Are there generic foods/products that are as good as nat'l brands?

[Greaseball]

With food, I really do notice a difference. (Even in blind taste tests we had to do for a school project, I was the one who could pick out the generic soda from the regular brand!)

One time I thought I'd try buying some Western Family frozen juice. It had the exact same ingredients as the Seneca brand, but it tasted awful! I don't get it...do they just intentionally use bad fruit? The store/cheap brands of baking powder clump together; the national brand does not...and the store brand or Western Family bulk fruit and veggies are not as good either.

I always buy the national brands of cleaning products, since there have been too many times when the store brand just did not clean as well.

But are there some store-brand things that are really just as good?

[chel]

I use to buy all generic (food, detergent, etc). Over the years I have moved to mostly brand names for such reasons as generic doesn't offer as many varieties (whole wheat, reduced fat, etc). DH notices the taste differences more than I do. As for detergents I've found the generics just don't clean as well. Places such as "dollar stores" just seem to sell the worst of the off-brand stuff.

[Girlo]

ITA with the taste differences on lots of stuff between name brand and generic. The area where I have no problem going generic is with canned fruit/veggies. Canned corn is canned corn....it all tastes the same to me!

[fromscatteredtribe]

if you have a trader joe's near you, they charge less for things like brown rice, salad greens, frozen peppers, baby carrots, frozen fruit, whole grain bread, eggs, milk, yogurt, healthy cookies, etc than ANY of the mainstream grocery stores. they charge less for non-hormone eggs and dairy than many stores charge for conventional. also I sale shop and coupon shop and comparison shop so that i can buy whatever brand it is WHERE i buy it that matters

[root*children]

We've found it varies by store and by which foods you're interested in. DH (the soda drinker) has found no sodas that taste the same as namebrand. I find most regular food products taste the same generic or not. But as PP said, not all generics are worth the money healthwise (no generic organics, wholegrains, etc.) So things we do buy generic that always taste the same are crackers (graham, ritz-type, triscuit-type, etc.) Those we get from Walmart. Dogfood also from Walmart (not that I've done the taste test on this! :LOL but my dogs WILL NOT touch the generic Kroger brand or Shurvalu) Infact, most Shurvalu generics are terrible, I think. I know lots of you are anti-WM, but if you don't mind it, their salsas and frz juices also taste good.
That's about all we buy generic b/c we pricebook and can usually find namebrands for cheaper than store brands when on sale, and buy enough to last til the next sale.

[CerridwenLorelei]

I can't always get somewhere to get Reeds but

the albertsons ginger ale is fairly decent, as is their vinegar for routine cleaning
and i use some of their cheeses
some of them have gone to using better ingredients than before..

[srain]

I think most generics are fine, with the exception of dishwasher detergent, Cheerios, and frozen orange juice. (But now that I think of it, the only other packaged foods I really get are saltines, canned tomatoes and refried beans, and frozen vegetables, so maybe I don't use enough different generics to be disenchanted.)

[MsMoMpls]

The wonderful SuperTarget here has a store brand... Market something... and I haven't been disappointed with anything I have bought. I am saving a lot since it added the grocery store. The trick is to stay out the rest of the store, avoiding the impulse buying.

[opally]

I think the better quality of store, the better its generics - if you have a local grocer (in this area, it's Ukrops)that has a good reputation, try its line of generics. The Ukrops here have a generic organic line called Full Circle - it's just incredible, and super cheap - organic cereals for less than $2/box, frozen organic veggies for $1/lb, etc. And I agree with the earlier poster - it doesn't get much better than Trader Joe's - affordable whole foods. Target's house brands are good too.

A lot of the time it's hit or miss, but once you find something that works or tastes good, the savings are great - I've been using generic laundry detergent from Ukrops for months now - on sale, $1.97 for 100 oz bottle, and it works just as well as Tide/Cheer/etc. I used to make my own laundry soap, but for something that cheap, I've sort of slid back !

[Sativarain1]

I remember the couple of things I've bought that was Whole foods brand was good, something called 365? It was a long time ago. But also Private Selection of Kroger brand is just as good too. We don't buy much packaged items but they seem to taste the same to us. Cleaning products I would never even consider buying generic with all the chemicals. I don't even like the cleaning aisle in the grocery store because it gives me a headache.

Valerie

[Rebecca]

I've always thought the difference between store brand and national brands was 'in your head' as we've been conditioned from birth to 'prefer' the same labels we've grown up with and the tastes that accompany it. It's not that generics taste 'bad' generally, it's just not what we are used to and 'think' taste good. With that being said, I do like Kraft mac and cheese better than the store brand and even better than Annies. : I buy the cheapest OJ that is fresh squeezed, generic cereals, generic canned and frozen veggies and juice. I also buy generic crackers/cookies only if they don't have corn syrup or trans fat, which is hard to find. Our Hannaford store brand is great, I think. We don't notice a difference generally, except in our wallet. I do buy lots of organics/natural/no trans fat/artificial junk products that aren't available as generics, so sometimes I do feel stuck buying the more expensive ones because I believe it's healthier, though the natl brands may actually taste better. I think it's a matter of conditioning yourselves to the different, not necessarily bad taste. Then again, I'm the type to eat whatever the waitress brings whether I ordered it or not... I'm absolutely not a fussy eater, but I am a fussy cook and shopper.

