SRF clears up myths These findings about cheap food surprise even experts

Low-price lines such as "M-Budget" or "Prix Garantie" appear suspiciously cheap at first glance. However, an SRF "Kassensturz" analysis shows that the low prices are not due to poorer safety or inferior food.

Cheap lines are of poor quality and fall significantly short of the originals. This cliché persists. The question remains as to whether it is true.

SRF's "Kassensturz" has now compared two full shopping carts: standard products and their significantly cheaper counterparts from the cheap lines. The differences start at the checkout: at the Coop, more than half of the costs were saved, at Migros the advantage was just under 40 percent. The question that almost inevitably arises: How can the same yogurt, the same pasta or the same pineapple be so much cheaper?

The answer is surprisingly unspectacular. Many products come from the same supply chains, just not from the same quality category. Cucumbers are a classic example: What is on the shelf as a cheap "crooked" cheap cucumber often comes from the same harvest as the one just next to it - only it has been placed in the second quality category because of its shape, length or color. For consumers, this means: less perfect, but just as edible.

Products are often closer together than you think

The situation is similar with mozzarella or canned pineapple. The basic ingredients are identical, but the production processes are differently elaborate. The result: the cheap mozzarella is a little chewier, the cheap pineapple a little paler - but in terms of taste, the products are often closer together than you might think.

The biggest savings are made where the origin of the raw materials comes into play. Swiss sugar is expensive - foreign glucose syrup is not. Swiss meat costs more - imported meat is significantly cheaper. Potatoes for rösti are also cheaper from abroad than those from Graubünden. Low-price lines are doing away with Swissness on a large scale, without the product being unsafe or inedible as a result. The Swiss cross on the packaging remains a premium feature - and a price driver.

Another difference can often only be seen when the product is opened: The cheap pineapple has to be opened in the traditional way with a can opener, whereas the mid-price range has a ring to pull it open. The suppliers consistently save on packaging, additional functions and portions.

The cost-cutting logic is particularly noticeable when it comes to pasta. Tortelloni in the mid-price range contain more ricotta and spinach, while cheaper versions contain more dough - and sometimes potato as a filling. This makes the products cheaper, but not unhealthy per se.

Cheap yogurt is not automatically worse

Nutritionists and experts make it clear that it is not generally possible to say that budget foods are worse for your health. The decisive factor is rather how much a product has been processed - and which additives are used. It is worth taking a look at the list of ingredients, especially for everyday staple foods. For products that are only consumed occasionally, the effect on health is less relevant.

The SRF analysis also shows that the often cited "NOVA-4" category of highly processed foods only has two real problem groups: soft drinks and processed meat. Many other products are only considered "highly processed" because they contain certain technically required additives - not because they are particularly unhealthy.

Cheap yoghurt is not automatically worse, branded mozzarella is not automatically the healthier choice. The price says little about how balanced a food actually is. If you want to save money, you can do so without compromising your health - as long as you consider the list of ingredients and portion size.