Supermarket own-label baked beans from Asda and Aldi have beaten famous – and substantially pricier – brands such as Heinz in a Which? taste test.
Its finding that cheaper supermarket options can more than hold their own against the most popular brands will be welcomed by financially stretched shoppers trying to find a way to keep a lid on soaring grocery bills.
As with other kitchen essentials, the cost of baked beans has risen sharply during the cost of living crisis. There have been claims that prices of this store-cupboard staple have in some cases leapt by more than 50% in 12 months. In January there were reports that Heinz had doubled the price of some of its products in a year.
Which? claimed its taste test showed “beans doesn’t have to mean Heinz”, and that there were tastier and better-value toppings for your toast or jacket potato.
Asda’s own-brand baked beans costing 50p a tin – well under half the price of a £1.39 single tin of Heinz beans – achieved the top score of 77% in the test for flavour, appearance, texture and aroma.
The consumer body said the Asda beans were a “cut above all the rest for flavour – three-quarters of our tasters thought they had the perfect tomatoey taste. They were also some of the best-rated beans for colour and sweetness.”
Aldi’s own-brand Corale baked beans costing 45p came second with a score of 75%, while Branston’s 90p cans took third place with 74%.
Which? said the Aldi beans were the joint cheapest on test, “and offer excellent value for money”.
Own-brand offerings from Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Lidl all scored higher than Heinz and HP, which managed 71% and 67% respectively.
Tasters said the texture of the Heinz sauce and beans were high points, but more than a third reported that the flavour was “too weak”.
Which? said the Heinz beans were “by far the priciest on test”, but acknowledged they were cheaper when bought as a multipack.
The Which? retail editor, Reena Sewraz, said that amid food price inflation, households were looking for ways to cut spending. “Opting for supermarket own-label groceries is not only a great way to save money, but you often get tastier products as well,” she added.
Shop price inflation rose to 8.4% in February, with the figure for fresh food almost double that at 16.3%, according to British Retail Consortium data issued last week.
The good news for shoppers from the Which? taste test was that the winning products were less than half the price of the offerings from some rivals, said Sewraz.
The products were assessed in February by a panel of people who regularly buy and eat baked beans. Each brand was assessed by 82 people (Which? did not reveal why this was the optimum number for testing and rating beans).
The overall scores were based on 50% flavour, 20% appearance, 20% texture and 10% aroma.
A Kraft Heinz spokesperson said: “Everyone knows that Beanz Meanz Heinz and it’s no coincidence; we’ve been making them since 1895. Our loyal consumers are at the centre of everything we do, and we remain committed to providing them with tasty, nutritious and high-quality Heinz baked beans.”
