Supermarket own brand identical to branded products

Uncle_moe

Agree that butcher shop quality is very much a mixed bag. I try to stay clear of any processed meats in butcher shops as most is of pretty poor quality. You really have to know about the overall quality of the shop. I personally wouldn't buy sausages or other processed meat from a butcher I wasn't familiar with.

Fratton Fred

I had a party recently and my wife told me, under no circumstances, was i to buy Aldi beers, they had to be good quality as everyone would know.

So, I stocked up on O'Sheas IPA and Golden Ale. It went down really well, everyone was asking me where I got these beers from. O'Sheas by the way, is O'Haras but slightly weaker and a lot cheaper.

For lager I just got what ever was on the best offer in Tesco at the time (San Miguel I think) cos that stuff all tastes the same anyway.

fussyonion

I use a very good local butcher but I do also buy meat in Aldi and I'm very impressed by it.

The whole chickens always come out gorgeous. Never dry or tough and loads of flavour. The mince beef is just perfect and not stringy like most supermarket mince.

The pork chops are lovely and thick and I can't get enough of the maple rashers.

I know a lot of people will avoid supermarket meat but I recommend you try Aldi's range. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

pedigree 6

draiochtanois wrote: »

No they are not

Butter is butter, milk is milk, cream is cream.

Only thing that is different is the packaging.

Ya might think that milk is just milk.

BUT as a dairy farmer who gets paid on the constituents of the milk that couldn't be further from the truth.
I see differences in the fat, protein, lactose on every collection and then big differences between whether the cows are on an indoor diet or out on grass and then the type and growth stage of grass and then whether the Sun is shining or not and then breed of cow differences between high volume low constituents Holstein milk or low volume high constituents Jersey milk or Friesian milk which is in between the two and then stage of lactation differences in constituents of the milk also.

But shur milk is just milk.

draiochtanois

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ohnonotgmail

draiochtanois wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Assuming the above is true why are there such differences in best before dates between own brand and branded milk? The own brand milk regularly has best before dates a week shorter than the branded milk.

HeidiHeidi

Lord knows what kind of a ****-storm I'm going to bring down on my head with this... but here goes....

Butter - I've done the rounds of branded and unbranded (they're all branded, but you know what I mean) - and I'm convinced they're not all the same. Some are softer than others straight out of the fridge (do they mix something in it to stop it going rock hard? I'm sure I remember butter from my childhood that you'd need an axe to get into straight out of the fridge), and I think some are saltier than others. Couldn't be scientific about it though.

Bottled water - I can DEFINITELY taste a difference between them. Softer, harder, metallic.... I've never done a taste test but I'm fairly sure there's one or two I'd identify no problem in a blind test.

HeidiHeidi

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Assuming the above is true why are there such differences in best before dates between own brand and branded milk? The own brand milk regularly has best before dates a week shorter than the branded milk.

That would in my book be a good thing!

3-week best before dates on milk slightly freaks me out if I'm honest. What on earth are they putting in it / doing to it to make it last that long? :eek:

Same with bread.

pedigree 6

draiochtanois wrote: »

And Farmers are farmers, thinking they know everything about everything.

While the above is true it bears no relevance to what I said unless you bottle and sell your milk in individual bottles.

As you probably know if you thought about it the milk from your bulk tank gets blended with your neighbours on the truck that comes to collect it (which also samples if for the constituents. That milk is further blended at the liquid milk processing plant. That same milk is often sold in two different cartoons

Super market own brand e.g Supervalu and branded Avonmore

Milk as a consumer buys it is milk, butter is butter, etc

So all the milk in the country is being blended together in one big vat?

You do know that some farms are filling the tanker on their own.
So that milk docket that comes testing that milk is the same for that whole tanker and how that farmer fed the cows and the other variables I mentioned before still stand.
Then when it goes to the processor it depends on that particular processor whether they take the whey protein, butterfat, lactose out and how much they put back into that carton or whether it goes back at all.
Then you have the different minerals produced and cows out on grass fulltime will have more at this time of year than cows indoor in the winter.

Then that butter you eat with that yellow colour. That comes from beta carotene.
Only produced from grass fed cows.

