A supermarket own-brand tin of baked beans costing just 39p has beaten Heinz in a blind taste test, according to consumer group Which?. Aldi's Bramwells Baked Beans shared the top spot with Lidl's Newgate Baked Beans, both scoring 77%, while Heinz finished narrowly behind on 76%.
The consumer group asked a panel of 60 shoppers to sample 12 different baked bean brands without knowing which products they were trying. Each person tasted the beans in a different order and sat in a private booth to ensure the results weren't influenced by others. Products were scored for flavour, texture, appearance and overall enjoyment.
Budget brands outperform Heinz
Aldi's Bramwells beans cost just 39p a tin, while Lidl's Newgate beans are priced at 40p. By comparison, a 415g tin of Heinz baked beans costs around £1.40, making it more than three times as expensive.
Which? said Aldi's beans impressed the tasting panel, with many describing them as having a pleasant sweetness alongside a good texture.
Shoppers need not pay premium prices
The results suggest shoppers do not necessarily have to pay premium prices to enjoy highly rated baked beans, with supermarket own-brand options outperforming one of the UK's best-known brands.
The blind taste test included products from Heinz, Branston, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons, among others, with tasters unaware of which brand they were sampling until after the judging had finished.
