Looking closely at generic versus brand name foods
Once upon a time, many years ago, my husband and I took a free course offered by a bank (not even ours) by a woman who professed to teach how to save money. One of the things that stuck with me was a tasting test. She put generic foods - vegetables and fruit - in bowls and we were asked to taste and rate them. Please continue reading below...
I was buying mostly generic at the time (this was back when "generic" meant black and white labels, symbolically cheaper than color) but even I was surprised to find that what I thought would be brand name products because of quality and flavor, often turned out to be generic.
So I have two thoughts for today. Does generic mean inferior? And can you save a lot by buying generic foodstuff? (By "generic," let's include store brands.)
Is generic inferior?
Short answer: Not necessarily.
Long answer: Sometimes it is, at least cosmetically. Peas are not necessarily uniform in size. You might find a bit of corn cob in a can of corn. There are fewer cherries in fruit cocktail and more potatoes in vegetable mixes.
There are also fewer added ingredients, so if you're addicted to name brand peanut butter, generic peanut butter made with fewer sugars and other " flavor enhancements" will taste different. Whether that flavor is inferior or superior is up to you.
While nutritionally speaking, there is no difference in the particular ingredients, you can see that there is a nutritional difference for instance, in a vegetable mix that is half potatoes and one that is a quarter potatoes.
Can you save money with generic?
Short answer: Yes - but not always.
Long answer: The whole idea of "generic" is a cheaper version of highly advertised name brands. We pay for the advertising of those brands when we buy the product, sure, but there's more to the picture.
For one, it's well known that some brand name corporations pack produce under a generic label. That does not mean the produce is the same "quality" - i.e., uniform in size or coloration that they pack under their own label. Again, nutritionally speaking, there is no difference.
We need to keep in mind, though, that sales on brand name products can make them quite a bit more frugal than generic products (which seldom, if ever, go on sale). Coupons can be found for name brands, too, and that can lower the costs tremendously.
The bottom line is that, while generics can be excellent, frugal choices in general, they may not always fill our needs or expectations. Couple that with shopping sales, couponing and stocking the pantry, generic may not always be the best deal there is.
A Quick Summary
Name Brands vs. Generic Brands
Although some brands definitely have an original taste associated with them, unique to the brand name (i.e. Haagen Daz), many generic brands are the exact same as the name brand equivalent. In fact, a lot of generic brands are the exact same as the name brand, without the packaging. In these cases, you are simply paying for marketing if you buy the brand name. Even when the generic product is not the exact same as the brand name, it sometimes makes no difference in taste. Buying generic for things like pasta, for example, or frozen juices, or olives can save you a lot of money, without a noticeable difference in quality. The same holds true for household products like toilet paper, paper towels, detergents, shampoo, etc. If you can purchase the generic brand in all these types of products, every time you go shopping, you will be able to save yourself a lot of cash.
It literally pays to pay attention to all of the facts - and it never hurts to think for yourself.
