(NAPSA)—Savwvy shoppers know that it pays to buy store brands instead of national-brand products. The savings from filling your cart with house brands, which are cre- ated by chain and specialty retailers for their stores, can chop onethird off your grocery bill. That adds up to an extra $45 per week if you typically spend $150 at the supermarket, which translates to $2,340 per year. From produce to personal care products, most everything today has a store-brand version. But there’s more to store brands than just great value. Here’s the story behind private-label products from Sandra Gordon, one of the nation’s leading baby product experts and author of the new book “Save a Bundle: 50+ Waysto Save Big on Baby Gear.” Store Brands Cost Less to Produce National brands typically cost more not because they’re better quality (old think), but because marketing drives up the cost. Name-brand manufacturers spend millions on marketing every year to attract customers and build brand equity. They use expensive tactics like television advertising and direct mail to get high-value coupons into consumers’ hands. These costs are ultimately reflected in their retail prices. Store brands, on the other hand, don’t advertise on a national scale. The cost savings from little to no promotion get passed on to shoppers. Store Brands Offer Top Quality Just like name-brand products, store brands are tested for safety and quality before they reach store shelves to consistently meet or exceed customer expectations and federal requirements. Retailers and their private-label manufacturers must produce products with standard nutrition labeling and comply with federal and Look to the label when you shop for grocery items, including baby formula. You’ll find that storebrand infant formula is nutritionally equivalent and less expensive than namebrands. industry regulations. Store brands strive to be as good as or better than national brands to stay in business. Retailers and their private-label manufacturers know that even the most budget-minded shopper won’t buy an inferior product for long. Store-Brand Formula Meets FDA Standards Like All Infant Formula Brands When it comes to infant formula, store brands must meet Food and Drug Administration standards just like their namebrand counterparts. Per federal regulations, all infant formula sold in the United States—store brands and name brands—must meet the same nutritional requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for infant formula under the regulation of the FDA. Store-brand infant formulas meet or exceed these requirements yet cost up to 50 percent less, which adds up to $600 per year. Why pay up to 50 percent more for the exact same product? Learn More You can find store-brand for- mula at Walmart, Target, Babies “R” Us, CVS, Kroger, Sam’s Club and Walgreens. Look for the storebrand version of each name-brand formula and makethe nutritional comparison yourself. For more information, visit www.store brandformula.com.