[becca011906]

there are very few things that i "have to have name brand" and i mean very few, if off my tide i have to have it, then there is kraft mac n cheese i can't do the cheep stuff on that, and finally i though there was something eles but now i can't think of it. I by generic/store brand everything sugars, baking needs, cleaning stuff, canned stuff, frozen stuff, all of it is generic and it works/tast just fine to all of my family. oh i remember and how sad is this one... i have to buy my dogs name brand dog chow b/c the cheep stuff gives them gas and have way to much protein in them for dalmations (they need low protien b/c of thier breed)... LOL We don't do organic stuff but i do lots of "whole foods" and hardly ever buy anything "pre prepared" foods i make lots from scratch.

[chalupamom]

I'm not terribly brand loyal and haven't noticed much of a difference across the generic vs. name brand spectrum.

Still, I have found that it's simply not worth my time to purchase any Food Lion store brands. We've tried several and they just suck to the point where we won't even finish what we've bought. Giant, on the other hand, seem to be fine - never had a problem. Kroger is a mixed bag: I hate their store brand salsa, but their cheeses are great, as is their coffee. I also buy quite a few of Whole Foods' 365 brand and have no complaints.

For cleaning products I tend not to worry so much - the store brand of baking soda and vinegar is usually equal to the name brands.

[CerridwenLorelei]

I second chalupamom

on the Kroger cheese..

[EFmom]

I buy store brands (Hannaford or Price Chopper) for almost everything, and I don't notice any difference between them and the national brands. I actually like the house brands better than national brands for a number of things, like pasta sauce, crackers, certain cereals, some cleaning products.

The only thing I don't really like are their house brands of mayo. They are manufactured by Cains, and in fact, they taste just like Cains, which I don't care for.

[Greaseball]

I love Price Chopper! I wish we had one here...all we have are Safeway, Kmart, Fred Meyer (Krogers to some of you) and the local place, Richeys. Oh, and our local co-op.

[PapayaVagina]

The area where I have no problem going generic is with canned fruit/veggies. Canned corn is canned corn....it all tastes the same to me!

My soon-to-be dh's dad works for a cannery. They pack under a generic name but they also have MAJOR name brand companies that buy from them and then just put a different label on them. This includes frozen fruits/veggies and soups also .

[VikingKvinna]

Originally Posted by PapayaVagina

My soon-to-be dh's dad works for a cannery. They pack under a generic name but they also have MAJOR name brand companies that buy from them and then just put a different label on them. This includes frozen fruits/veggies and soups also .

I've heard this, in various forms and from various sources, many times. And you'll notice that sometimes on generic products they have a little disclaimer that says, "this product not manufactured by [insert major brand name's parent company here]" which I'm assuming is because people are starting to get hip to the one-company/many-labels trick.

I'm brand loyal to only a few things -- soda (Diet Coke all the way, baby!) and tampons when I use 'em, which is rare these days, but it does not pay to get cheap tampons. Ask me how I know. -- and a few other things. PopSecret Homestyle microwave popcorn. :

Anyway, generics vary -- from product to product, from store to store. And some people are more sensitive to the differences in taste or performance, too, I think, so IMO it's worth your while to check it out, if the savings is significant. We buy most everything generic from either Sprawl*Mart or Wegman's (our local grocery chain), or get the imported stuff (pasta, jams, condiments, etc.) from Big Lots. We also shop at Aldi's sometimes, and find that the quality there varies widely -- some stuff is even better than the name brand (their big almond chocolate bars ROCK -- it's my default chocolate), while some isn't very good at all. I don't buy a lot of processed food, the micro popcorn notwithstanding , so I find that for staples like frozen veggies, canned tomatoes and beans, pasta, baking supplies, saltines, vinegar, etc., the generic or store brand is just as good. But that's me/us! My cart at the grocery store is such a dichotomy -- on the one hand, filled with generic canned goods and staples, on the other organic soy yogurt and crackers for DS, the more "exotic" fresh vegetables, good cheeses, boxes of all the "unusual" grains and flours and stuff. The people with carts full of Lunchables and microwave waffles and Uncrustables and Cheetos look at me funny. :LOL

~Nick

[chalupamom]

Originally Posted by VikingKvinna

Wegman's (our local grocery chain),
~Nick

Oh, how I miss Wegman's. We used to live in Canandaigua, NY, and we were pretty much all Wegman's all the time. There's one in Northern VA now and I swear if gas weren't so expensive I'd be on the road every weekend. Their quality on just about everything was really, really good.

[Momtwice]

I would keep your mind open to trying new items or new stores' store brands, because some of the store brand jars are filled right in the same factory as the name brand

Trader Joe's and some others, have great store brands. And I am picky too. I just try to keep an open mind to trying new things and some are just fine.

And my wholesale club has been getting better and better!