You will not need reminding that we are in a cost of living crisis or to hear the old adage that stores’ own brands are cheaper than their fancier-looking counterparts.
But if you are mulling over Weetabix versus “generic oblong wheat biscuit”, we have saved you the cereal aisle pain by factoring in other considerations for your shopping.
After all, taste does matter. And if you are wanting to celebrate a Friday night with a pizza, who would blame you for splurging on the £5 Pizza Express variety over its humbler, less Italian cousin in the frozen section.
So here is our exploration of taste and cost to help you make an informed choice and get the best– and here is another supermarket term – experience.
Do any own supermarket own brands beat their rivals for taste?
This is an area of expertise for researchers at Which?
Blind taste testing found Morrisons Mayo, at 26p per 100ml, was slightly preferable among participants to Heinz Seriously Good Mayonnaise, at 50p per 100ml.
Similarly, M&S came top of the frozen battered fish leaderboard with its £1.25 per 100g product seeing off competition from the Bird’s Eye equivalent which cost £1.27.
As for baked beans, it is not Heinz (£3.35 per kg) that takes the top spot for taste but Asda’s own brand, which is £1.22 per kg.
Here are some other quick-fire findings from Which?
- Aldi Specially Selected Ultimate Burger came out top of its class despite its £2.89 for two burgers price being well below the £4.75 of Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
- Lidl’s Deluxe Pork Sausages – at £2.49 for 400g – beat the Heck brand equivalent in both taste and price, with the latter costing £3.09 for 400g.
- Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup scored 10 per cent better among taste testers but at 57p per 400g tin, was £1.13 less than the Heinz variety.
- Jamie Oliver Tomato & Chilli Pasta Sauce was nice enough but reviewers preferred the Tesco Tomato & Chilli Pasta Sauce, which costs only 85p per 500g jar, compared with £2.75 for 400g.
And while it didn’t beat its rivals – Which? found that Sainsbury’s Rich Roast Decaffeinated Instant coffee was almost as good as its rivals but up to £2.50 cheaper per 100g.
Where else can own brands give you a big discount?
Research by Sky News found that tablets and medicine can be marked up in the extreme. Paracetamol can cost as little as 39p from Tesco, Morrisons and Asda but Panadol costs, on average, £1.35.
Asda Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF30 £3/200ml was one of the cheapest sun creams and also top of the comparison chart.
But … then there is inflation
It’s not all good news as Which? Research has found that there have been price hikes on everyday budget and own-brand products.
Which? said the biggest increases were on Creamfields soft cheese (200g) at Tesco, which went from 49p to 84p, an increase of 71 per cent, and Sainsbury’s Simply Muesli (1kg), which went from £1.20 to £2.03, an increase of 70 per cent.
The price comparison site added that at Asda, two versions of its Free From cream cheese products – its Soft Cheese Alternative (170g) and its Garlic & Herb Soft Cheese Alternative (170g) – went up from 93p to £2.12, an increase of 128 per cent.
Where the big brands win
Which? found that it is when it comes to vegetarian and vegan alternatives, the supermarket own brands are yet to catch up.
I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Original Spread was the best dairy-free spread in its class, heading a top five of non-supermarket brands.
And, getting more niche, among vegan and veggie southern-fried chicken substitutes Quorn trumped Birds Eye and Linda McCartney varieties in that order with Tesco’s equivalent around 25 per cent down on score.
But, it pays to be thrifty if you are prepared to, sometimes – not always, compromise on quality.
“It’s always worth checking out our full results because there’s usually a more affordable own-label not far behind, even if a brand takes the top spot,” said Which?
