Great 'disguised Own Brand' Hunt.

ann-marie8

not that long ago i've worked in a fresh salads factory:

one order / five different clients (including M&S, Sainsburrys, Safeway) + one product (i.e. icebergletuce) + one production line + five different films (for bags) + eastern european labour (to keep costs down) working without complaining for 12 hours in fridge temperatures with 1-2 15mins brakes = five different low prices fresh salads

if it comes to fruit & vege i always go for the cheapest option - a salad is a salad - one ingridient - there isn't much to think about

ann-marie8

not that long ago i've worked in a fresh salads factory:

+ one order / five different clients (including M&S, Sainsburrys, Safeway)
+ one product (i.e. icebergletuce)
+ one production line
+ five different films (for bags)
+ eastern european labour (to keep costs down) working without complaining for 12 hours in fridge temperatures with 1-2 15mins brakes

= five different low prices fresh salads

if it comes to fruit & vege i always go for the cheapest option - a salad is a salad - one ingridient - there isn't much to think about

angelwithdirtywings

Hi, Having read to a lot of this, please bear with me if this has already been posted.

I used to work for Somerfield for years and there bread is made by Hovis, so needless to say at the time a 25p Somerfield Loaf compaired to the 99p one, well there was no competition,

Also when working in the supermarket, a big makeup brand used to buy the Chicken fat... Yes I did say Chicken fat to make lip sticks... put me right off for years.

My Friend used to work in a clothes factory and made the same clothes for Next and Asda George, where the exact same clothes just with a different label on it.

Also heard that Rimmel are made by a big brand, can't remember who though.

tenuissent

On the subject of tampering with fresh food, I was picking strawberries for myself in a large field full of professional pickers, some years ago. The professionals, after having their boxes weighed, tipped them into huge barrels standing around the field in the hot sun. I looked inside one, and they were being thrown into a bleaching preservative which made them go grey. The farmer said the full barrels went off to a factory to be be made into jam and dyed red again.

Put me off buying jam.

scotgirl2

great thread, very imformative, hope we get more people posting, thanks to all

rainbowandbubbles

Carlsberg produce asda smart price beer, I work within.

HelenE25_2

Does anyone know if anyone makes pure radios?

Ps. New to site but blimey its fantastic - so addictable!

JoS_3

Molly99 wrote: »

Totally agree. Chanel / Bourjois is one of the few make-up brands who don't test on animals.

Sorry, but this is incorrect - Chanel/Bourgeois are not cruelty free. Clarins and Marks and Spencer are though.

JoS_3

jonnys2000 wrote: »

Hi guys. I've also read every page of this and I'm been nodding my head all the way through to this subject.

I work for the company that makes Daz, Ariel and Fairy and I have to say that it's not true that all detergents are the same. Each of these has a different makeup and is designed for different use but we constantly test against competitor products and there is a real reaon why branded products are more expensive - innovation, technology and the component chemicals themselves that do the cleaning (surfactants mainly).

We don't make washing powders (or tabs or liquids) for anyone else and neither (as far as I know) do our main competitors. If you think you're happy with wash performance of an own brand then try switching to us (or persil, surf etc.) next time and see (and smell!) the difference. If you're happy with own brand then great as I know cleaning products can be expensive but just be aware. The same goes for cleaning fluids like Flash etc. Primarily the big brands are R&D organisations with secret formulas and patents so that competitors have to have inferior products!

Two other gripes quickly:

The UK is one of the only countries in the world to have non-bios. Some people (a very small percentage) really can have a react to the enzymes in biological detergents but not as many of you as you would think. Non-bios do not clean as well (as enzymes break down certain stains). Typically rashes or itching is down to overdosing powder which does not get washed out properly by your washing machine. Try dosing less or using a liquid. We produce plenty of non-bios ourselves but it's useful info and should mean you get through less detergent and get better results.

Someone mentionned a "green" company who produce detergents. All I would say is that the industry as a whole is becoming much more eco friendly but also try to really understand what makes a product greener and its effect on the environment and sometimes you may find that these alternative products aren't actually particularly eco friendly not to mention wash performance (in laundry, surfaces, dishwashers etc.). I know some may think this is sour grapes but I really do know what I'm talking about!

This was my first post from being a long time forum reader, I hope someone found it helpful!:beer:

I use washing powder, cleaning products, toothpaste, mouthwash etc from the Co-op, because of their products being endorsed as cruelty free by the BUAV. The thought of using a washing up liquid that has been dripped into rabbits' eyes makes me sick to my stomach. As it happens, everything that I've used from the range is brilliant and cheap, but I would still use it even if it wasn't so good, as animal testing is just evil when there are so many alternatives.

toowise

The majority of supermarket own brand porridge oats is made by a company called Morning Foods in Crewe. Their factory own brand is Mornflake.

they supply asda, Tesco, Sainsbury, waitrose, aldi, Lidl, Co-op, Morrisons, somerfield, as well as some other suppliers. Therfore all the supermarket OB are identical, just shop around for the cheapest and look for offers.

They also supply many overseas supermarket companies worldwide, so next time you are on holiday in the Caribean and fancy some porridge you can buy with confidence if it says made in uk

They also make own brand muesli and also supply oats to Kelloggs, Weetabix(Oatibix), as well as many biscuit makers,bakeries,etc

I know this coz i deliver it all over the Uk