A recent documentary reveals that supermarket brands often outperform Heinz in taste tests, raising questions about ingredients and consumer preferences for everyday grocery items.
Supermarket ketchups are significantly cheaper than Heinz, a discrepancy explored in Channel 5’s documentary “Supermarket Own-Brands: The Big Taste Test – Staples.” Food scientist Amir Mousavi from Good Food Studio explained that supermarket ketchups, like Tesco’s, use fewer tomatoes and bulk up the sauce with maize starch, unlike Heinz, which relies more on tomatoes and natural pectin for thickness.
In the documentary, a blind taste test was conducted, featuring participants Parveen Kahn, Aisling Walsh, and Eray Beyi, along with presenter Rachel Fofie. Despite Heinz’s reputation, Asda’s £1.45 ketchup was preferred by the panel over Heinz’s more expensive version.
Similar tests on other products yielded insightful results. Aldi’s cheesy puff crisps and cola emerged as favorites over branded options like Walkers Wotsits and Coca-Cola. However, Nestle’s Cheerios remained a preferred choice among cereals over supermarket alternates.
These comparisons highlight the significant impact of ingredient choices and processing methods on both cost and consumer preference in everyday grocery items.