Why are "value" products so cheap?

rosh12

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is strictly OS but here are my justiifcations for posting it here(!)
(a) I've been reading older threads on "what value products do you buy" etc
(b) it'll help me with cooking form scratch to get some answers!

There are some value things I would never buy, even though we are struggling financially at the mo, and I recently started wondering why is this?! Am I just a snob? I have just read Monica Lewycka's book 2 Caravans (follow up to Ukrainian Tractors...) and it talks about the working conditions for migrant workers in the UK- the worst seemed to be in chicken farming. SO, apart from the whole animal welfare issue, I guess that is another good reason to stick with free range etc rather than the value packs of chicken / mince!

But then I saw the Tesco advert for value potatoes- which implies that the value potatoes are just the ones that are funny shapes.

So, I just wondered, what makes a "value" product value? Is it the shape of the food? The quality of the raw stuff? The workers' wages? The standards in the factory?

Apologies if this should be elsewhere- please move it if nec, but I'd love to know anyones thoughts!


THANKS in advance!

Mutantk

I'm sure someone more skilfull than me will be able to post you the links from previous threads on this topic - but in many cases there is little difference in value and standard ranges, I read some people on here saying that the products are both often made on the same production line with the same ingredients. Like you there are some value things I wouldn't buy such as eggs as I like to know they are free range but there are many things that are value that I buy as standard. There was one particular post that is worth searching for where the poster explains how the supermarkets have to appeal to EVERYONEs tastes and wallets hence the different ranges, value, normal, extra special etc etc - but that apart from fancy packaging there is little to tell them apart.................like I say, Im sure someone more savvy than me will find you the older posts...HTH

Olliebeak

I think it's very often just that with vegetables - stuff that doesn't quite fit the 'expected appearance' - certainly doesn't bother me! In Asda the SmartPrice bananas are usually very green - that don't bother me either as they turn yellow in a couple of days anyway. Just bought 1.5kg (3lbs) of bananas for 97p this morning.

The shape of a potato, carrot, mushroom, etc doesn't matter one jot - but I would be concerned about the quality/taste of the product.

When I've got a bit more money in my purse, I'll worry a little more about pesticides etc - but it's bad enough worrying about the lifespan/lifestyle of the animals that I consume, without fretting too much about the veggies as well!!

thriftlady_2

I would think a fair bit of money is saved by having very simple packaging. Usually these value/basics lines have plain white packets with maybe one or two colours used in the printing. Photos are kept to the minimum too.

I read somewhere once that the biggest portion of the price of a big brand cereal went on packaging and the advertising campaign.

all_hours

i think its a mix. in some cases the quality wont be as good - in other cases the appearance wont be the same as standard. as thriftylady says the packaging will be cheaper, this saving will be passed on to the customer - mono printing with one spot colour is much cheaper than full colour.

tin of mandarin segments is a tin mainly of complete segments - tin of value/basic is a tin of broken segments - these are the bits that were rejected in the sorting process.

some value products havent been through a sorting process at all.

in sainsburys - basics frozen fish is a cheap fish such as pollack and all shapes and sizes - if youre using in fish pie it doesnt matter. 2.5 kg bag of basics frozen chicken for 2.75 - ok its not free range or organic but it is grade a chicken - legs, thighs, drumsticks + some unusual shapes all in one bag.

with manufactured products the ingredients wont be the same - more of the cheap ingredients to bulk it up - more salt to compensate for lack of taste. in meat products there will be less meat per 100g of product.

MrsBartolozzi

I did read somewhere that the flour is exactly the same in Tesco "normal" and value ranges. It's a loss leader, as flour is one of the things people look at when assessing how cheap a shop is.
For other fresh things like eggs: well ok value eggs are not free range, but unless the box you are buying says FR or barn eggs neither are the ones you are buying, although maybe the value ones are a bit smaller; the veg isn't organic, but it is the same variety and would have been grown in the same fields as the others (ie non organic), but may look odd, this is unlikely to affect taste or nutrition.
The fresh and frozen meat too is usually of class A standard, and just like the "normal" brands. I think you just have to be aware of what you are buying, look at the product etc, maybe the value meat is more fatty for instance.
My opinion changes when it comes to the ready meals etc, often there are more fillers/less meat in a pie, or more E numbers to give a longer shelf life, or lesser quality ingredients to begin with, but can you really be sure that the same quality ingredients don't also go into the Finest range??
As with everything, it is Buyer Beware!
Personally, I would buy value ranges (not just Tesco) for most fresh unprocessed products, with the exception of eggs and chicken (both free-range). I would like to be able to afford organic meat all the time, but until I can I am happy to choose between "normal" and the value ranges, as I don't see there is a difference from an animal welfare point of view, but I am more choosy regarding quality of product and often there is little difference to that!

MrsB.

Olliebeak

In Asda the SmartPrice eggs contain a mix of large/medium/small eggs all in the one box (even the 6 packs).

In the days when I used to buy those, I would sort them into sizes and leave the small ones in the door of the fridge for frying (fried-egg butties, bacon&egg (they always want 2 eggs!), medium ones for baking and large ones for boiling would get left in the box (but put to the back of the fridge) where I knew they were - but nobody else would think of looking!

cowbutt

rosh12 wrote: »

So, I just wondered, what makes a "value" product value? Is it the shape of the food? The quality of the raw stuff? The workers' wages? The standards in the factory?

It depends.

Sometimes it's purely in the packaging; i.e. less glamorous packaging.

Sometimes it's in the cosmetic appearance of the product; i.e. funny-shaped vegetables.

Sometimes it's in the freshness; sometimes 'value' goods can have shorter 'use by' dates than non-value ranges (though this may be anecdotal and down to individual stores' stock control, of course!)

Sometimes it's down to consistency; branded or non-value products will generally taste and feel exactly the same from one batch to the next. Value ranges may well vary significantly, e.g. breakfast orange might be sweeter one week than another when it's sharper. This may be due to natural variation in the supply, or it may be down to the retailer switching the supplier according to whoever's cheapest.

Sometimes it's down to product quality; i.e. sometimes the value ranges are bulked out with filler (rusk, fat, sugar, water being the usual suspects, especially with respect to things like cooked meats, sausages and chicken). Food should always be 'fit for human consumption', though, value or not.

ceridwen

Thats me with suspicions then as to why Value Orange Juice is revolting! Could be its bulked out with water. Thought I remembered a poster on another thread a bit back saying you wouldnt buy value cheese if you knew how it was made (compared to production of standard cheese).

I am just relying on my memory on these things though - from when I used to buy non-organic everything - so its a bit back now.

RustyFlange

I know a man who used to work for a company called McBrides, they deal with the packaging of many items, things like bleach, washing powder fabric conditioner and the like. If you were an employee of the company you could buy a *bag* for around 50p which would contain loads of items ... there were also value items in there, basically the only difference were the labels, and the only difference between the supermarkets own brands and the top names were a slight alteration in the ingredients, i.e washing up liquid may contain more of one ingredient if it was fairy where the own brand label would contain a fraction less!

sleepybookworm7

Thought I remembered a poster on another thread a bit back saying you wouldnt buy value cheese if you knew how it was made (compared to production of standard cheese).


You've got me worried now. What's the deal with 'value' cheese then???