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Store brand versus name brand

Here's some food for thought if you're wondering how store brands stack up to name-brand products.

A blind taste test by Consumer Reports found 23 out of 29 store-brand foods from oatmeal cookies to frozen broccoli tasted just as good or even better than name-brand products.

Results are in the magazine's October issue.

Consumer Reports tasters, for example, preferred Archer Farms Chewy Soft Baked cookies (Target), Kirkland Signature Organic Medium Salsa (Costco), Great Value Whipped Topping (Wal-mart) to similar products from Pepperidge Farm, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker and Kraft.

“Our tests should erase any lingering doubts that store-brand packaged goods aren’t at least worth a try," Consumer Reports editor Tod Marks said in a press release. "In many cases, you’ll save money without compromising on quality."

Store-brand foods tested cost on average 27 percent less than big-name counterparts.

The biggest price difference was 35 cents per ounce for Costco’s vanilla extract vs. $3.34 for McCormick’s.

Consumer Reports said the price gaps have less to do with what goes into the package than the extra costs behind researching, developing and marketing name-brand products.