Own-label food and drink brands mislead consumers: Which?

By Mike Stones,12-Apr-2013

Which? claimed Lurpak seemed 

to have a recognisable 

own-label imitator in most 

major supermarkets

Nearly a third of consumers feel misled by own-label brands – including food and drink products – which ape the packaging of leading brands, warns a survey by consumer watchdog Which?

The consumer survey – which covered more than 150 own-brand products – revealed that a fifth of Which? members had accidentally bought a supermarket version of a product thinking it was a well-known brand. Of those shoppers who bought an own-label product by mistake, 38% said they were annoyed by this and 30% felt misled.

‘Feeling that they have been misled’

A Which? spokesperson said: “Own-brand products can provide good value and several have topped our tests to become Best Buys. Retailers should make sure that people are under no illusions about what they are buying and not leave so many consumers feeling they have been misled.”

An article in the latest Which? magazine stated: “We uncovered products in Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury and Tesco that appear to borrow from leading brands. Typically these were in categories where there are well-established and distinctive brands.”

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