Yahoo Finance The big name firms that make 'own brand' products for a raft of supermarkets
Savvy shoppers have long suspected there is little difference between own brand products and big name brands other than the price.
And now it appears the genie is well and truly out of the bottle.
Following news last week that crisp giant KP actually makes Aldi’s own label Hoops, it can be revealed that well known manufacturers supply everything from bread to curry sauce under other guises.
While the makers insist that the recipes are different, the fact remains that shoppers can save hundreds of pounds a year essentially buying the same products rolling off the same production lines but without paying for the big brand name.
For example, Allied Bakeries makes Kingsmill bread – but it also supplies Tesco with its value brand.
The Kingsmill 800g, soft white loaf will cost you about 95p but Tesco Everyday Value Sliced White Bread, 800g costs less than half that at 45p.
Similarly, McVitie’s makes McVitie’s Digestive Biscuits which costs £1.35 for a 500g pack. McVitie’s also reportedly also makes Sainsbury’s Digestive Biscuits, that cost 55p for a 500g pack.
Ambrosia custard maker Premier Foods produces custard for Tesco and other supermarkets at its Devon creamery, although it insists the recipe is “completely different” from the Ambrosia version.
However, while Ambrosia costs 99p for a 400g carton, Tesco’s custard costs 39p.
And, soft cheese maker Arla makes brie for both Tesco and Waitrose. Waitrose St. Endellion Cornish Brie costs £1.40 for 100g, while Tesco Finest St. Endellion Cornish Brie is £1.05 for 100g.
If you like yoghurt, there are also savings to be made here. Yeo Valley makes own-brand yoghurts for various supermarkets, including the Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
But, while four 120g pots of Yeo Valley Fruit Favourites Yoghurt cost £1.75, a similar selection of four 125g pots of Sainsbury’s Basics Fruit Selection Yoghurts cost just 50p.
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The big name brands say that while they may make foodstuffs for supermarkets, they follow recipes supplied by those chains and they are not the same at the branded products.
Retail expert Clare Bailey, founder of the Retail Champion, says: “Food manufacturing is a limited resource in the UK. There’s all sorts of brands utilising those factories to produce their goods and making minor variations.”
