I should state from the start that I am not distinguishing between directly named products, eg Coles brand, products that are house brands that have another name and cheaper competitors that are not specifically made for the house. My reason for that is that none (or almost none) of the supposed house products are actually made by the house, they are made by another party and badged for the house. These I distinguish from name brands; Kelloggs cereals, San Remo pasta, Uncle Toby’s oats etc.
The various no-name pasta products that are available are just the same as the name brands but half the price or less, the same wheat, same taste and texture. Or rolled oats, identical to name brands and one third the price. How about tinned tomatoes or tomato paste? Just the same as the ones that are much more expensive. Nobody can distinguish nobrand cornflakes from Kellogg’s except by the price.
There is a nasty rumour about that some house brand products come off the same production line as big name but go into different packs. Anybody from the industry care to comment? How many possible ways are there to cook oat kernels, flatten them and dry them?
I don’t think all house brand products are good but if you are not buying house brand for some of these products you are spending money for no good reason.
I am reminded of a very elderly relative who always buys Dairy Farmers milk. I asked why, could he taste the difference? He said he had never compared the taste because he never bought anything else. The reason? Because that is what his long dead sainted mother bought and so it must be the best.
Which illustrates where I started, we are actually talking about the relationship between brand name and price point much of the time not the relationship between quality and price.