But shur what would I know.
I'm only an ignorant farmer.

draiochtanois

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C3PO

optogirl wrote: »

loads of supermarkets do this - they contract the likes of Premier Dairies Or Dawn or Kellogs to make their cereals/juices/whatevers and package in own brand packaging

Probably mentioned somewhere else in the discussion but Kellogs don't manufacture for anyone else ... nor do Coca-Cola!

my3cents

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Lord knows what kind of a ****-storm I'm going to bring down on my head with this... but here goes....

Butter - I've done the rounds of branded and unbranded (they're all branded, but you know what I mean) - and I'm convinced they're not all the same. Some are softer than others straight out of the fridge (do they mix something in it to stop it going rock hard? I'm sure I remember butter from my childhood that you'd need an axe to get into straight out of the fridge), and I think some are saltier than others. Couldn't be scientific about it though.

Bottled water - I can DEFINITELY taste a difference between them. Softer, harder, metallic.... I've never done a taste test but I'm fairly sure there's one or two I'd identify no problem in a blind test.

Interesting case in point with the bottled water. We had some problems I forget what were with bottled water from Lidl and I was talking to a neighbor who is a sales (manager/director?) for one of the big Irish manufacturers and mentioned it to him. He wanted to know if the water had got any better because his company had recently taken over the supply of it for Lidl. Same bottle same label same packaging but completely different supplier and water source.

JupiterKid

Aldi products are very good quality. Tesco own brand products are fine except for their "value" range which is sub par. Dunnes own brand products are rubbish.

M&S products are the best but of course you pay a good bit extra for them.

One product that I always buy branded is Fairy washing up liquid. Everything else is inferior.

HeidiHeidi

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Lord knows what kind of a ****-storm I'm going to bring down on my head with this... but here goes....

Butter - I've done the rounds of branded and unbranded (they're all branded, but you know what I mean) - and I'm convinced they're not all the same. Some are softer than others straight out of the fridge (do they mix something in it to stop it going rock hard? I'm sure I remember butter from my childhood that you'd need an axe to get into straight out of the fridge), and I think some are saltier than others. Couldn't be scientific about it though.

My mother works in a creamery where they make butter for lots of different retailers. You can tell by the numbers on the back of the packets, each creamery has their own unique number.
The butter is all exactly the same for all retailers. Except if it's a specific low salt butter, which is done early in the week, then all other orders are done after.
Exact same ingredients.

Parchment

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Bottled water - I can DEFINITELY taste a difference between them. Softer, harder, metallic.... I've never done a taste test but I'm fairly sure there's one or two I'd identify no problem in a blind test.

Im the same - i cannot drink Volvic (salty), Rover Rock (claggy taste - makes me even thirstier) or any of the cheapo brands like "celtic water" or whatever, they all taste plasticy/salty.

I find Ballygowan tasteless so thats ok but Evian is the best. Lovely smooth taste, it has to be to do with the high silica % in it. Other brands dont have silica in the water.

I gag at the taste of most tap waters. i really wish i could drink it easily but i cant. I hate that i buy bottled water (about 6 big bottles a week) because of the plastic bottles but otherwise i wouldnt be able to drink as much water as i need.

First world problem for sure but i could id bottled water in a blind taste test.

HeidiHeidi

bubblypop wrote: »

My mother works in a creamery where they make butter for lots of different retailers. You can tell by the numbers on the back of the packets, each creamery has their own unique number.
The butter is all exactly the same for all retailers. Except if it's a specific low salt butter, which is done early in the week, then all other orders are done after.
Exact same ingredients.

I'm certainly not going to argue with you (or your mother :eek: ) but how come then some butter is noticeably softer than others when taken straight out of the fridge?

I had assumed (and yes, I know what they say about assuming!) that oils or emulsifiers are mixed in to keep it from going rock hard, and amounts of this varied between brands.

(Just realised I'm in danger of completely derailing this thread into a how-do-they-make-butter one, for which apologies! My last post on the topic, I promise)

HeidiHeidi

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I'm certainly not going to argue with you (or your mother :eek: ) but how come then some butter is noticeably softer than others when taken straight out of the fridge?

I had assumed (and yes, I know what they say about assuming!) that oils or emulsifiers are mixed in to keep it from going rock hard, and amounts of this varied between brands.

(Just realised I'm in danger of completely derailing this thread into a how-do-they-make-butter one, for which apologies! My last post on the topic, I promise)

I don't know, I wouldn't keep butter in the fridge ever, gets too hard!!
But it's the same ingredients. Just check the numbers on the back, they're in a little circle thing with letters as well. You can tell which butters are made by the same factory.

