Own brand products are usually cheaper, but just as good as the more promoted commercial brands. Here’s how to find the best ones.
By Tobie Stanger
Angel Micarelli can’t get enough of Vendor Joe’s organic raw almonds. “I buy them religiously,” says this writer from Hingham, Massachusetts. Not only is it difficult to find them in other stores, but — he says — at Vendor Joe’s they are at least 25% cheaper.
Karen Iseminger of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, prefers Huge Meals’ own-brand chocolate stripe shortbread cookies over Keebler’s version, which costs twice as much. “There is something special about the chocolate they use and the butter dough…” he enthuses on Consumer Studies’ Consumer 101 Facebook page.
Mike Arnold of Portland, Oregon, who also participates in Consumer 101, says that Costco’s Kirkland Signature Gargantuan Premium Vanilla Ice Cream is “excellent… and at a typical Costco price!” Translation: a very reasonable price.
Private label groceries are booming.
Once viewed as mere cheap imitations of name-brand products, private label or store brands—also known as “private label” brands—have improved in both quality and diversity. And while mainstream food prices have risen faster than the global inflation rate over the past five years, private label products alleviate this impact by being marketed at prices that are typically 25% to 30% lower than their name-brand equivalents.
Dollar sales of private label food products increased 3.3% in 2025, compared to a 1.2% increase for national commercial brands during the same period, according to research conducted by marketing consultancy Circana for the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA). As of March 2026, 24% of all grocery purchases in the United States were private brands, up from 17.7% at the end of 2021.
Own brands dominate some food categories. In 2025, they accounted for about two-thirds of frozen eggs and vegetables sold in the United States, according to the PLMA. Likewise, at least half of the sales of fresh meat, cheese, milk and sugar – or their alternatives – also corresponded to own brands. When planning a picnic, you’ll most likely opt for disposable cups, plates, cutlery, and store-brand candles.
Why own brands are on the rise
Surveys reveal that consumers appreciate private label products primarily for their prices and perceived value. Food retailers like them because they are profitable; Producing and selling a store brand is cheaper than doing so with a national brand. In addition, own brand items can generate loyalty towards the store itself, without the need for a large advertising investment.
“Retailers’ advertising strategy is simply to place the private-label product next to the store-brand product, so people will notice the price difference,” says Candace Rogers, a researcher at Strategic Helpful Resource Group, a food market research firm based in New York.
Members’ clubs and specialist food retailers – such as Aldi, Lidl and Vendor Joe’s – have built their reputations around the price and quality of their own-brand products. Traditional food retailers are increasingly following suit. Currently, large supermarket chains usually offer different ranges of own brand products to satisfy various budgets and tastes. For example, in addition to its flagship Kroger brand, this retail giant offers several additional private label options, including Straightforward Truth and Straightforward Truth Organic for organic and natural foods; Non-public Probability for top charge range products; Mighty K, Excellent Components and Heritage Farm as budget options; and Mercado, aimed at the Latin public.
“Retailers are prioritizing private label as a traditional strategy,” says Jill Blanchard, president of national services at OSMG America, a national brokerage for consumer packaged goods.
The margins that manufacturers make from producing private labels are not as high as those from their own brands. But they still benefit, because producing large volumes for a large supermarket’s own brand considerably lowers manufacturing costs per unit.
“This maximizes efficiency and, thanks to those savings, it is possible to implement better promotional programs for the product itself,” explains Burt Flickinger III, long-established director of Strategic Helpful Resource Group.
Who manufactures the supermarkets’ own brand products?
Sometimes the same companies make both the name brand products and the private label (or private label) products that imitate them. Store brands will feature different names and labels, different packaging, slightly different shapes, colors or scents, or a slightly different recipe.
“It’s a common misconception that private label is always a lower-quality version,” says Ernest Baskin, associate professor of food, pharmacy and health at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Baskin notes that retailers can require manufacturers to prove that the private-label product is as good as—or even better than—their own brand name.
Typically, name brand manufacturers do not reveal that they also produce own brands. However, Reynolds Consumer Merchandise — maker of Hefty trash bags and Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil — indicates on its website that its Presto subsidiary makes private-label storage bags, trash bags and plastic wrap. Likewise, Taylor Farms—a company that markets its packaged salads and salad products through large retailers such as Albertsons, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club, Aim, Walmart and Entire Meals Market—has been behind some of the salads sold under the Vendor Joe’s and Kroger brands.
