Could buying own brand really help you make savings? (Picture: metro.co.uk/Asda/Sainsbury’s/Aldi)

With the cost of living crisis continuing to impact all aspects of life from energy bills through to the price of the weekly shop, it’s no surprise that millions of us are still looking for ways to save the pennies.

And one way of attempting to keep costs lower at the supermarket is to switch from the branded versions of certain products to the own-brand equivalent.

Often this can be cheaper and there is little noticeable difference in quality – and own-brand products have enjoyed a boost in sales in the wake of food prices soaring.

According to data from market researchers NIQ released in May, sales of own-brand goods have increased at double the rate of their branded shelfmates in 2023 – with own-label sales up by 14.1% compared to 7.1% on branded products.

Buying own-brand can sometimes result in some big savings – with supermarkets such as Tesco cutting the price on many of its own-brand products such as pasta and sunflower oil in a bid to help cash-strapped consumers.

But just how much cheaper are own-brand products compared to the branded equivalent?

How much cheaper are own-brand items compared to branded ones?

To find out how much cheaper own-brand products can be, we’ve compared the own-brand versions of some shopping basket staples with their branded equivalent at the UK’s biggest supermarkets.

Here’s what we discovered…

Bread

Your average own-brand loaf of sliced wholemeal will set you back around 75p in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

Own brand wholemeal bread can save on your sandwiches (Picture: Tesco)

By contrast, the cheapest branded wholemeal loaf we found at Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s came from Warburtons and costs £1 – already giving you a saving of 25p on your toast and homemade sandwiches.

Baked beans

If you’re looking for some baked beans to put on your bargain own-brand bread, the cheapest at the time of writing came from Sainsbury’s at 27p, with Tesco, Asda and Aldi just a penny more at 28p.

Own brand baked beans work out super cheap (Picture: Sainsbury’s)

The cheapest branded baked bean comes courtesy of Branston, costing 90p at Tesco, while a can of the classic Heinz beans will set you back £1.40.

Chopped tomatoes

You can pick up a can of own-brand chopped tomatoes for just 35p in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Asda.

Chopped tomatoes are a store cupboard staple (Picture: Aldi)

By contrast, a can of Napolina chopped tomatoes costs £1 in Tesco and Asda (£1.20 if you want your chopped tomatoes to come with garlic, herbs or basil).

Pasta

While the price of pasta has more than doubled in recent months, cheap own-band options are still available.

Pasta has rocketed in price – but cheaper options are still available (Picture: Tesco)

Your cheapest option is Tesco and Aldi, both of which offer their own-brand penne pasta at just 41p a bag, while it’ll cost you 75p at Asda and Sainsbury’s.

If it’s a premium pasta you’re after though, Napolina’s penne will cost you around £1.50 a box in Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s, while DeCecco penne will set you back £2 in Waitrose.

Eggs

A standard six-pack of medium free-range own-label eggs will cost you £1.50 in Tesco, Morrisons and Asda – but they’re even cheaper in Waitrose, where six eggs from their Essentials range cost £1.25, and Aldi, where they’re £1.35.

Own-brand eggs can work out a lot cheaper than branded (Picture: Morrisons)

By contrast, a six-pack of medium free-range eggs from Happy Egg costs £2.10 in Tesco – or if you want to go truly upscale you can have Clarence Court eggs for £3.15.

Orange juice

Prices can vary on this one – for example, you can get orange juice from concentrate for Tesco for just 40p – but if it’s chilled orange juice you’re looking at, a litre of own-brand costs around £1.50 in Tesco and Sainsbury’s, £1.20 in Morrisons and just 95p in Aldi.

Orange juice needn’t cost a fortune (Picture: Aldi)

A carton of Tropicana, by contrast, will cost you around £3 in Asda and £3.25 in Tesco and is smaller than the own brand, at 900ml.

Tea and coffee

With so many different varieties and brands of tea out there it can be tricky to come up with a comparison. However you can get yourself a pack of 80 teabags from £1.10 from Sainsbury’s Red Label and Waitrose Essentials.

By contrast, 80 PG Tips Pyramid tea bags cost £3 in Tesco and £2.60 in Sainsbury’s.

Waitrose is a good bet when it comes to own brand tea bags (Picture: Waitrose)

Coffee will cost you a bit more even if you do plump for own-label – but you can get Aldi’s Alcafe Freeze Dried for £1.49 or Tesco’s Stockwell range Instant Coffee for a mere 99p.

If you opt for Nescafe , the original instant coffee will cost you £2.49 in Tesco or £2.50 in Asda – or if you want something more upscale Costa’s Medium Roast Coffee costs around £5.50 in Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

The more expensive brands can sometimes be on offer though so it’s always worth keeping your eyes peeled.

More: Trending

Butter

Butter has risen in price by 28% over the past year, but it’s still possible to save a few pennies on it by choosing own-brand instead of branded.

A pack of salted or unsalted own-brand butter will cost £1.89 in most stores including Aldi, Asda, Tesco and Morrisons, and a bargainous £1.79 in Sainsbury’s.

Butter has soared in price over the past year (Picture: Sainsbury’s)

That’s compared to a block of Lurpak, which will set you back £2.15 in Tesco and Asda, or Kerrygold, which is even pricier at £2.40 in Sainsbury’s and £2.60 in Tesco.

Frozen peas

Frozen veg is one area where you might notice quite a bit of difference between own-brand and branded items.

A bag of frozen peas, for example, can cost you as little as 78p for 900g if you opt for T Tesco’s Grower’s Harvest range, while Sainsbury’s own Stamford Street range will cost you 80p for 850g.

Tesco’s frozen peas can save you quite a bit (Picture: Tesco)

If it’s branded you’re after, however, the comparable size of Birds’ Eye frozen peas -800g – costs £2.59 in Tesco and Aldi, £2.80 in Sainsbury’s and £2.95 in Waitrose. Quite the saving if you go for own-label then.

Cheddar cheese

If you have mac and cheese in mind, you might want to stock up on your cheddar – and once again going own-brand could represent a saving at the till.

Make sure you get the most for your money if you’re stocking up on cheese (Picture: Asda)

A 400g block of mild or mature cheddar will set you back £3.20 in Tesco and Asda, £3 if you’re shopping in Sainsbury’s and £2.69 if you’re in Aldi.

The nearest comparable size – 350g – from Cathedral City will cost you £3.49 in Tesco and Aldi, and £4.75 in Sainsbury’s and around £4.95 in Waitrose.

Things to remember

All prices were correct at time of writing, subject to current supermarket deals.

As branded items can sometimes be placed on offer in supermarkets it always pays to shop around, to ensure you are getting the most for your money.

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