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When should one buy name brands, and when are generic brands just as good?
I know from personal experience that in some cases, name brands and generic brands are literally from the same production line. However, I have also seen situations where, for example, the rejected product from a name brand company, was sold for use by a generic brand.
One if the pickiest companies that I've ever worked with is Frito Lay. For example, if the dwell time [time from cooking to bagging] for a product is longer than thirty seconds [again, as an example], it is rejected. And I could write pages about some of the optical analysis used for EVERY potato chip. In fact, while they are a real pain to work with, Frito has fantastically rigid product quality standards. There is no way that a generic brand would use the same controls. In short, there are times when you get what you pay for.
I was almost kicked out of a Frito plant because I entered a food production area with Rolaids in my pocket. No kidding! I was standing at least thirty feet from any production line when I took them out of my pocket for a moment. The floor manager, who was standing right in front of me, about had a heart attack. And touching the product will instantly get you the death penalty. No one would even dare consider such a thing in a Frito plant. But other companies think nothing of one grabbing a handful of chips from a moving line.
To their credit, Pepperidge Farms refused to allow me to take a gallon of milk in while I was working between the Milano and Fudge Brownie lines. [Btw, I was the one who put the smile on the Goldfish ie I programmed and started the first line, when the smile was added. My nieces and nephews love that one!]
I know from personal experience that in some cases, name brands and generic brands are literally from the same production line. However, I have also seen situations where, for example, the rejected product from a name brand company, was sold for use by a generic brand.
One if the pickiest companies that I've ever worked with is Frito Lay. For example, if the dwell time [time from cooking to bagging] for a product is longer than thirty seconds [again, as an example], it is rejected. And I could write pages about some of the optical analysis used for EVERY potato chip. In fact, while they are a real pain to work with, Frito has fantastically rigid product quality standards. There is no way that a generic brand would use the same controls. In short, there are times when you get what you pay for.
I was almost kicked out of a Frito plant because I entered a food production area with Rolaids in my pocket. No kidding! I was standing at least thirty feet from any production line when I took them out of my pocket for a moment. The floor manager, who was standing right in front of me, about had a heart attack. And touching the product will instantly get you the death penalty. No one would even dare consider such a thing in a Frito plant. But other companies think nothing of one grabbing a handful of chips from a moving line.
To their credit, Pepperidge Farms refused to allow me to take a gallon of milk in while I was working between the Milano and Fudge Brownie lines. [Btw, I was the one who put the smile on the Goldfish ie I programmed and started the first line, when the smile was added. My nieces and nephews love that one!]
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