Premium ranges: worth the money ?

Edwardia

Personally, I believe that supermarket premium ranges are a cynical marketing exercise by the supermarkets to part us from our money.

Some premium products taste better eg The Co-operative Truly Irresistible coleslaw is made with cream and creme fraiche and has fresh chive snippings on top ready to stir in.

How are we meant to distinguish between a Taste The Difference apple or new potato and a Basics one ? Some of this premium range fresh produce is even more expensive than organic.

At least with organic you know that it will have been reared/grown without GM feed, pesticides, insecticides and fungicides and that the only chemicals in the food will be permitted ones eg nitrates in bacon (though some brands are nitrate free). If you're dubious, organic food has to be certified so there will be the EU leaf symbol, Soil Association logo, USDA logo or similar.

There are NO guarantees on the premium ranges. That means they may well be covered in pesticide residue or come from animals fed on GM feed or have chemicals added that don't need to be there as part of the preserving process.

There isn't a standard for premium ranges. No one checks that the food IS the higher standard claimed.

ASDA sells Butcher's Selection meat. Call me cynical but I doubt there are ASDA butchers in store selecting and rejecting meat.

ASDA sells Chosen By You. How does consumer panel testing justify a price hike ? Probably all supermarkets do that on own brand products.

What do you think of premium ranges ? Can you tell the difference between an Extra Special, The Best, Chosen By You, Truly Irresistible, Taste The Difference, Butcher's Selection, Finest product and the standard or value products ? Are some worth the money ? Are some so bad you won't even buy them yellow-stickered ? Do you buy premium ranges when on offer or all the time ? Do you think they're good value for money ?

Are we being ripped off ?

steviedeal

Some pemium ranges in vegetables are premium varieties, such as strawberries where most premium packs have Sweet Eve, Jubilee etc.. whereas the regular range will have elsanta and portola and the cheap ranges whatever is left or not the best of quality.

Somethings are worth the extra and i would buy such as strawberries (where premium varieties are usually softer, sweeter and more juicy), burgers (more flavour and better quality of meat). Where as a carrot is a carrot to me, and a potato is a potato.

PasturesNew

I just work on "how much will this cost me?" "do I like the taste?". That's my buying decisions made.

lincroft1710

PasturesNew wrote: »

I just work on "how much will this cost me?" "do I like the taste?". That's my buying decisions made.

Do you not also consider the ingredients, e.g. fat/salt/sugar/protein percentages.

Haffiana

Organic used to mean good quality. Now that isn't necessarily the case - some organic produce is tasteless or inferior. Organic eggs/chickens are a case in point - the chicken feed may be organic, but it can still be from a single grain and devoid of fresh greens and grubs resulting in tasteless produce.

The fruit and veg my DH grows on his allotment is not strictly speaking organic, and would fail to be certified as such, but it is infinitely superior to organic produce from shops.

GM is still currently primarily a US issue rather than an EU issue although alarmist websites would have us believe otherwise.

I always buy the best quality I can. I discovered years ago that virtually everything in Waitrose was of far superior quality to anything in Tesco (I mean real food here, I am not talking about prepared things in packets, just basic meat and veg etc) so I don't shop in Tesco's. I would rather have a small amount of something good quality than a large amount of something not as good but cheaper.

sweetilemon

I buy a lot of premium products and a few value. Value i get pasta, rice, cream cheese. Finest i buy curry sauces, fresh orange, peppers, meal deals. Generally I compare the price V's quality...i do think they are superior but not to the extent its worth double. For example ive just eaten finest baby potatoes, i paid £1, if they had been £2.50 i would have bought the next best quality. The fresh beetroot is loads tastier than the basic. Carrots, onions etc i just buy basic. Burgers, lasanga ( rarely buy ready-made), cold meat i would only really buy finest as its better quality but if the price was too high i would chose something else.

ammonite

I think the only thing I have found tastier in the premium brand (not 'external brands') are tomatoes, normal and basic just don't taste of anything whereas Finest really do taste better.

stephen77

Premium ranges in my experience are better than standard ranges and value lines.
sausages/burgers will have a higher meat content and probably have herbs or more premium seasoning added. Now this will not be to everyone liking as some people like less course and blander products. However if you tried to make this home it would cost more than making a standard line equivlent.

say chicken and ham ready meal.
value = steamed chicken and ham with added water.
std line = roast chicken with roast ham
prem = corn fed roast chicken breast with honey roast ham.

Some people may prefer the value option as the chicken will be softer and the ham will be rubbery, but that is what is they like.

stephen77

There may be some other things you may not pick up being a consumer.

with a product x. lets say bread
both value and premium loaves made on the 21st of august.
value = use by date = 30th of august
prem - use by date = 28th of august.

If you go to a store with a high turnover of bread.
Your be picking up quite fresh bread. so you not notice the shorter shelf life benefit of the premium loaf.
However in a quiter store you may be picking up the loaf on the last day of its use by. so on the 28th both breads still quite fresh.
however on the 30th both loaves are not fresh. However to keep the prem brand level high they choose not the premium loaf past the 28th so customers getting fresh produce.

Other things such as not using frozen(defrosted chicken) ingredients when fresh is possible etc in ready meals etc.

some of these can cost a lot more to do, and the increase in quality may be small compared to the increased cost.
However most supermarkets will have people wanting to get best out of the suppliers.

Middy

Things I buy value:
. Tinned fruit and veg
. Long life milk
. Some fresh fruit n veg like peppers, mushrooms, white grapes (always are the same variety as the normal ones), salad leaves
. Custard Powder sachets
. Salted nuts
Value lines I don't buy:
. Meat
. Ready Meals
. Tinned soups
. Coffee - once had the misfortune to drink a value coffee - I rather drink ditch water
. Jam

Premium lines I buy:
. Sausages. Sainsbury's TTD sausages are one of the best commercial sausages around - esp the venison and the red wine ones.
. Cooked meat
. Wine and Beer (only if its on offer or have a good money off coupon for it)
. Bread products
. Ready Meals - again only if on offer or has a YS

Premium lines I don't buy
. Biscuits - I am losing weight
. Chutneys - don't eat much of them
. Eggs
. Yoghurts - so high in calories
. Salad dressings - so high in calories

Quality over quantity for me. The things I buy in the value are bog standard as a red pepper tastes the same regardless. Plus 99% of my peppers and mushrooms are cut up and thrown in chilli con carnes, curries, stews etc and can't tell if they were value or normal.