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