Great 'disguised Own Brand' Hunt.

Doc_N

callum9999 wrote: »

That doesn't mean they are the same product, it merely means they have the same barcode number - no information is actually stored on the barcode about the product.

There is technically no reason why Aldi brand washing up liquid couldn't have the same barcode as Tesco Finest Lasange.

Looking at the posts above, though, wouldn't you say that it's just too much to be a mere coincidence?

Tofu_eater

I've read ALL of this thread.
I'm going to be buying loads of value/basics things now and also more supermarket own brand than I did before.
What I have deduced is as follows.
Every second person almost it seems is saying 'I used to work on the production line/factory and we would just swap the labels over' there has to be truth in it.
The thing I have really taken away from this thread is about Marks and Spencers,I always thought when I shopped there(mind you I was usually grabbing the reduced yellow sticker stuff)that they sold 'different veg' which would of come from 'a different place' and been grown in 'different ground' and fed 'different nutrients' and would be better quality.What it seems is that they just get the first pick and get all the better shaped and better looking produce but it's probably all the same veg.I don't really care about how it looks.Similar with things like biscuits and cakes,sometimes the only difference is earlier best before date or a cake being iced in a different way.
Also,things like value/basics frozen veg from the supermarkets,may be same stuff but just misshapen had marks on them,not 'different/better' veg from different/better ground or farm etc.
I realize that this doesn't always apply and I will be using some discernment and studying of labels.
Also,couple of stories about sometimes non organic things getting bunged into an organic bag or pot(supermarket produce),I'm sure that on the whole people will not put non organic to be sold as organic but I can see how it might happen sometimes,they are all being packed in the same place,something runs out and there's a bit of non organic,someone has made a mistake or is very tired and doesn't take the trouble to swap or make sure.
I am going to be checking out Aldi and Lidl,I always thought they were the worst quality but lots of people are raving about them.
Does anyone have any info in the same context about baby wipes,sun tan lotion and also yeast extract?
Thank You

The_Miser

Tofu_eater wrote: »

Every second person almost it seems is saying 'I used to work on the production line/factory and we would just swap the labels over' there has to be truth in it.
The thing I have really taken away from this thread is about Marks and Spencers,I always thought when I shopped there(mind you I was usually grabbing the reduced yellow sticker stuff)that they sold 'different veg' which would of come from 'a different place' and been grown in 'different ground' and fed 'different nutrients' and would be better quality.What it seems is that they just get the first pick and get all the better shaped and better looking produce but it's probably all the same veg.I don't really care about how it looks.

I didn't work on a production line; I handled the shipping documents for tins to UK brands and supermarkets. On one occasion I had a single shipment of Canadian canned salmon, the tins all having identical production imprints (suggesting the same production line, same day, identical contents,perhaps the same ship) but the cans had labels for many UK brand and supermarket names. (I didn't notice M & S). What pi**ed me off was that one of the company labels was advertising on TV that their goods were better than the opposition.
On another occasion there were tins of meat which had already been rejected by Germany on health grounds (too much water) but were OK for the UK. The brand name still appears in the supermarkets in England

VfM4meplse

Tofu_eater wrote: »

Does anyone have any info in the same context about baby wipes,sun tan lotion and also yeast extract?
Thank You

I have learnt from bitter experience this week that Tesco Everyday Value wipes don't compare to Pampers baby wipes. They do an own-brand baby wipe, haven't tried it but would recommend that the standard wipes (60p/100 wipes) are given a wide berth.

Mary_Hartnell

The_Miser wrote: »

On another occasion there were tins of meat which had already been rejected by Germany on health grounds (too much water) but were OK for the UK. The brand name still appears in the supermarkets in England

Same thing applies to German beer and sausages.
The English ones are called bangers because the water content during WWs got so high that when you dropped then into the hot fat they exploded.

Pharm

jenniewb wrote: »

I don't know if they still do, but Boots used to make Neurofen. They were the same brand but this I was told about 10 years ago. To be honest though, Boots Ibuprofen is the most expensive generic brand and not that much cheaper then Nurofen, there are far cheaper versions out there.

Ibuprofen was developed by boots in the 60s, the brand nurofen was sold (along with strepsils and e45) as part of boots merger with alliance in 2006. However the postcode of manufacture, NG32, is still the same on nurofen packets. This is the boots complex in Nottingham

Pharm

patman99 wrote: »

Watchdog did a good expose of the pharmed industry. They compared Nurofen & Nurofen Express & found they were identical so would work the same. The speed of effect is purely mental as you think 'express' means faster acting.
The secret is to look at the license number for the drug you are buying. If this is identical across both branded & unbranded, then it IS the same drug.

Actually the difference is in the salt form the ibuprofen is in. Independent clinical trials, where people would be unaware of what form they were taking, have shown that ibuprofen lysine (express), which is absorbed quicker, acts faster than ibuprofen sodium (standard). Despite what watchdog say, the medicine licensing laws of the uk would not allow manufacturers to make claims they cannot produce evidence for.

PhiltheBear

Flibsey wrote: »

and since trying generic bread, we all decided that actually, all of us prefer home made so I try to find deals on flour rather than bread. I can now knock out a loaf for an average of about 50-60p. and it's a big loaf. I've not weighed one, but it fills a 2l casserole dish lol.
when I started making bread, I tried using dried active yeast in the sachets and i worked out terrible, but Allinson yeast in a small yellow tin works out cheaper per loaf, and works better. weird. I always thought yeast was yeast.

A better and cheaper alternative (in Tesco and ASDA, maybe elsewhere) is to go to the in store bakery and ask for some fresh yeast. It's free. If you must use dried yeast always use 'instant'. It's almost as good, but not quite, as fresh yeast.

pampam

Does anyone know who makes Tesco own brand Complete Dog Food?
Thanks

MRB

Has anyone managed to compile a list of the: "This is just this made by the same firm." posts?

I know we can't be sure they're all true, but would be great to have a list of them stuck together. I've read about a dozen pages but my eyes are starting to bleed.