Shoppers can save £100s by ditching branded beans

Households could save over £70 a year on beans and almost £100 a year on orange juice by swapping to supermarket-own options, according to consumer-expert Which?

Switching from Heinz’s to Lidl’s baked beans would save shoppers over £70 a year (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As the rising cost of living continues to impact UK households, ditching branded baked beans could be the first step in savings hundreds of pounds a year.

A series of blind taste-tests by Which? found that by swapping to supermarket-own items - such as beans, orange juice and cereal - households could save money on more affordable and often tastier foods.

Which? found that of six out of eight grocery items tested, taste was not compromised between the branded and non-branded options.

For fans of baked beans, they could save over £70 by swapping their weekly tin of Heinz’s - which costs £1 for 415 grams - to Lidl’s budget-friendly option by Newgate which cost 32p for 420 grams.

For lovers of Kelloggs’ Crunchy Nut cereal (£3 for a 500 gram box), they could save £51.60 a year by opting for Aldi’s Harvest Morn Honey Nut Crunchy Cornflakes (85p per 500g pack) every two weeks instead.

Shoppers could make the biggest saving of almost £100 a year if they ditched Innocent’s orange juice, costing a steep £3.60 for 1.35 litres, for Aldi’s The Juice Company Smooth Orange Juice, costing just £1.69 per 1.75 litre carton. Aldi’s option was the best for value, beat Innocent in the taste test and will help save households £99.32 a year if they swap.

Ditching branded orange juice could save shoppers almost £100 per year. (Getty/iStock)

Other popular branded items such as Nutella could be swapped for Lidl’s cheaper Choco Nussa spread and Sun-Pat’s peanut butter could be changed for Lidl’s Mister Choc crunchy peanut butter.

While some items couldn’t be beaten on taste, such as Nescafé’s instant coffee and Heinz’s tomato ketchup, both Aldi and Lidl offered good, affordable alternatives.

Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?, said: “No one wants to overpay for basic groceries, especially when the cost of living crisis is putting huge pressure on household budgets. Shopping around and buying own-brand products is an easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year.

“Those prepared to switch to a cheaper supermarket for their regular shop will likely find some great value alternatives to their favourite brands - with many even beating their well-known rivals for taste in Which?’s tests.”