Are Supermarket Own Brands Healthier?

We all know that buying a supermarket’s own brand is cheaper, but a recent study in the Daily Mail has shown that for some products, they could actually be a healthier option for your family as well. When the levels of salt, sugar, fat and calorie content were measured in 17 well known items, 12 of the store’s own brands were found to have lower levels, there was one draw and 4 of the supermarket’s own brands were healthier. Overall it seems that the supermarket’s own brands are certainly cheaper and a more healthier option too. So which of the own brands came out top in the study? We show you some of the supermarket own brands that came out tops for the lowest levels:

M&S Baked Beans 39p – 410g

Per 100g: 85 calories, 0g sat fat, 0.65g salt, 3.7g sugar

Compared to Heinz beans, the beans from M&S are lower in sugar than most of their rivals and also have a very low salt content too. This makes them the healthiest choice.

Asda Tomato Sauce 86p – 470g

Per 100g: 102 calories, trace of sat fat, 1.1g salt, 19g sugar

The Asda own brand ketchup actually contains more tomatoes than the Heinz brand, a whopping 157g per 100g, compared to 132g per 100g. And it has half the salt and much less sugar than Heinz. This is the one to choose.

Simply M&S Mayonnaise £1.25 – 413g

Per 100g: 700 calories, 5.3g sat fat, 0.95g salt, 2.5g sugar

M&S has a definite win here in terms of salt content. It has a similar calorie and fat amount to Hellmans however M&S is unsaturated so it will not block up your arteries. Surprisingly, the Asda SmartPrice version also had very low sat fats at 4.1g per 100ml.

Sainsburys Medium White Bread 69p – 800g

Per 100g: 86 calories, 0.2g sat fat, 0.28g salt, 1.6g sugar

This supermarket bread has a very low salt content, as is its wholemeal loaf. It also does not contain any preservatives, unlike Kingsmill which does contain E282, which stops mould forming. This is a perfectly safe e number apparently but some people do not trust them.

Waitrose Essential Pasta Sauce £1.11 – 340g

Per 100g: 57 calories, 0.2g sat fat, 0.98g salt, 6.3g sugar

As compared to market leader Ragu, Ragu has lower calories but a much higher salt content, nearly twice as much as the Waitrose version. And with extra salt comes water retention so for those wanting a flat stomach, or to avoid raising their blood pressure, go for the Waitrose option.

M&S Count on Us Strawberry Low fat Yoghurt 60p – 160g

Per 100g: 40 calories, 0.1g sat fat, 0.15g salt, 4.6g sugar

This M&S strawberry yoghurt has more strawberries in it than the Muller version, 15% versus 10% and it is also a whole teaspoon less of sugar with no taste difference. It has no additives or artificial flavourings either.

Essential Waitrose Peanuts £2.39 – 500g

Per 100g: 603 calories, 9.5g sat fat, 1g salt, 3.8g sugar

Although the Waitrose peanuts have more calories than their rivals KP Originals and more saturated fats, they are much lower in salt and sugars, almost half in sugars actually. Peanuts can be a healthy snack if eaten in moderation, but watch out as it is easy to overdo it. One handful contains around 150 calories.

All in all it appears that M&S and Waitrose have come out on top with the most lowest levels in the 17 brands tested in the recent survey.

Source – The Daily Mail

Further Reading

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• How to Cook a Healthy Meal