Store Brand Cereals Versus Name Brands: Testing Out Asda's Cereals

Breakfast cereal is a common item on most people’s shopping lists.  It makes a quick and easy breakfast in the morning, or a good snack at other times of the day, and is popular among all age groups.  With many people trying to cut back their spending, they are turning to cheaper store brand products instead of name brand products.  So how do Asda’s breakfast cereals compare to their name brand equivalents?

On the whole, the Asda’s brand cereals did amazingly well in my comparison.

Asda’s Honey Hoops, for example, are the equivalent of Honey Nut Cheerios.  Asda’s Honey Hoops cost £1.28 per box, or you can buy two boxes for £2 (can be mixed with some of the other cereals in their range).  Nestle Honey Cheerios cost £1.97 per box at Asda.  The store brand is about half the price of the name brand.  Taste-wise, I have to admit that I didn’t like the Honey Hoops quite as much as Cheerios.  They just don’t taste quite the same.  However, they are still alright, and do have a honey taste to them.  My kids can’t tell the difference.  It’s also worth noting that the Honey Hoops have less salt per serving than Cheerios, making them a healthier choice for children and people monitoring their salt intake.  So at half the price of name brand Cheerios, Asda’s Honey Hoops are definitely worth trying, especially if they’re for kids or less picky adults.   (If you don’t like the honey flavour, you can also buy Asda store brand Multigrain Hoops, the equivalent of multigrain Cheerios.)

I also compared the Asda’s smart price Bran Flakes and Fruit and Fibre cereals to the popular Kellog’s versions.  Kellog’s Bran Flakes cost £2.26 per box, and Asda’s smart price Bran Flakes cost £0.78, making it a third the cost by weight.  This is a significant price difference.  To be honest, I liked the Smart Price Bran Flakes just as much as the Kellog’s Bran Flakes.  I would definitely recommend the cheap option this time.  The smart price Fruit and Fibre Cereal is basically the Bran Flakes, but with raisins, coconut, banana, apple, and hazelnuts added to it.  For a box of cereal that only costs £0.64, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of fruit and nuts in it.  It had generous amounts of the fruit and nuts, and a nice blend of flavours.  I was very pleasantly surprised by this cereal.  Again, I thought that it was very comparable to the name brand versions.  Asda makes a more expensive Fruit & Fibre cereal that costs £1.25 for the same size box that seemed pretty much the same as the Smart Price Cereal, only with almonds in it as well.  Kellog’s Fruit’N’Fibre costs £2.87 (although the box is slightly larger, it is still much more expensive), and the ingredients are almost identical, although I think it was slightly more fortified.

Finally, I tried Asda’s Malted Wheaties, which cost £1.19 each or are part of the 2 for £2 offer.  This cereal is a little higher in sugar and salt than I would personally like, but it is also highly fortified, providing a lot of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.  My daughter loves it.  Again, it costs much less than name brand cereals, but the quality was nearly as good.

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the Asda’s brand cereals.  In this case, I would definitely say it was worth the savings to switch from name brand cereals to the cheaper store brand equivalents.