Do you stay away from generic foods or store-brand products because you believe generic products are inferior? Do you wonder where the food comes from? Or do you wonder if the food is as healthy? In the generic vs name-brand foods debate, some consumers we spoke to said they never buy generic. The assumption is generic products are of lower quality. So, we decided to do some research on generic vs name-brand foods. We tested some of our easy dinner recipes to compare the national brand products against the store brand. We also looked at the savings at the register.
So, what do generic foods save you?
Generic foods generally represent a cost savings of anywhere from 25% to 30% over their name-brand counterpart. You might think, “It’s just 30, 40, 50 cents cheaper -what’s the big deal?”Well, when filling your whole cart with groceries, that 50 cents times 50 items adds up. Consider this: saving money on groceries is often a game of volume. We know when we plan our customers’ menus around the store sales flyers AND use products that are either on special or represent the best cost (i.e., the generic store brand), the savings add up.
The source of generic vs name brands:
Another interesting piece of information is that generics are often made by your favorite national brand. Many generic products are made in the same plant and from the same farm or manufacturer but are packaged in a less flashy way. We also sought insight from a store manager of a major grocery store chain. We learned that most in-house brands are actually nationally known brands. It is the same product, except some packages get the premium brand packaging, and some get the store brand packaging.
Since stores don’t spend money on national advertising campaigns for their products, and the packaging is kept relatively basic, they can sell for less. To put it in perspective, when you buy a national brand product with a generic option available, you are essentially paying up to 30% more for a pretty label. Is that really how you want to spend your food dollars? It hardly seems worth the extra cost.
Our testing of generic products:
For most of us, the real test for generic vs. name-brand products ultimately comes down to taste and quality. We purchased various grocery items and tested them in easy dinner recipes. We also tested some other commonly used items, such as peanut butter, coffee, bread, and salad dressing.
The good news is that, in most cases, there was no noticeable difference in taste or quality. This is not surprising since, as noted above, many of these products are from brand-name food manufacturers.
Specifically, we found several products where you can feel good about buying the generic product or store brand:
- SUGAR/FLOUR/BAKING PRODUCTS: they are processed and stored the exact same way. Sugar is sugar, and flour is flour. The only difference between the store and major brands is price and packaging.
- SPICES: essentially, these are the same products whether you buy the name or store brands.
- MILK: the store-brand milk is often right from the same dairy name you recognize. So you have to decide if you are willing to pay an extra dollar+ for your gallon of milk to have the brand name label. You most likely would say no when you think about it that way. And thanks to consumer demand, most stores offer an organic option if that is important to you.
- EGGS: it’s the same story with eggs. Local eggs compete well with national brands. Like milk, most stores have an organic or cage-free option.
- FROZEN VEGGIES: Given that we often use frozen veggies (and fruit) in recipes (e.g., casseroles, stir fry, slow cooker, or smoothies) and that you are not tasting this ingredient in isolation, frozen veggies are an excellent choice for generics. As discussed in this post, frozen veggies are also a great way to save money.
- PEANUT BUTTER: We taste-tested peanut butter with kids across three different store brands. The result? None of the kids could tell the difference, and a few preferred the store brand.
- COFFEE: we tested two different store brand coffees against a name brand coffee pod manufacturer (for Keurig machines) and also tested ground coffee as well. We even did this test for that first cup of coffee in the am (when that first sip is so so important!), and we did not note a significant difference
For this analysis, we compared the store or generic brand with the nationally known conventional product. We did not include organic products in our comparison testing as the reasons for buying organics are typically about factors other than price.
On the topic of Organics:
It is great to see so many store brands now have an organic option available. Since organic products and produce typically cost more, you might want to check out the annual list of the Dirty Dozen by the Environmental Working Group. They also provide a related list- The Green Fifteen- that highlights produce items that are just fine to buy conventionally. It’s a great resource.
Items where we did note a difference or inconsistent results:
We also tested some common household items. We must admit we noticed some differences in quality with the generic products. Most notable were:
- PAPER TOWELS: Some store-brand paper towels were not as strong as the major brands. There was some variation here,so it might be worth testing your own store’s brand before making a conclusion.
- KITCHEN GARBAGE BAGES AND STORAGE BAGS: some of the generic brands did not hold up as well and tore when lifting out of the bin.
- BREAD: this one really varied across the stores we tested. We compared three store bought breads to a premium sandwich bread brand. Some of our testers saw no difference, yet some people had a definite preference for the premium brand. We also learned through our research that depending on the store, the loaf being sold in the premium package is the same exact loaf of bread as the store brand. Literally the same bread! This may not be the case with all generics and name brands (not all premium brands allow for a generic version) so it is worth testing your own store’s brand to see what you think. And remember, most stores will take something back if you don’t like it, even if it is opened. there is no risk to try it.
- SALAD DRESSING: we tested 3 different types of store brand salad dressings (Italian, Balsamic Vinaigreete, and Casear) against one of the leading salad dressing companies. Again, our results were not consistent. A few testers found the store brands to taste sweeter and didn’t have the same rich flavor as the premium brand. However, some of our testers found the store brand to be just as good with no significant difference.
So for these items, we will be sticking with our favorite name brands and passing on the generics. It still might be worth testing out the products in your store, before concluding, as the quality can vary between stores.
Another Factor When Evaluating Generic vs Name Brands:
One of the themes that stood out during our testing was if a product did not use a lot of ingredients, (such as coffee or sugar), the generic version typically was rated the same as the premium brand. When a product involved a recipe to produce it, the results were varied.
In some cases, the generic version was as good as the premium brand while in some cases our testers preferred the premium. However, the cost savings are enough that it is worth testing your store’s brand to see if it works for you.
So next time you are food shopping, consider putting some generic brands (vs the name brands) in your cart. Try it out as we did. If you notice no difference, you just found an easy way to save money on your groceries, without any compromise in quality. Since our testing revealed that most store brands are as good as the leading name brand, yet cost so much less, it is definitely worth a try.
You can also check out The Dinner Daily featured on NECN’s Money Saving Mondays when we were featured on this topic.
Would you like to receive more helpful tips and insight like this? Sign up for our newsletter on or learn more about The Dinner Daily.
