Why You Should Consider Buying Generic Canned Tomatoes

Buying cheap is always a tempting option — even if it's only a few cents less, the savings soon add up. Exercising financial prudence during shopping trips has the potential to noticeably reduce grocery bills, a concept that is particularly prevalent during times of economic hardship.

The hiking of grocery prices is far from a secret, and canned tomatoes are among the products that have surged in cost, according to data highlighted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Part of the reason for the price rises could be farming conditions hampering the production of tomatoes, explains the New York Post, which has the resulting effect of pushing up prices of related goods, including tomato sauce and ketchup.

It is therefore perfectly reasonable to expect consumers to switch from buying branded canned tomatoes to grocery stores' own versions. But is the cost difference worth your while — and does buying store-brand canned tomatoes affect the quality of the product? We've compared some popular brands to find out.

Although you'd be forgiven for wondering if store-brand tomato products result in a reduction in quality, comparisons between branded products and supermarket alternatives actually suggest the more expensive varieties have the worst nutrition. For example, H-E-B's store-brand canned tomato sauce sells for $0.45, whereas Hunt's is priced at $0.62 and contains 100 milligrams more sodium.

It's a similar story at Walmart. Its Great Value version of diced tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano is $0.88 a can, but Del Monte's is $1.08. The latter is also packed with more sugar and salt than Walmart's cheaper brand. It's no different at Target, either. A can of Target's store-brand Good & Gather crushed tomatoes, for instance, costs $1.39 compared to $2.29 for a can produced by Tuttorosso. The Good and Gather version has five more calories per can, but 40 milligrams less salt.

Cheaper products also don't necessarily correlate with inferior taste. Research reported by KSAT suggests that many generic products taste as good as their branded rivals, with Consumer Reports noting 74% of people are satisfied with private-label items.