**1. Introduction**

New Zealand (NZ) has a high prevalence of nutrition-related disease (NCD) [1], with poor diets characterized by energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages, accounting for nearly 20% of illness and early death in 2017 [1]. Furthermore, there is an inequitable food environment in NZ which promotes the consumption of unhealthy foods [2–7], including the steady growth of the packaged food industry, which consequently has an important role to play in improving population diets and preventing NCDs [2]. In NZ, supermarkets account for ~75% of all purchases of packaged foods [8], and the supermarket food environment consists of a duopoly of two supermarket retailers: Foodstuffs and Woolworths [9]. These two supermarket retailers provide groceries to eight supermarket chains across the country [9].

The availability of private label (PL) and branded label (BL) products in supermarkets is important for generating price competitiveness and to offer consumers options in terms

**Citation:** Castro, T.; Mackay, S.; Young, L.; Ni Mhurchu, C.; Shaw, G.; Tawfiq, E.; Eyles, H. Comparison of Healthiness, Labelling, and Price between Private and Branded Label Packaged Foods in New Zealand (2015–2019). *Nutrients* **2021**, *13*, 2731. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082731

Academic Editor: Joerg Koenigstorfer

Received: 12 July 2021 Accepted: 5 August 2021 Published: 9 August 2021

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of quality and variety [10]. Both supermarket retailers in NZ offer PL options, also known as "own-brands", "generic brands", "store brands", or "economy lines". In 2020, PL sales accounted for 10.2% of packaged foods sold in NZ stores and online [8]. In 2020, Foodstuffs reported that they were on target to reach \$1.3 billion in sales from PL products [11]. In 2019, Woolworths Group expanded their PL range and released 640 new PL products into the market [12]. Given the relevant presence of PL products in NZ supermarkets, it is important that these products are equitable from a health perspective.

Since 2016, both NZ supermarket retailers have made commitments to improve the healthiness of their PL products, specifically through reformulation focused on reducing sugar, sodium, and saturated fat content [13–15]. For example, one retailer has committed to all PL products being nutritionally on par, or better than, the average comparable BL products (by 2018) [13]. Both retailers have also committed to displaying the voluntary Health Star Rating (HSR) nutrition label on all applicable PL products [13–15]. The HSR system was introduced into New Zealand and Australia in mid-2014 as a front-of-pack labelling scheme endorsed by the government to enable consumers to easily compare the healthiness of similar types of products on a scale of 0.5 to 5.0, with a higher score indicating a healthier product [16]. Products with an HSR ≥ 3.5 stars are generally considered a healthier choice [17].

Two previous NZ studies have examined differences in the healthiness of PL and BL products, with both examining sodium content [18,19], and one examining price [18]. In 2002, across 11 of 15 food categories assessed, mean sodium content was found to be lower for most PL compared with BL options in analyses involving unmatched products. This same study also found that, for 11 food categories, PL products were, on average, cheaper than BL options. This finding contrasts with that described by Monro et al. (2015) [19], where the mean sodium content of PL products was found to be higher than that of BL products. However, it is important to highlight the small number of food categories (n = 8) and variation in product types included in this latter study, which limits the generalizability of the findings.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no recent and comprehensive studies in NZ comparing the healthiness and price of PL and BL packaged food products, or changes in their healthiness over time. Consumers have the right to be informed when looking for healthier, cost-effective food options, and this is particularly important for addressing equity. Furthermore, NZ food retailers need to know how healthy their PL products are compared with branded options. Therefore, our aim was to compare the healthiness, display of HSR, and price of PL and BL packaged food products sold at major NZ supermarket chains. Specific questions were: (1) Do the healthiness, display of HSR and price differ between PL and BL food products on the market in 2019? (2) Has the healthiness and display of HSR on PL and BL packaged food products changed over time (five years from 2015 to 2019)?
