12 Foods You Should Never Buy Generic

Generic goes upscale

Time was, buying off-brand potato chips (Prangles, anyone?) was as desirable as carrying an imitation Coach bag. But today, private label groceries aren’t necessarily a less nutritious, less tasty version of the products we’ve come to know and love through advertising. As stores have continued to roll out their own labels (Target’s Market Pantry, for instance, or Costco’s Kirkland Signature), including organic and gourmet items, shoppers have taken notice. A full 81 percent are making private label purchases on every single supermarket trip, according to a recent report, and sales of store brands rose eight times as much as national ones in the same year. But are they always a bargain? We consulted food and nutrition pros about when they won’t deviate from a favorite brand, and why.

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