Supermarket Brands?

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
1

I used to avoid these… but over the last couple of years I have been continually impressed with “Safeway Signature” brand items. Last purchase were canned beans (green, wax, kidney) and pickled beets that were better than the S&W brand I used to buy and can no longer find… refried beans that were better than Bush and Rosarita… frozen veggies and fruits… and a number of other items like jarred sauces.

Obviously I haven’t tried everything, but what I have tried so far have been impressive in both quality and price.

Anybody else notice supermarket brands going from “meh” to great?

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2

I’m happy with them, unless there’s a specific named product I really want. Quality is just fine. Pandemic forced a lot of take what you can get, and it turned out ok.

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3

Wegmans brand is generally fine in most cases (they barely carry other brand names, depending on the product), and the local Giant brands are solid as well.

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4

I’ve noticed that my local Wegman’s is carrying more of their own brands, and correspondingly less of the “name” brands, in a lot of stuff.

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5

I shop at Smart & Final whose house brand is First Street and at Sprouts whose house brand is Sprouts.

I’m happy with the quality and price of both house brands.

6

Wegmans, Aldi, TJ’s - their brands are pretty dec overall.

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I don’t think TJs has anything other than their house brands - which I love.

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8

Wegmans brands have always been pretty damn good - their pasta and sauces are two that stick out in my head.

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9

The few “house brand” items I’ve purchased have been awful so I’m not keen to buy anything more. Love the store, don’t like the stuff produced under their name.

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Not sure if Costco counts, but Kirkland is well liked and their olive oil is said to be one of the few inexpensive brands that isn’t half canola oil.

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Vons/Albertsons/Safeway

O Organics - 90/10 ground beef,
Open Nature - Cauliflower Crust Frozen Pizza

Whole Foods

365 - Greek Yogurt Frozen Dessert Bars and Frozen Chopped Spinach

Costco

Kirkland Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and Small Batch Bourbon

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Sure. There’s several olive oil threads if you’re brave enough to enter.

13

Pry my Seka Hills out of my cold dead hands. :wink:

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Other than Kirkland, are any of these supermarket brands?

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I go with a few Safeway Select items. Theyvused to have a great red enchilada sauce in a glass jar. No more. We have Food Club as the generic
brand now and I’m not impressed. Much of the selection in stores has been dissapointing since we entered the pandemic/ supply chain ‘issue’ era. I hate being forced to buy online what I could pick up at my neighborhood grocer in the former times.

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They do have a few non-house brand items. The Impossible chicken nuggets are the identical package as in regular supermarkets, for example.

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17

All of them are.

18

I’m good with the Wholesome Pantry line (Shop Rite). Even Walmart’s Great Value isn’t bad.

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Great Value at Walmart is surprisingly good for a lot of things. Like others here, I discovered this during the pandemic. Some of my now go-to items:
Drink Mix–tastes exactly like Crystal Light
AP Flour, granulated and brown sugar
Baking nuts (almonds and walnuts)
Paper towels and TP (the ultra strong/ultra soft is almost as good as Charmin for about 40% less)

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20

It was so crowded the last time I was in there, I couldn’t even get near a lot of the frozen stuff or the baked goods. I’ll plan another attempt in the near future. Hopefully to browse.