Tesco and Sainsbury’s own-brand labelling mix-up sparks supplier debate
A photo appearing to depict a Sainsbury’s product packaged and sold in a Tesco store has garnered attention online, leaving some consumers questioning the “exclusivity” of own-brand products.
A post on social media site Reddit from a Tesco employee appeared to show a Sainsbury’s own-brand multipack orange juice product, labelled “no added sugar tropical juice drink”.
However, the product seems to be packaged in an “exclusively at Tesco” cardboard box, and branded as the supermarket’s own-brand “The Grower’s Harvest”.
The photo was accompanied by a caption from the staff member that said: “No matter where you shop, it all comes from the same place. Tropical juice drink by Sainsbury’s, exclusively at Tesco.”
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The image drew several comments online, with some consumers questioning the exclusivity of supermarket own-brand products and others pointing out the same products had different prices across different retailers.
One user said: “Amazing how many people assume supermarkets all have their own production factories make their stuff, and don’t realise it pretty much all comes from the same supplier, regardless of which supermarket you use.”
Supermarket’s sharing suppliers for own-brand products is not an uncommon practice in the grocery sector. Late last year, the BBC conducted an investigation which allegedly revealed that many supermarket’s own-brand tomato pureé products were sourced from the same supplier, after tests revealed they shared similar chemical compositions.
In June, many UK supermarkets and retailers – including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco and Co-op – were forced to remove products from their own-brand sandwich range after the UK’s two biggest supermarket sandwich suppliers, Greencore and Samworth brothers, reported an outbreak of E.coli in certain products.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s have been contacted for comment.
2 Comments. Leave new
My Father worked in a cake factory many moons ago… A line of 1000 gateau would come down and the only difference was the boxes! M&S, Tesco, all of them, “Taste the Difference” my rear end!
Seriously, did anyone not already know this?