"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...

>
> When I checked out and paid, I asked the cashier if I could assume that
> since the packaging on so many things was so similar to the national
> brands, that they were in fact made by the same folks. She said I can
> assume that.

Any cashier who actually had that information would be on a fast track to
management, considering that it's so hard to find retail employees who have
any interest in anything other than what they're told to do. :-) It's
possible, though, that she'd helped stock shelves, and saw some identifying
information on the cartons.

Although some private label product is produced by the national brands like
Del Monte, it's less often the case. But, it doesn't matter. The quality of
the products is determined by the grocery chain selling it to you, and for
some products, by mother nature. They have a wide range of private label
suppliers to choose from, and even if the chain decides to package the
cheapest product they can find, it may still be better than the plain white
label stuff we all remember from 20 years ago. (I'm talking about basic
things here, like canned/frozen fruits & vegetables).

For concocted items, you may find you like the store brand better than the
national brand. After all, it's just a question of recipes, right? So, the
question of quality is really one of personal taste. Quality isn't that big
an issue any more.

Here's a clue as to where some of your store brands may come from - one of
many companies who do this kind of thing:

http://www.carriagehousecos.com/2005...categories.htm
and
http://www.carriagehousecos.com/2005..._copacking.htm
and
http://www.carriagehousecos.com/2005...etailsales.htm