Agree about the water, but that's obvious enough, if you drink from different wells in different parts of the country, it tastes different. All to do with the soil make up I guess.

prinzeugen

bubblypop wrote: »

I don't know, I wouldn't keep butter in the fridge ever, gets too hard!!
But it's the same ingredients. Just check the numbers on the back, they're in a little circle thing with letters as well. You can tell which butters are made by the same factory.

Agree about the water, but that's obvious enough, if you drink from different wells in different parts of the country, it tastes different. All to do with the soil make up I guess.

The numbers only show the factory. The process and ingredients are likely to be different.

Same factory does not equal same product. Fact!

prinzeugen

Parchment wrote: »

Im the same - i cannot drink Volvic (salty), Rover Rock (claggy taste - makes me even thirstier) or any of the cheapo brands like "celtic water" or whatever, they all taste plasticy/salty.

I find Ballygowan tasteless so thats ok but Evian is the best. Lovely smooth taste, it has to be to do with the high silica % in it. Other brands dont have silica in the water.

I gag at the taste of most tap waters. i really wish i could drink it easily but i cant. I hate that i buy bottled water (about 6 big bottles a week) because of the plastic bottles but otherwise i wouldnt be able to drink as much water as i need.

First world problem for sure but i could id bottled water in a blind taste test.

Bottled water is the biggest con going. Water is water. Any claims that X brand is healthier than Y brand is bull****.

I do agree that river rock makes you more thirsty however.

If you like water with silicates (sand) in it, look forward to kidney stones.

HeidiHeidi

prinzeugen wrote: »

Bottled water is the biggest con going. Water is water. Any claims that X brand is healthier than Y brand is bull****.

I do agree that river rock makes you more thirsty however.

If you like water with silicates (sand) in it, look forward to kidney stones.

I haven't seen anyone claiming that one water is healthier than another?

They do taste different, though.

MarkY91

Weetabix are obviously not the real ones but to be honest, I prefare the taste of the own brand ones. SuperValu ones to be precise. Real weetabix taste weird to me at this stage.

Some own brand stuff I just cannot eat. Like mayonaisse and ketchup.

Will I Am Not

Who makes the Fallon's tea that you get in Lidl. It's class.

prinzeugen

prinzeugen wrote: »

The numbers only show the factory. The process and ingredients are likely to be different.

Same factory does not equal same product. Fact!

Well, when it comes to butter, the process & ingredients are exactly the same, apart from the low salt butter.

I love Sean nos

Worked in a factory in my teens making chicken burgers, chicken kievs, etc. The trays and labels changed depending on which supermarket was buying, but the product was unchanged.

Parchment

Parchment wrote: »

Im the same - i cannot drink Volvic (salty), Rover Rock (claggy taste - makes me even thirstier) or any of the cheapo brands like "celtic water" or whatever, they all taste plasticy/salty.

I find Ballygowan tasteless so thats ok but Evian is the best................

River Rock is just tap water filtered to some degree
Ballygowan is actually spring water.

Can't fathom how people buy River Rock and other bottled city water options when actual spring water as available at the same price.

prinzeugen wrote: »

Bottled water is the biggest con going. Water is water. Any claims that X brand is healthier than Y brand is bull****..........

There's a huge difference between spring water and the stuff that's after having chlorine, flouride etc added.
The difference is actually detailed on the label for you.

Uncle_moe

Really interested in the butter question. Obviously there are different grades, the sea salt butter in marks from Brittany is amazing. The milk it's made from has a higher fat content so it tastes much richer, the salt is also superior in texture at least.
However, why do some Irish butters very so much. Some that claim to be butter are so soft even from the fridge which seems odd, and have an inferior taste to Kerrygold. I assume Kerrygold don't make stuff for anyone else?

draiochtanois

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Uncle_moe

draiochtanois wrote: »

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They only say they pack and market Kerrygold though, they don't claim to produce it.

draiochtanois

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srsly78

prinzeugen wrote: »

Bottled water is the biggest con going. Water is water. Any claims that X brand is healthier than Y brand is bull****.

I do agree that river rock makes you more thirsty however.

If you like water with silicates (sand) in it, look forward to kidney stones.

Many of those brands quite literally are tap water. River Rock certainly is.