Manhattan Hunter-Gatherers Newspaper 

     When you go to the supermarket, what’s the first thing you look for? Is it snacks such as  chips, cookies or candy? Or do you try to avoid those foods and try to go for the healthy option? Regardless of which one you choose, there’s probably something you unknowingly do and that’s picking the brand version of the food rather than the off-brand version. However, do you ever stop and wonder why you do it? Is there some certainty that comes from choosing the brand version rather than the off-brand version? All of this got me wondering and I wanted to know if there’s actually a difference between these two so I went around and asked my peers, “When you go and buy food items, do you pick the brand version or the off-brand version? Depending on which version you choose, why? Do you feel there’s a difference in the product's taste?” Based on my peer’s responses and a bit of research, I wanted to know if there is a difference.

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     The first of my peers to answer was Yaretzi Ayala who said, “Unless it’s a food I particularly favor, I really don’t care about brand name and don’t think there’s any difference in the taste. Plus it helps that the off brand versions are usually cheaper.” However, Destiny Ugochukwu opposes Ayala’s response and argues that she “picks the brand version most of the time because I know what to expect. In addition, I associate brand name food to ‘good’ food. But on the off chance I get the off brand name one, there is literally no difference when it comes to taste.” Then there’s Maddisyn DaSilva whose a mix of both responses, stating that  “It depends on the product; sometimes, when I get used to a specific brand, I think everything else is off brand. For example, I used to think everything was a copy of chewy bars but now I like madegood bars. Usually, there is a difference in product taste but sometimes it’s better or worse.” Based on these student’s answers, it seems that brand food is associated with “good” food but the taste between brand food and off-brand food is slim to none. There isn’t any difference between its taste and on the rare occasion that there is a difference, there’s a 50/50 chance that the food you’re eating will either be really good or really nasty.

 

     Nevertheless, with some further research, Shelf Cooking conducted an experiment in which they bought the name brand foods and off-brand food, which included pantry staples (flour, sugar, rice, pasta, beans, ect), frozen foods and dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter) and their ultimate conclusion was that, “In most cases, the name brand markup comes from marketing, so read the ingredients and do your research.” This means that when you go to the supermarket, opt for the off-brand version because you’ll save a few more dollars AND still get the tasty foods you enjoy!