Cheap Knock Off Brands For Food?

I almost always buy the store brands over the name brands. I found that , for the most part, you can't really tell a difference in the taste and quality, and sometimes the store brands are actually made by the same company that makes the name brand. The only difference is what label is put on the can.
I shop at either Kroger or ALDI, and both of those stores have their own brands, which are much cheaper, and work just as well as any name brand.
Sometimes, there are some foods that I do notice a difference , and for those few foods, I will spend the extra money to get the name brand and have the taste quality that I want.
One such item for me is yogurt. Most of the store brand yogurt is runny compared to an expensive brand of greek yogurt. If you are only using the yogurt in a smoothie, then runny is fine; but not if you are going to just have a bowl to eat and want it rich and creamy.

 

I think you mean generic brands as they aren't knock off, as that implies they are being marketed as a fake brand. As @Happyflowerlady says, Aldi has become very popular with their own label brands offering excellent value at a fraction of the price. My dad actually prefers Aldi and Lidl crisps over Golden Wonder as they taste better and are cheaper. It's 75p for a pack of 6 in Aldi and Lidl and 99p for the same from Golden Wonder.

It is hit and miss and depends on your taste buds and so I like Aldi mac and cheese, but I'm not so fond of Morrisons own brand. Some use the same factories and just the packaging is different, or there is a slight adjustment in the ingredients (like less veggies or more water) or weight to make the price more attractive.

 

There are certain foods that I will not buy the generic brand of because there is a taste difference. I will buy the cheapest Mac & Cheese and really don't notice the difference other than price. Aldi does have some things that are better or just as good as the more expensive brand name items. I used to buy their packages of coconut shrimp (frozen) for $2.99 and they were really good. They have good cheese, meats, fruits, vegetables, and many other items. I don't buy their canned goods other than canned vegetables. Their condensed soup is so much greasier than Campbell's and their ravioli doesn't taste very good. You just have to pick and choose what you are okay with. Even if you don't buy everything there, you will still cut your grocery bill down by buying some of their items.

 

There are a lot of products that are not well known but are quite good and way cheaper than the ones with known brands. I do try some unknown brands but not always since I usually eat vegetables and fruits. There are quite a few that I have been using like pasta, bread and mayonnaise.

 

Some stuff like generic potato chips can be as good as the name-brand stuff. On the other hand, though, generic cola is awful. Anyway, I'm just giving subjective opinions, and everyone has their own. However, it is true that if we don't like the taste of a certain brand, then it's often not economical to buy it.

 

There is actually a television show called 'Tried and Tested' here in the UK where they blind test popular items like fish pie, beef lasagne, and apple pie with artisan brands, the bestselling brands, and cheaper supermarket versions. The panel is made up of experts including a Michelin star chef, food critics, and award winning producers. It's an eye opener to see what they decide is the best, and it's not always the well known brand.

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I actually haven't encountered those fake brands yet, but I have seen it on the news where boxes of fake food and soap where seized by the police. I guess you will only buy them from those small time sellers but not in a large store like the supermarket, and there might be an inferior quality to the product, whether via it's taste or the materials in which it is made from.