The cost of groceries in Australia has skyrocketed this year. Therefore, people may be tempted to switch to cottage-brand foods to save on their weekly food bill.
Home brand foods are certainly cheaper. But are they healthy?
Here’s what we know about the nutrients they contain compared to more expensive named brands.
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What are private label foods?
House brand foods go by various names. You may hear them called supermarket own-brand foods, private label, in-house brands, store brands, or retail brands.
These are foods made specifically for a supermarket (you can’t buy them at a competitor store). They are advertised as low-priced alternatives to more expensive items.
Cottage brand foods are widely available in Australia and other countries, making up to 30% what you can buy in a supermarket.
Some people once viewed them as inferior products. But its nutrient content and its wide availability in supermarkets can contribute to improving the health of the population. some evidence shows Private label foods increase the availability and accessibility of more affordable food options and help improve food safety standards.
Why are they cheaper?
The lower prices associated with private label products are possible due to the lower costs associated with research and development, marketing, and packaging. This means that we cannot assume that lower prices mean cheaper or inferior ingredients.
In fact, supermarkets can influence the ingredients and processing of private label foods by comparative evaluation against named brands.
Before making a private label product, stores will also specify to manufacturers how much it should cost consumers. Manufacturers often choose to use the same ingredients and processes as brand name products to reduce costs through economies of scale.
Jean-claude Attipoe/Unsplash, CC BY-SA
This means not having to clean or reprogram equipment between manufacturing different products. It also means that most private label products are very similar to brand name products apart from the packaging.
However, for mixed foods, such as breakfast cereals and pre-made sauces, the manufacturer may change the ingredients, such as using fewer or cheaper ingredients, to help reduce costs.
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How much can I save?
Own brand products can be up to 40% cheaper than the named brands. So yes, house-brand products can make a real difference to your overall grocery cost.
However, some products have greater cost savings than others, as we show below.
Most supermarket shelf labels show the cost per 100g (or equivalent) of an item, which can help shoppers choose the most cost-effective option, especially useful when items are on sale.
But are they healthy?
For simple, unprocessed products such as milk, eggs, and pasta, there is virtually no difference in nutritional quality between private-label and name-brand foods. There is very little manufacturers can do to modify ingredients and reduce costs.
But sometimes cheaper ingredients are used in higher concentrations in private label products. For example, home-brand pre-made pasta sauces may have fewer plant-based ingredients and higher amounts of sugar, sodium (salt), and additives (such as stabilizers, colors, and flavors). This can change the quality and taste.
Gary Barnes/Unsplash, CC BY-SA
Very few studies have explored how private label products may differ in nutritional profile.
General, Portion size, sodium and other nutrients appear similar in private label and name brand foods. But there are some differences with certain types of food.
serving sizes
For example, serving sizes are usually smaller in own brand pizzas, canned vegetables, cereals, cookies and ready meals. In fact, edible oil is the only type of food where the serving size is larger for house-brand foods.
Salt
Sodium levels of home-brand breakfast cereals, cheese, and bread they are taller than brand name products. But sodium levels in cooking sauces, frozen potato products (such as baked potato chips), and crackers are lower in home-brand foods.
other nutrients
In terms of energy and fat intake, it again appears that there are inconsistent differences between home-brand foods compared to brand-name foods.
How about sugar? Unfortunately, the studies did not look at this.
In fact, in general, Australian private label products are not consistently nutritionally different from branded products.
Health Star Ratings
On a related note, unhealthy local brand products such as juices, meat pies, and muesli bars are more like to include a health star rating, compared to nutritious foods. This may incorrectly imply that they are a healthy choice.
This means that no matter which brand you choose, remember check the food label to make sure you get the quality of food you love for a price you’re comfortable with.
