May 2009
Generic food brands may cost consumers' health - but check labels first
Early indications of the results from a National Heart Foundation study comparing around 5000 packaged products in Australian supermarkets have shown cheaper supermarket brands may contain significantly more energy, sodium, saturated fat and trans fats than branded products.
However, when put to the test on Today Tonight recently, it seems this may not always hold true. “While some generic brands are worse nutritionally than their branded counterparts, this wasn’t the case across the board,” Sharon Natoli, Accredited Practising Dietitian and director of Food & Nutrition Australia, told Today Tonight viewers.
“In our brief comparison we found the generic peanut butter better than the branded variety, while orange juice, cornflakes and canned spaghetti were very similar. When it came to stir-fry sauce and chocolate biscuits, the branded products rated slightly better. So overall, the most important thing is to read the nutrition information panel and the ingredient list when comparing products at the supermarket. In many cases, you may find a cheaper generic product that is similar nutritionally to the more expensive brands, leaving you more money to spend on fresh fruit and veg!”
The Heart Foundation's chief executive Dr Lyn Roberts reported that more than 60 per cent of Australian consumers have switched to cheaper supermarket brands. This is likely a result of the economic downturn.
Other ways to save money on the weekly grocery bill include:
Take-home message: When choosing packaged products, compare a few different brands and try to choose those with fewer kilojoules, saturated fat, sugars and sodium.
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