Why do some name brand items taste differently than off-brand items, yet they have the same ingredients?
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Food scientist here.
Same ingredients, but not same formula and/or brand of ingredients. This is also what separates an expensive muffin from something you buy off at the supermarket in plastic packaging.
To give a concrete example, Lays only uses specific varieties and cuts of potatoes based on the sugar/carb/protein/color/acidity/weight raw & cooked or other standardization for consistency.
Off-Brand company can copy the exact formula to a tee, but they can’t get the exact flavor, crispness, fat retention, cut dimensions, weight per piece, length, and color if they don’t know the exact potato variety.
And trust me when I say some of these companies pay a lot of hush money to keep their ingredients more secret than the President’s nuke codes.
Another example is the “natural flavorings.” Different flavor companies have different formulas for what “natural apple flavor” tastes/smells like, so this also affects the overall finished good.
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