Why are branded items so much nicer?

[purplespink]

I try to buy Aldi/Lidl own versions of things as much as I can but a lot of them just aren’t as good. Off the top of my head, I’ve recently bought Lidl’s version of skips, cookies, *diluted juice, Nutella and ice cream. All really rubbish compared to the branded versions. I’m increasingly finding this the case with Aldi and Lidl products, which I find annoying as overall I really like Aldi, and Lidl’s bread and chocolate are my favourite. But why is it that the branded stuff is nicer? I know it seems obvious but I assumed that branded products spent a lot more on advertising/brand awareness, hence the premium price.

*The cookies I was comparing to Fox’s and diluent juice I was comparing to Robinsons.

Again, I think people tell themselves this to feel better about not buying the branded one. The brands don't get so popular for nothing.

I think there is a mixture of things. Familliar with the taste, better quality ingredients etc. Some are the same though in different packaging. I know two different producers (relatively small in both cases). They supply high end dairy products to shops, they also supply to Aldi the exact same product in different packaging.

I buy a lot of Ocado own brand which I find is better than branded stuff.

People often say own-brand products are made in the same factory as the branded ones, but that doesn't mean they're the same just with different labelling. They use different ingredients and recipes. I've tried some own-brand baked beans that were more like pellets, so they definitely weren't just Heinz with a different label. Having said that, I do like the M&S own-brand baked beans but the bean is smaller.

Sometimes the difference is very obvious, for example individual Weetabix being bigger than the own brand version.

Honestly I don’t recognise these descriptions of Aldi, our local one is well stocked, excellent products, always fresh and nothing goes off any quicker than I would expect. The Aldi steaks in the white packaging put any other supermarket meat to shame they are outstanding.

i feel thoroughly ripped off buying brands. No it’s not M&S / Waitrose standard but it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s easy as good as Tesco and far better than sainsbury who I think are dire and expensive

A brand like Heinz or Kelloggs became popular many many years ago. If you think they've not relied on that historical brand recognition whilst churning out increasingly inferior products you're quite naive.

Having worked in a couple of food factories in my student days I can confirm that for a large part your M&S products and your Asda smart price products are made in the same factories mostly with the same ingredients.

Some are different, of course. Some branded stuff if genuinely better and some definitely isn't. Some is just down to personal taste (or snobbery).

But to make a generalisation about all branded products vs all cheap supermarket products is just ridiculous.

But the actual ingredients are somewhat irrelevant, it's the recipe that's important. Someone could give you and I the same basket of ingredients to make a meal and they could still taste completely different.

Some things in Aldi are great, their finest style sausages are excellent, the Moser Roth chocolate is fantastic and they have some fabulous wines and flowers.

Agree with this! OP I actually think Lidl's version of nutella is way nicer than the branded one. But I agree it is a different taste.

I've found for a the majority of things we've adjusted fine to the cheaper version over time, especially if we've decided that the cost saving is worth persevering. Then for a few items we stick with the branded item because no one really wanted to switch.

I ate branded Shreddies for the first time in ages recently and they were hideously over-sweet because I'm used to the Tesco version yes I know MN hates cereal.

Really! Aldi steaks are actually quite nice.

Because they have a shit ton more sugar and salt in.

So much snobbery and inverted snobbery.
if you read the labels you can make your own mind up. There is loads of social media content comparing brands and seeking out minimally processed food, for those that wish to debunk myths for themselves. Sweeping statements about salt, sugar, palm oil etc. don’t hold up.

The fruit and veg in my local Lidl (don’t have an Aldi nearby) is much better than my local Waitrose. I’ve actually given up buying fruit at Waitrose as it was always mouldy by the next day, if not by the time I got it home.

I find Tesco own brands are often very similar to the 'real' thing. There's nothing quite like Helman's mayonnaise though!

We prefer what we are used to rather than what is "better". I think fake maple syrup tastes better than the real stuff as it's what I was raised with.

There is also a placebo effect that happens when things are in nicer packaging. If you expect something to be nicer then you perceive it as nicer, and if you expect something to be a bit shit, you'll think its a bit shit, even when you can't tell the difference during blind taste tests.

Aldi/Lidl is truly disgusting food. I won’t touch it

Really? So the flour, butter, sugar, milk, rice… all disgusting?
I don’t think a cake made from Aldi ingredients is going to taste any different from Sainsbury’s
I have shopped everywhere from Booths to Sainsburys to Lidl and my preferred is Aldi. I go to M&S for their applause grapes, and Sainsburys for their own brand gherkins but everything else is Aldi

I noticed that lots of their products had more salt and sugar I assumed maybe the ingredients were lower quality and they compensated with extra salt or sugar. I remember comparing a few things like cereal, crisps, filled pasta etc and the nutritional values were worse in aldi/ lidl, Tesco value etc.
I do buy some products from aldi and lidl I normally find you have to buy their premium range though.
Some products like their Greek yogurt are really nice and the lidl bakery is nice.
My children won't eat aldi sausages etc at other people's houses and they absolutely don't know about the brands. But may just prefer what they are used to.
But I find the value ranges don't look or taste as good and find it bizarre when people claim that they are the exact same products.

Yes me too and I think it is. I don't like their baked beans though, Asda own brand are the best and much nicer than Heinz!

I don't mind Aldi and Lidl for bits as I'm passing through town on my way home but I get the bulk of shopping from Ocado because their own brand stuff is very good and also not expensive.

I actually like Lidl skips - just ate some!!

Also, their mini milk knock offs are so great - especially since mini milks are always out of stock.

It has nothing to do with class. Aldi and Lidl are both awful.

I use any supermarket, but usually Lidl, because it's closest to the best butcher, and I rate their deluxe ranges of charcuterie and biscuits. DH likes M&S because he loves their fresh dates, and they sell the best bananas apparently, then goes next door to Aldi for his preferred pilsener. Waitrose are the only stockist of Smitten apples. For the other stuff, we're fairly agnostic.

See my experience is the exact opposite . Aldi has a very poor choice , some of the berries are so small they are bitter . The salads look wilted after a day . Blueberry wheaties in Aldi were like eating cardboard so chucked out Waitrose were far better and palatable .

I've been using Aldi for a very long time now (20+ years), and overall it's been a very positive experience. Obviously there has been the odd occasion when I've had a bad product, but that happens wherever you shop.