When buying frozen French fries we often tend to think that the most famous brands are automatically synonymous with superior quality. But is it really like that? A new test by Altroconsumo, which compared 14 products sold in Italian supermarkets, tells a different story and shows how private labels and discounters can compete on equal terms with the best-known brands.
In fact, the results highlight that the historic names of the sector do not always manage to establish themselves in the top positions and that some of the best performances come from large-scale retail brands.
Supermarket brands take the top spot
The biggest surprise comes from first place in the ranking. The Esselunga Fried Potatoes obtained the highest score, 79 points out of 100, which surpassed products much better known to consumers and won the title of “Best of the test”.
Other large-scale retail brands also achieved very positive results. Conad Baking Potatoes reach 74 points, the same score as the Le Specialità di Beppe Baking Potatoes sold by MD and the Iper Baking Potatoes.
The result shows that, at least in this comparison, supermarket labels have nothing to envy of big brands.
How the most famous brands behaved
Among the historic brands, the best result is that of McCain, which places two products on the podium: McCain Forno Express with 76 points and McCain Le Patatetine Originali with 75 points.
Further back there are other well-known names. Findus Classic Chips, for example, obtains 72 points, the same result as Coop Patatine da Forno and Pizzoli PataSnella Patatine.
Even further from the top we find some references that do not reach 70 points, such as Harvest Basket by Lidl (69 points) and Delizie dal Sole by Eurospin (70 points).
Discount: mixed results
While MD stands out among the best products in the test, not all discount brands manage to achieve equally brilliant results.
Lidl’s Harvest Basket crisps are in the lower part of the ranking with 69 points, while Eurospin’s Delizie dal Sole reaches 70 points. However, these are fair ratings, but far from the scores obtained by the best products.
The comparison therefore demonstrates that there is no rule valid for everyone: it is not enough to choose a famous brand to ensure the best product, just as one cannot generalize about discounters.
How the test was carried out
To draw up the ranking, Altroconsumo evaluated various aspects: quality of the labels, nutritional composition, presence of additives and degree of transformation of the ingredients.
The laboratory analyzes also verified the state of the oils used, the presence of compounds deriving from the degradation of fats and the acrylamide content, a substance that forms during cooking at high temperatures.
An important weight was also attributed to tasting: over 60 consumers evaluated the oven-cooked chips without knowing the product brand, expressing opinions on taste, consistency, aroma and appearance.
The complete ranking
What does this comparison teach us
The ranking shows that quality does not necessarily depend on brand awareness. In fact, some supermarket brand products manage to obtain better results than historic and highly advertised brands. For consumers it is a useful indication: before filling the cart it is best to look beyond the name on the package and carefully evaluate the quality, ingredients and results of comparative tests.
