Nutrition Food Values Articles & Resources

The study carried out by the consumer affairs magazine Health Which? found that people had difficulty in picking out the cheaper `value' brands in taste tests, and many were just as nutritious as their more expensive counterparts. Only one in five products tested had a much lower nutritional difference.

One notable difference was in the yoghurt sector with differences in taste and nutritional content. There was almost half the amount of protein between standard and cheaper yoghurts from Asda and Tesco, with the level in Asda's `smartprice' yoghurt so low it broke the industry's code of practice. In response to the findings, Asda has since agreed to reformulate the product.

One significant difference came in the baked bean sector. Whilst the survey found budget beans contained around a fifth fewer beans in them, they were also usually half the price.

Digestive biscuits, long-life orange juice and ready salted crisps were also tested. The survey found the budget brands to taste as least as good, and sometimes better. Nutritional values were almost comparable.

Health Which? senior researcher Felicity Porritt said, "In four out of five budget products we looked at, nutritional value wasn't compromised, and many of the brands did well on taste too." She added, "If you like the taste, and differences in packaging aren't a problem, then go for value brands if you want to save money - they're worth it."