WalMart food item semi-bargain

[Bob]

Searching the aisles of WalHose today looking for an oil filter for my Lotus[read buying boring household bulk items], I came across a jar of reduced fat Jif Peanut butter. Sitting next to it was the Walhose brand in exactly the same packaging save for the paper label and the jar cap color. Methinks it's the same product at a quasi-signifigant savings?

 

[30A Skunkape]

Yep. If you recall about a year ago there was a scare over salmonella in Peter Pan peanut butter. On the recall list, in addition to the Peter Pan, was Wal-Mart's 'Great Value' brand. The stuff is made in the same factory.

 

[Bob]

is peter pan made by the folks[vermin] who make Jif??? I'm going to die!!! I need the Roman Regurg feather now!

 

[SHELLY]

Truth be told, many private (store) and branded items (aspirin, green beans, pretzels, etc.) are produced in the same factory--they just change the label, bag or container as required.

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[kittyness]

i can confirm this first hand. i work for the country's largest meat company and we literally stop the line, remove the expensive brand label from the label machine, load the store brand label, and begin running the line again. grocery stores don't have the resources or desire to have their own factories for all that stuff. they just pay someone else to do it.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Truth be told, many private (store) and branded items (aspirin, green beans, pretzels, etc.) are produced in the same factory--they just change the label, bag or container as required.

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I refuse to accept the fact that my 25 cent per bag ramen was produced in a seedy factory of the sort that churns out the 10 cent per pouch junk.:angry:

 

[Minnie]

JIF is made by P&G, Skippy by CPC and Peter Pan and Wal-mart brand are made by Conagra.

And yes some factories do make multiple products under different brand names, some generic cereal places also make dry dog food.

 

[tistheseason]

Once upon a time, I worked for a paper manufacturer in the commodity paper side as a price analyst. One of our products we made was copy paper. And we often sold paper as brand name (Xerox, HP) and some as generic or private label (office depot). But they weren't necessarily the same paper. Xerox and HP (and companies like that) have very high quality standards. Not all of our machines could produce to that level all the time. Some older machines never could. But instead of letting the capacity sit idle, we still ran the machine and sold it as off-brand.

So, you see, just because the same company makes the 2 products (brand name and private lael) -- it doesn't mean that they are the same. Ingredients, quality control, manufacturing process can still vary. And often with private label, the company buys leftover capacity from SEVERAL companies.

 

[Matt J]

Say what you want, but I always buy Publix brand over name brand.

If you feel that you are somehow getting an inferior product in a grocery store just because it is store brand, read the label. It's usually word for word the same, and in some cases the store brand is "healthier" because they don't use the dyes and preservatives that name brand companies use.

That and Publix has funn with. Read the sayings on some of the boxes. The animal crackers are probably the funniest.

 

[TableFiveChef]

I never look for discounted food. It is cheap for a reason and you pay the difference with your health. I look for deals on just about everything but food. buy local and know where your food comes from. You are what you eat!