Supermarket own-label baked beans are favoured by consumers on taste, texture and price over established brands, new research shows.
According to the latest blind taste-test study by consumer watchdog Which?, Lidl’s Newgate baked beans were named the ‘best’, scoring highly on appearance, smell and texture at just 32p per tin.
Morrisons baked beans joint with the discount grocer at top spot, with both scoring 78%, and it being the only product to get the full five stars for being the right tomato red colour at 39p per tin.
Aldi’s Corale baked beans, Waitrose Essential and Tesco’s offering all ranked at 76% or 75% and priced at 30p, 40p and 32p, respectively.
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At a score of 74%, Asda’s baked beans ranked on par with the highest scoring branded option, Branston baked beans.
Although a cupboard staple in the baked beans category, Heinz beans saw a score of 73% and according to Which?, these were the most expensive at £1 per tin, while it claims consumers said ‘nothing particularly stood out taste-wise’.
HP baked beans also received a 73% ranking, closely followed by Sainsbury’s and Co-op’s offerings.
However, in last position was M&S at 65%, which ‘underwhelmed’ tasters with the sauce being ‘too thin’ and the beans ‘overly hard’.
“Our latest taste tests reveal that supermarket own-label baked beans have beaten the established brands including Heinz, and the great news for shoppers is that the winning products cost less than half the price compared to the offerings from some rivals,” Which? retail editor, Reena Sewraz told the Mirror.
“Many households are looking for ways to cut their spending due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“Opting for supermarket own-label groceries is not only a great way to save money, but you often get tastier products as well.”
