Off-brand or generic products are almost always cheaper than their name-brand counterparts, sometimes by a few cents or a few dollars. And, according to Michigan State University, they taste just as good because they are often made with similar ingredients. Just look to the pros; a poll reportedly found that chefs are more likely to buy generic than everyone else.
And due to the rising costs of groceries, it makes sense that the general public would follow their lead. Aldi shopper Andreya Payne (@thedreyaface) filmed her shock after noticing just how expensive Kraft Singles are—especially when compared to its off-brand counterpart.
In her video, she points out that a container on the right contains Kraft Singles for $4.86 a pack. The bin next to that, on the left, contains Aldi’s Happy Farms brand of American cheese slice singles for $1.95 a pack.
“Y’all, I’m about to show you the types of person I am right now,” she says. Her hand hovers across both containers before landing on the Happy Farms one. She grabs a pack of the Happy Farms cheese slices.
“I’m not paying $5 for cheese when this is $2. I don’t care if it melt or not,” she concludes.
The Daily Dot reached out to Payne via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as to Aldi and Kraft via press email.
Viewers have mixed opinions
Payne’s video has accumulated over 44,000 views. Viewers were pretty divided in the comments section.
“Me everytime i shop,” one viewer wrote.
“It’s good….I have the same pack and it melts and taste fine,” a second stated.
“I’m not paying either price for ‘cheese product,’” another remarked. “I’ll just get the actual thing or none at all.”
“I’m gonna buy quality cause I definitely buy high end bs that high end can take a backseat now cause food come first,” another said.
@thedreyaface I don’t care if it melt or not
♬ original sound – thedreyaface
Are Kraft and Happy Farms made of real cheese?
According to Taste of Home, American cheese is “not actually cheese—at least, not legally. The FDA calls it ‘pasteurized processed American cheese food.’ In order for a food product to be a true ‘cheese,’ it has to be more than half cheese, which is technically pressed curds of milk. So each Kraft American single contains less than 51% curds, which means it doesn’t meet the FDA’s standard.”
Here’s everything Kraft contains:
- Cheddar Cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes)
- Skim Milk
- Milkfat
- Milk
- Milk Protein Concentrate
- Whey
- Calcium Phosphate
- Sodium Phosphate
- Modified Food Starch
- Salt
- Lactic Acid
- Oleoresin Paprika (Color)
- Natamycin (A Natural Mold Inhibitor)
- Enzymes
- Cheese Culture
- Annatto (Color)
And here are Happy Farms’ ingredients:
- Cultured Milk
- Water
- Cream
- Whey
- Sodium Citrate
- Milk Protein Concentrate
- Modified Food Starch
- Whey Protein Concentrate
- Calcium Phosphate
- Salt
- Sorbic Acid (Preservative)
- Sodium Phosphate
- Citric Acid
- Artificial Color
- Lactic Acid
- Enzymes
- Vitamin D3
But, will it melt?
Yes, they do. However, they have a higher melting point than real cheese. Real cheese melts at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and processed cheese melts at 160 degrees Fahrenheit due to their “high levels of liquid,” per Mashed.
So, Happy Farms does have similar ingredients and melting ability to Kraft Singles.
Correction: The original version of this story maintained that Kraft contains 2% milk curd. “Our formulations are proprietary, and we do not disclose the % breakdown of ingredients, but the 2% is inaccurate,” a Kraft spokesperson tells the Daily Dot.
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