Should You Buy Generic or Brand Name Food?

Once upon a time, many years ago, my husband and I took a free course offered by a bank (not even ours) by a woman who professed to teach how to save money. One of the things that stuck with me was a tasting test. She put generic foods - vegetables and fruit - in bowls and we were asked to taste and rate them.

I was buying mostly generic at the time (this was back when "generic" meant black and white labels, symbolically cheaper than color) but even I was surprised to find that what I thought would be brand name products because of quality and flavor, often turned out to be generic.

So I have two thoughts for today. Does generic mean the food is inferior to brand names? And can you save a lot by buying generic foodstuff? (By "generic," let's include store brands.)

Is generic inferior?

Short answer: Not necessarily.

Long answer: Sometimes it is, at least cosmetically. Peas are not necessarily uniform in size. You might find a bit of corn cob in a can of corn. There are fewer cherries in fruit cocktail and more potatoes in vegetable mixes.

There are also fewer added ingredients, so if you're addicted to name brand peanut butter, generic peanut butter made with fewer sugars and other " flavor enhancements" will taste different. Whether that flavor is inferior or superior is up to you.

While nutritionally speaking, there is no difference in the particular ingredients, you can see that there is a nutritional difference for instance, in a vegetable mix that is half potatoes and one that is a quarter potatoes.

Can you save money with generic?

Short answer: Yes - but not always.

Long answer: The whole idea of "generic" is a cheaper version of highly advertised name brands. We pay for the advertising of those brands when we buy the product, sure, but there's more to the picture.

For one, it's well known that some brand name corporations pack produce under a generic label. That does not mean the produce is the same "quality" - i.e., uniform in size or coloration that they pack under their own label. Again, nutritionally speaking, there is no difference.

We need to keep in mind, though, that sales on brand name products can make them quite a bit more frugal than generic products (which seldom, if ever, go on sale). Coupons can be found for name brands, too, and that can lower the costs tremendously.

The bottom line is that, while generics can be excellent, frugal choices in general, they may not always fill our needs or expectations. Couple that with shopping sales, couponing and stocking the pantry, generic may not always be the best deal there is.

It literally pays to pay attention to all of the facts - and it never hurts to think for yourself.