To think there's nothing wrong with own brand stuff?

[AverageGayLad]

Was in the supermarket earlier and a woman asked her friend to get her some butter - but "a brand, none of that cheap shite".

What is wrong with own brand? :( Sometimes/Mostly that's all I can afford! Isn't it all the same food anyway?

DH was very hung up on branded stuff until I fixed him

In his case it was a reaction to growing up poor and associating 'brands' with MC financial comfort.

Two of my Russian friends who remember bread queues are similar about brands.

Understandable really (except when it's my money ).

Oh and always understandable for cornflakes. And coffee.

AGL You're a star.

Just I think the one thing I won't buy own brand is Quorn, but then that isn't usually too expensive..

there are huge differences in quality between branded and budget products.

Sometimes, you need to try lots of different things to see what's good and what's not. For example, we think Asda smart price full fat cream cheese is just as good as Philadelphia. And about a fifth of the price. We're not keen on smart price tea bags though.

I also agree about medicines. Same as Salt, Paracetamol is Paracetamol.Tescos anti allergy syrup is the same as Priton. If you've been buying branded mess you've been throwing your money away.

Oh yes, and quorn

When I was at school (Edinburgh), kids used to go into the local newsagent and ask for a bottle of "cheap shite".

I never partook of that particular delight myself, it was an unbranded concoction resembling nuclear waste.

Takes me back.

I always buy own brand. Unless branded is on offer and therefore cheaper.

Buying branded medicine is just silly, paracetamol is paracetamol, why pay more than 30p for it if you don't have to. Same with nurofen, you can buy ibuprofen tablets and they are the same thing. Although I do have a child who will only take pink medicine.

Hillarious how people will say they would not eat Tesco Everyday Value or Asda Smartprice but will happy eat Lidl or Aldi cheapery!

I get a lot of own brands but... I'm sure some of them are far from being as good as some branded stuff.

It is not only the flavour but the cheap stuff, excess salt and injected water they put in things. (Yeah, I know, water is not a problem but if you buy some chicken/meat/cold meats, which have been injected with water you are therefore getting less for your money so not saving that much anyway.

I remember years ago there was a programme where they took two identical beagle puppy brothers and fed one with super market's own dog food brand and the other one with more expensive branded stuff. After a year you couldn't believe the dogs were related, the one who ate the cheap stuff was not only smaller, but seemed to have a lot of joint problems and other health problems.

I do my shopping at Aldi, but from time to time I wonder if buying so much unbranded food is having a bad effect on us, so I try to cook from scratch to avoid all the nasty stuff as much as I can.

There is -or was or maybe still is i dont know. Some misplaced shame in poverty.

Yes.

Anyone who pays more for a branded item that uses that same ingredients as an own brand is a complete mug.

Sir Branded painkillers £4 or Tesco 30p, no contest!

I agree totally with your sentiments, OP - couldn't have put it better myself!

Very when we lived abroad DD needed antibiotics. £100. Pharmacist told me the £20 generic brand was exactly the same. If it's sold in a pharmacy or supermarket it will do the job regardless of the name on the label.

Re own brand butter, nothing wrong with it at all. I'll try any own brand things.

Tesco's brand of imodium works just well

I have to disagree that all big brands make the exact same product as their own, but just with a supermarket label on. Sometimes they do, but not always. And it's not always the same recipe.

I know this because, My own company is food brand. We also make products for companies to stick their own label on. Whilst it comes out of the same facility, It is different. Slightly Different recipe. Cheaper to make.

Keeps our brand as the luxury version.

I love own brand tinned soup and meatballs. Tastes just as good as Heinz at 1/10th of the price

phillipp It's still perfectly good to eat though, right?

I'm an own brand connoisseur.. we have access to Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, Asda and Lidl within 2 miles of my house. I have been known to cycle to at least 4 of them in 1 weekend to get the best own brand items, whether that's by taste, function or value.

I know it's lame, but the important thing is that I think it's cool

IME I've not come across many branded items which are better than supermarket own. Quorn and tofu are my main exceptions. Also herbs and spices- the World Food section has branded and much larger packs for way less than those shitty little jars (East End Spice Company, TRS, KTC etc).

I can't be doing with most of the value/savers stuff. The bread is rank, the beans taste watery, the weetabix is weird. One step up I like. The store brand but not the absolute bottom.

Tesco's brand of imodium works just well

Of course it does - because it's loperamide, just the same as Immodium.

MeMySonandI own brand does not necessarily mean pre-prepared with added crap. Own brand olive oil, own brand spices, own brand tinned tomatoes etc. etc. - you can cook from scratch with no added junk and still buy own brand.
Medication is verifiably then same - look at the active ingredient, if it's the same and in the same quantity then it's exactly the same medicine!