There is a tendency to believe that national brand products, which are often more expensive, offer better nutritional values for health than first-price products.
But according to a recent survey by UFC-Que Choisir, some « budget » products are better than brand-name products.
First-price and branded products: which are the best from a nutritional point of view?
For its November issue, UFC-Que Choisir conducted a survey to find out whether so-called « economy » food products were less good than their more expensive branded equivalents.
To do this, the consumer association analyzed the labels of 12 product categories (brioches, pizzas, jams, Bolognese sauces, mayonnaise, chocolate cakes, etc.), comparing products sold by major brands with those sold by « low-cost » distributors such as Aldi, Lidl or Leader Price.
The experts compared the products in terms of their nutritional value and the presence or absence of undesirable substances (such as additives).
First-price food products are sometimes better than brand-name products
According to the results of the survey, some first-price products have nothing to envy to those of the big brands. In fact, of the 12 products analyzed, first-price products topped the charts 8 times.
This is the case for mayonnaise, bolognese sauce, brioche bread, pizza, ice cream, salami, and spreadable cheese, whose mass-market, first-price brand products outperform those of major brands.
The association doesn’t say that low-cost products are good quality, but it does point out that » mid-range brands are not beyond reproach « .
UFC-Que Choisir even gives the example of Lidl’s Bolognese lasagne, which has identical characteristics to those of the national Marie brand. In fact, both are made in the same factory. Yet Marie lasagne is 60% more expensive than Lidl lasagne…