SWAPPING pricey brands for supermarket knock-offs is an easy way to save a few pounds on your grocery shop.
But as a new Channel 4 show reveals, you might not even be sacrificing quality for cost.
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In Secrets of the Supermarket Own-Brands, Denise Van Outen investigates how own-brand products are really made, and discovers the differences in recipes with their branded equivalents can be minimal.
In fact, the manufacturers of beloved treats like Weetabix and Maryland cookies often even produce cheaper rip-offs for supermarkets like Aldi and Tesco in the same factories.
Paul Stainton, who was Aldi’s buying director for over three decades until 2020, tells the show: “There has been a huge amount of effort by all the retailers and their manufacturers over the years to raise the quality up to the brand quality – and sometimes even beyond the brand quality.”
Here, we reveal the cut-price dupes that could slash your shopping bills – and the secret codes that will bag you a bargain.
Rip-offs from same factory
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While making rivals goods might seem counter-productive, it actually makes sense for manufacturers to make both versions.
This is because the more of each product they buy from their wholesalers, the bigger the discount.
Consumers have worked out, for instance, that Hula Hoops (Tesco, £2.25) and Snackrite’s Potato Hoops (Aldi, £1.45) are made in the same place.
This is because the Aldi dupe has occasionally turned up in multipacks of Hula Hoops.
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KP Snacks, which manufactures both Hula Hoops and Snackrites Potato Hoops, previously told The Sun: “KP Snacks does make products for Aldi at the same site as its own Hula Hoops brand, although the products are made on different lines and to different formulations.”
One of the earliest big brands to start producing knock-off versions of their own products was Weetabix. The company behind the cereal has been making Tesco and Asda’s versions since 2017.
Weetabix retails for £2.50 at Asda, while the store’s dupe, Wheat Bisks, cost £1.90. Tesco’s Wheat Biscuits will set you back £1.85.
The slight differences between each type compared to the real deal? Asda’s has slightly more salt and Tesco’s has fewer calories.
Paul said: “Weetabix produced a number of the main retailers’ private labels.
“There may be a slight tweak to the recipe that’s very understandable because you know, Weetabix want the true Weetabix fan to taste that product and thing ‘Yep, that is the real Weetabix’.
“But within an item like that, the differences are very marginal.”
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Another factory that is revealed in the show to produce a mix of own brand and branded goods is Burton’s Biscuits.
The firm is behind well-known products Jammy Dodgers (Tesco, £0.80), Wagon Wheels (Tesco, £1.25) and Maryland Cookies (Sainsbury’s, £1.50).
In addition, they also make Aldi’s dupes Jammy Wheels (59p), Cart Wheels (99p), and Belmont Chocolate Chip Cookies (57p).
The difference between these items is minimal, according to experts.
Paul said: “You are getting the brand quality from the same manufacturer when you’re buying a private label, but the recipes will change slight.
“If you take Maryland Cookies for example, the private label version which is produced by the brand will have potentially slightly fewer chocolate chips in them.”
So if you’re not bothered about having lots of chocolate chips, you can save almost £1 opting for Aldi’s knock-off.
Own brand variations
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Even the supermarkets’ different own brand labels are made in the same factories – with the same ingredients.
Almost all the major stores offer a value, budget and luxury range within the own-label products.
In fact, Sainsbury’s tortellini pastas are made by the same factory as La Famiglia Rana pastas (Tesco, £3).
Denise is told the secret while being shown a range of pastas by Sainsbury’s fresh food director Richard Crampton.
He explains: “We have our Stanford Street brand for our best value possible products, we’ve then got By Sainsbury’s, which the vast majority of our range. We’ve then got Taste The Difference which is our premium tier, but in general, we source all of our products to exactly the same high standards wherever tier you look at.”
Sainsbury’s Stanford Street Cheese Tortellini costs £1.21, a Four Cheese Tortellini from By Sainsbury’s is £2 and a Taste The Difference potion of Sainsbury’s Spinach & Ricotta Girasoli is £3.
This means that buying the cheapest option doesn’t force you to compromise on quality.
Denise also learnt that La Famiglia Rana pasta is manufactured by the same place that creates Sainsbury’s own-brand pasta ranges — both Taste the Difference and Stanford Street.
He said: “It’s exactly the same raw material, but there’s something else that’s enhancing that product.”
Denise also finds out Goodfella’s Pizza is made in the same place as Carlos Takeaway products, Sainsbury’s own brand pizzas and Trattoria Alfredo.
Handy codes
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Dairy is another area where lots of branded and own brand products are made by the same company.
And there is an easy way to tell which products have come from the same manufacturer – a handy code.
This means different products will have the same code if they’ve come out of the same factory.
For example, Yeo Valley Butter and Anchor butter are made in the same factory as five own-brand butters.
In the documentary, all seven butters have the code GBWQ108, meaning they’ve been produced in the Arla food factory in Wiltshire.
The company is the fifth-biggest dairy company in the world and also creates Cravendale products and Lacto-Free branded items.
Consumers can use the same code trick on all dairy products.
Identical medicine
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It’s not just your food that you can use a code hack for, but also your medicines.
Legally, each type of medication has to be the same, no matter which brand has made it.
This means Tesco own-brand paracetamol (£0.39) is identical to the paracetamol in a Panadol packet (Tesco, £0.90).
The only difference is often a less fancy box and perhaps a sugar-coating not being placed around the outside of the pill. It is the same for all other medications.
When it comes to medications that have a mix of ingredients, you can tell if it’s identical to another brand thanks to a special code.
Denise explains: “All medicines have to print a product licence or PL number on them to show which exact formulation has been used. Take Feminax, it’s period pain relief, and it costs £4.50.
“But if you compare the product codes you’ll find inside the fancy box, it has the identical product at Tesco’s own brand [Migraine relief] and Sainsbury’s Migraine Relief.”
The same can be said for Sudafed (Asda, £5) and own brand cold and flu medications, including Sainsbury’s max strength cold and flu relief (£2.30) and Tesco’s max strength cold and flu relief (£2.00).
The final hold-outs
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While shoppers can be tempted away from most branded products, there are some final holdouts.
Make-up, washing detergent and pet food are still seeing strong sales figures for the premium brands.
Denise said: “Take the pet aisle, even in the thick of the cost of living crisis. Branded pet food sales have gone up, with own brands going down.
“It seems we just can’t bring ourselves to rest short-changing our furry friends.
“And we’re own brands snobs when it comes to keeping our clothes clean too.
“Own-brands brands only make up 20 per cent of washing detergent sales, with four out of five of us still using a big brand.”
Despite the poor sales of washing detergent, Which! and Good Housekeeping have both found that the own brands perform just as well as the recognised labels.
After all of her investigations, Denise is left impressed with the own label versions.
She sums up: “It looks like our love affair with own brands will continue to grow.
“So the own brands are just as good quality as the big brands, and sometimes they’re even made in the same factories and miles cheaper. What’s not to love?”
Secrets of Supermarket Own Brands airs on Channel 4 tonight at 8pm