Manufacturers who focus on supplying products or ingredients for private brands are also part of this scenario. Oregon-based BrucePac, for example, creates cooked meats and poultry for the private label market. (BrucePac’s cooked chicken, marketed under the private brands of 7-Eleven, Amazon Kitchen, HEB, Kroger, Meijer, Aim, Vendor Joe’s and others, was involved in a massive recall in 2024 due to the risk of listeria contamination.) Butter giant Land O’Lakes does not directly manufacture own-brand products, but it sells dairy products — such as cheddar cheese, powdered milk and buttermilk — to other food manufacturers for use in their snacks, sauces and other products.
Large retailers may manufacture some of their own private label products or acquire other companies to develop their own trademarks. Murray’s Cheese, an iconic New York City institution, was acquired by Kroger in 2017; This cheese factory now has a presence in more than 1,000 Kroger-owned stores nationwide.
Why you should consider store brands
Ninety-six percent of U.S. grocery shoppers buy store brands at least occasionally, and nearly half — 46% — buy store brands most or always, according to a 2023 report from the Food Advertising and Marketing Institute, a food industry trade association. Here’s why it’s worth trying more own-brand food products.
They will allow you to save money. Over the course of a year, replacing well-known brand products with own brands can mean significant savings in your budget. “For people who buy products on sale every week, or store brands whenever possible, a family of four can save $5,000 a year,” says Flickinger.
They can match the quality and taste of well-known brands. Far from being second-rate options, store brands can be as good—or even better—than the best-known brands on the market. When Consumer Studies’ expert tasters compared 10 private-label pantry staples against their name-brand counterparts, they identified numerous private-label products that equaled or surpassed those bigger-name brands. Kroger’s Creamy Ranch dressing, for example, was deemed superior to Hidden Valley’s version, at less than half the price per serving. Aldi’s Chef’s Cupboard condensed chicken noodle soup was the winner, beating Campbell’s version, which costs almost twice as much.
It is possible to find unique offers. Retailers are increasingly introducing private label products that do not have a high street brand equivalent, and consumers are responding positively. On social media and foodie websites, you’ll find raves about items like Denali Unsuitable Moose Tracks ice cream from Kroger’s Non-public Probability line, Vendor Joe’s extensive offering of seasonal pumpkin-flavored products, and Wegmans’ spicy tomato oil. “Aldi’s Specially Selected Dark Chocolate Covered Cashews are a must-have in my family,” says Barbara Nelson Childress, a Consumer 101 contributor based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
It is possible to avoid “redufflation” (shrinkflation). Own-brand products could be among the last to succumb to this sinister trend, in which manufacturers reduce the size or weight of a product’s packaging without lowering the price. “Quit & Store orange juice is still 64 ounces,” says Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate who runs Mouse Print, a website that tracks fine print on product labels and contracts. “Others have dropped from 59 ounces to 52, and now I’m seeing 46-ounce containers.”
Flickinger suggests that the large production volumes of private label manufacturers generate economies of scale that can help reduce redflation. “With own brands, the size and weight remain unchanged,” he points out; However, while competitors reduce the content of their products, “retailers can indicate on their own brand packaging that the consumer gets 25% more.”
How to find the best own brand products
Check the reviews. CR’s reviews of private label staples can help you identify the ones that are really worth it. You can also find numerous posts on Facebook, Quora, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube from consumers who have made their own product comparisons or reviews.
Compare unit prices. Private label products don’t always turn out to be the cheapest option, especially when the retailer offers discounts on well-known store brands or accepts manufacturer coupons. Therefore, compare prices per ounce or per pound to clear up any doubts. If your store shows those prices per unit, it is very easy for you. If it doesn’t—or if unit prices don’t follow a uniform format—use the calculator on your smartphone or download a free app to calculate unit prices. Of the applications we analyzed, calculators unit prices developed by Steve Kideckel (available in the Apple App Store) and by Six By Nine Apps (in the Google Play Store) we found the easiest to use.
Compare ingredient and nutrition labels. In our comparisons between name brand products and private label products, we found some notable differences in the amounts of sugar and sodium. One product may contain an allergen—such as wheat or almonds—while its competitor may not. Additionally, certain additives—such as caramel coloring or BHT (“freshness-preserving”)—may be present in an item, but not in its equivalent.
Try it! Own-brand products typically cost less than their name-brand counterparts, so the financial risk is generally low. And if you don’t like what you try, it doesn’t hurt to ask the store for your money back.
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