Pick Private Label
Are you looking for ways to make the most of your food dollar? There are many ways to stay within your food budget when grocery shopping. What’s surprising is you don’t have to sacrifice nutrition, taste or quality to stay within your budget. One strategy to help accomplish this is to choose store-brand products.
Choose store brands
Private-label store-brand products will save you an average of 15 to 30% over the national name brand - and the quality of food is comparable to the national brand. Many supermarkets monitor the quality of store brands to assure that quality matches the national brand.
Taste
Blind taste-tests comparing national brand to store brand find taste comparable, if not preferred, for many store brand products. The taste of private-label products has improved over the years and deserve a try.
Canned and frozen
Private-label frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are some of the better buys for produce. Canned and frozen produce is often processed at peak nutrition, resulting in nutrition comparable to fresh produce. Take advantage of ad specials for canned and frozen fruits and vegetables for added savings.
Use weekly ad specials
Plan meals and make a grocery list based on weekly ad specials with store brands. Stock up on private-label sale items you purchase on a regular basis.
Buy bulk
Look for ways to purchase food in larger quantities and sizes, and portion into smaller containers for use later. This works especially well with staples such as flour, sugar, cereal and pasta.
Eat more meals at home
Home-prepared meals will add up to big savings. Substitute private-label ingredients in your favorite family recipes. You won’t notice a difference in taste, but sure will with saving money. Weekly menus are available on hy-vee.com, using private-label products on special for the week.
Store brands at Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee’s major lines of private-label products are Hy-Vee, Midwest Country Fare, Grand Selections and HealthMarket.
Dietitian Picks – Hy-Vee Store Brand Products
- Bagged lettuce salads and coleslaw
- Beans – canned
- Canned fruits and vegetable
- Canned tuna
- Cereal
- Eggs
- Fat-free/Low-fat milk
- Frozen vegetables and fruit
- Ground beef
- Nuts
- Oatmeal
- Pasta and rice
- Pasta sauce
- Peanut butter
- Potatoes
- String cheese
- Whole-grain bread
- Yogurt, Greek yogurt
Lisa’s Granola
Serves 20 (1/2 cup each)
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
All you need:
- 6 cups Hy-Vee old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup Hy-Vee chopped almonds
- 1 cup Hy-Vee chopped walnuts
- 1 cup raw, unsalted pepitas
- 1/2 cup Grand Selections maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons Hy-Vee canola oil
- 1/4 cup Hy-Vee honey
- 1 teaspoon Hy-Vee ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Hy-Vee vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
*You can save 18 cents per serving by using Hy-Vee private label products for this recipe.
All you do:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a roasting pan or large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine oats, almonds, walnuts and pepitas in a large bowl. Whisk maple syrup, oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Pour over the oat mixture and toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
- Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly and evenly browned and starting to dry out, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely in the pan before serving or storing.
- To make ahead: Store airtight in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition facts per serving: 267 calories; 16g fat (2g sat, 7g mono); 0mg cholesterol; 28g carbohydrate; 8g added sugars; 7g protein; 4g fiber; 60mg sodium; 222mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Magnesium (32% daily value). Carbohydrate servings: 2
Source: adapted from Eating Well, Inc.
Talk to a Hy-Vee dietitian for more information. The information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.
