Splurging on expensive, branded food items rather than own-brand alternatives can often feel like a well-deserved treat.
In reality, however, the cheaper version can often include fewer calories and unsavoury ingredients.
Take Philadelphia for instance. It might be a cult classic but unlike Sainsbury’s 95p Stamford Street Co Soft Cheese it contains a stabiliser, has more calories per portion, and costs £2.25.
The same could be said for the £2.48 Birds Eye Crispy Chips, which contain a cocktail of potential nasties like sodium bicarbonate and disodium diphosphate, unlike Asda’s £2.20 version, which includes just three ingredients.
Options that appear healthy aren’t exempt either. For instance, Tyrrell’s Parsnip, Beetroot & Carrot Veg Crisps are more calorie-dense than Tesco Ready Salted Crisps – and £1.65 more expensive.
Read on to discover which middle class kitchen staples aren’t as healthy as they appear and what alternatives are available…
Philadelphia vs Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co Soft Cheese
Philadelphia 165g
Price: £2.25
Ingredients: Full Fat Soft Cheese, Salt, Stabiliser (Locust Bean Gum), Acid (Citric Acid)
Calories per serving: 68kcal
Stamford Street Co. Soft Cheese 200g
Price: 95p
Ingredients: Full Fat Soft Cheese (Cows’ Milk), Citrus Fibre.
Calories per serving: 61kcal
Birds Eye Crispy Chips vs Asda Straight Cut Chips
Birds Eye Crispy Chips 900g
Price: £2.48
Ingredients: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Salt, Dextrin, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Disodium Diphosphate), Dextrose, Pepper Extract, Turmeric
Calories per serving: 192kcal
Asda Straight Cut Chips 1.5kg
Price: £2.20
Ingredients: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Dextrose
Calories per serving: 138kcal
Copella Cloudy Apple Fruit Juice vs Sainsbury’s Pressed Apple Juice
Copella Cloudy Apple Fruit Juice 900ml
Price: £2.75
Ingredients: Apple Juice, Antioxidant: Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
Calories per serving: 69kcal
Sainsbury’s Pressed Apple Juice 1L
Price: £2
Ingredients: Apple Juice (100 per cent)
Calories per serving: 61kcal
Sabra Houmous Extra vs Tesco Houmous
Sabra Houmous Extra 200g
Price: £2.55
Ingredients: Cooked Chickpeas (Water, Chickpeas, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Carbonate), Rapeseed Oil, Sesame Seed Paste, Water, Pine Nuts, Olive Oil, Salt, Acid, Spices, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate)
Calories per serving: 110kcal
Tesco Houmous 300g
Price: £1.50
Ingredients: Cooked Chickpeas, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Tahini Paste, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Garlic, Salt
Calories per serving: 151kcal
Branston Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce vs M&S Baked Beans
Branston Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce 410g
Price: £1
Ingredients: Beans, Tomatoes, Water, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Reduced Sodium Sea Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Paprika, White Pepper, Spices, Flavourings
Calories per serving: 175kcal
M&S Baked Beans 400g
Price: 45p
Ingredients: Haricot Beans, Tomatoes, Water, Sugar, Cornflour, Salt, Vinegar, Dried Onions, Paprika Extract, Paprika, Onion Oil, Chilli Pepper Extract, Garlic Extract
Calories per serving: 166kcal
Tyrrell’s Parsnip, Beetroot & Carrot Veg Crisps with Sea Salt vs Tesco Ready Salted Crisps
Tyrrells Parsnip, Beetroot & Carrot Veg Crisps with Sea Salt 40g
Price: £2.75
Ingredients: Mixed Root Vegetables in variable proportions (Parsnip, Carrot, Beetroot), Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt
Calories per serving: 157kcal
Tesco Ready Salted Crisps 6X25g
Price: £1.10
Ingredients: Potato, Vegetable Oils, Salt.
Calories per serving: 135kcal
Weetabix vs Sainsbury’s Wheat Biscuits
Weetabix 24 Original Cereal Pack
Price: £3.50
Ingredients: Wholegrain Wheat, Malted Barley Extract, Sugar, Salt, Niacin, Iron, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin D
Calories per serving: 133kcal
Sainsbury’s Wheat Biscuits 24 Pack
Price: £1.80
Ingredients: Wholewheat, Malted Extract, Sugar, Salt, Niacin, Iron, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Folic Acid.
Calories per serving: 133kcal
Blue Dragon Original Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce vs Tesco Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce
Blue Dragon Original Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce 250ml
Price: £2.45
Ingredients: Water, Red Chillies, Sugar, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Ground Garlic, Pickled Garlic [Garlic, Water, Salt, Acid (Acetic Acid)], Modified Tapioca Starch, Acid (Acetic Acid), Salt
Calories per 100g: 230kcal
Tesco Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce 290g
Price: £2.35
Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Modified Tapioca Starch, Red Chilli, Dried Garlic, Red Pepper, Acidity Regulator, Garlic, Yellow Onion, Salt, Dried Red Chilli, Colour (Paprika Extract).
Calories per 100g: 168kcal
Cadbury Hot Chocolate Instant Jar vs Stamford Street Co. Instant Hot Chocolate Drink
Cadbury Hot Chocolate Instant Jar 300g
Price: £4
Ingredients: Sugar, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Glucose Syrup, Skimmed Milk Powder, Palm Oil, Milk Chocolate (Milk, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Emulsifier (E442), Flavourings), Anti-Caking Agent (E551), Salt, Milk Protein, Acidity Regulator (E501), Thickener (E407), Flavourings, Emulsifier (E471), Stabilizer (E339)
Calories per serving: 115kcal
Stamford Street Co. Instant Hot Chocolate Drink 400g
Price: £1.65
Ingredients: Whey Powder, Sugar, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Glucose Syrup, Coconut Oil, Skimmed Cows’ Powder, Flavouring, Thickener: Xanthan Gum; Salt, Stabiliser: Potassium Phosphate.
Calories per serving: 107kcal
