I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product actually
makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone else, and just
has their label on it. If the label says "distributed by" does that mean it
is not made by company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an other
company? There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment" type
products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident, and
asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.

Thanks

Tom

On 5/8/2004 12:54 PM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these
great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

> I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product actually
> makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone else, and just
> has their label on it. If the label says "distributed by" does that mean it
> is not made by company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an other
> company? There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment" type
> products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
> themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident, and
> asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom
>
>

Bottom line:

If it say "Distributed By" it is not made by the company with the label
on the package.

It may be a subsidiary, but not the company whose name is on the label.

"mary" > wrote in message >...
> I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product actually
> makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone else, and just
> has their label on it. If the label says "distributed by" does that mean it
> is not made by company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an other
> company? There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment" type
> products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
> themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident, and
> asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom

distributed by means just that, a company that distributes the product
to the customers e.g. to the stores and supermarkets for the
manufacturer.
I once worked in a frozen food factory and we used to package the
frozen produce, peas, sprouts cauliflower etc.the plastic bags they
were sealed in were for many different companies like birds eye and
supermarket own brands, so the produce was the same but the end price
was dramatically different. my dad worked at a sarah lee plant and
they made gateaux and deserts (as you will no doubt know as it is an
american firm) and some were under the trade name and others were for
different companies like marks and spencers etc. I think the answer to
your question is it depends on the type of product, a multiple
producing firm may well have its own production line and packaging
department then again another one may not.

mary > wrote:
> I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product actually
> makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone else, and just
> has their label on it. If the label says "distributed by" does that mean it
> is not made by company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an other
> company? There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment" type
> products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
> themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident, and
> asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.

Depends on the product. Why not let us in on the name of the product
you have in mind? Maybe if you disclose the name of the product,
someone on this newsgroup might know its origin.

In article >, "mary"
> wrote:

> I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product
> actually makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone
> else, and just has their label on it.

Depends.

>If the label says "distributed by" does that mean it is not made by
>company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an other company?


Very likely.


>There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment" type
>products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
>themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident,
>and asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.

> Thanks
>
> Tom

Gee, that wasn't the Gedney company, was it? :-) They "produce" my
Peach Raspberry Jam and the other preserves in their line of Award
Winning State Fair Recipes, but they don't make it. :-) They're line
is primarily pickles and condiments (relishes, mustard, etc.) and they
outsource the manufacture of the jams. The fine print on the jar says
they distribute it.
<http://www.gedneypickle.com/products/statefair.htm>

They in turn do some packaging for Del Monte. Some veggies, I think.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 5/7/04 - Fajita Soup.

"mary" > wrote in message
...
> I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product actually
> makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone else, and just
> has their label on it. If the label says "distributed by" does that mean
it
> is not made by company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an
other
> company? There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment"
type
> products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
> themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident, and
> asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.

Hardly anyone makes all their own products. Some specialty companies make a
host of items that are identical but for the package. Frozen dinners are an
example. I know of a company that makes certain dinners for some of the big
names you see as well as store brands. It all comes down the same line,
prepared the same, gets packed the same, handled the same. The corn comes
from the same supplier, the potatoes from the same field.

Even some of the big names in soft drinks subcontract to others. They may
supply the syrup and set some specifications, but private companies
sometimes do the actual mixing and bottling.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

On 9 May 2004 01:58:20 GMT, wrote:

>mary > wrote:
>> I was wondering how to determine if the maker of a food product actually
>> makes the product themselves or if they buy it from someone else, and just
>> has their label on it. If the label says "distributed by" does that mean it
>> is not made by company whose brand is on it, and that it is made by an other
>> company? There is a small local company that makes a lot of "condiment" type
>> products, and I wonder if they really would cook and package it all
>> themselves. I met the president of the company at a store by accident, and
>> asked him but he did not give me a clear answer.
>
>Depends on the product. Why not let us in on the name of the product
>you have in mind? Maybe if you disclose the name of the product,
>someone on this newsgroup might know its origin.

i don't wonder about the food products so much, as cleaning products
and the like. (i've decided i don't like house brand paper products.)

your pal
madge