Personal Finance Lesson: Name Brands vs. Private Label Taste Test
Lesson Description
Generic vs. Name Brand Taste Test
From an early age, we as consumers have been conditioned by the likes of Chef Boyardee and Chester Cheetah to reach for their products when grocery shopping. We assume that we choose name brands, like Cheetos, over their generic counterparts because the name brands are of higher quality. But is this always the case?
In this activity, students participate in a blind taste test that pits name brand foods against their private label (generic) equivalents. Included in the taste test are the name brand/private label equivalents for: Sprite, Orange Juice, Bottled Water, Pop Tarts, Cereal Bars, Fruit Cocktail, Cheetos, Cheez-Its, and Froot Loops.
Students sample each product and then complete a form that indicates which product they believe is the name brand, and which they believe is the better of the two products.
Inevitably, students are not always able to correctly identify name brands in the blind taste test. This leads into a discussion (PowerPoint provided) of why name brand foods are more expensive, as well as the cost savings that we can recognize by substituting private labels for name brands.
Students Participating in Taste Test of Generic and Name Brand Foods
Lesson Resources
Worksheet: Taste Test Scorecard
PowerPoint Discussion: Generic (Private Label) vs. Name Brand Foods
Article: Dumped! Brand Names Fight to Stay in Stores
Lesson Extensions
- Marketing – this lesson could also be used in a Marketing course
- Personal Finance – I often add a component the requires students to devise a weekly menu and compare prices on the items at their local grocery store
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Update: My Personal Finance class is first period this Trimester. When we did the taste test a few weeks ago, I substituted Leggo waffles for the fruit cocktail. It was the first time I had tried that, and it went really well. Students had a hard time differentiating the generic waffles from the name brand, and everyone enjoyed having a “hot” item in the taste test (I did bring in some syrup and butter for the waffles).