Welch’s Earns Tops in Taste over Smucker’s in Blind Test by ChefsBest
SAN FRANCISCO, June 20, 2016 — Welch’s topped Smucker’s in a blind taste test of strawberry spread and grape jelly conducted by distinguished Certified Master Tasters® at the ChefsBest® Center for Taste in San Francisco, earning a key victory in the long-standing battle between the brands.
The panel, composed of independent professional chefs, determined Welch’s earned tops in taste for its multi-serving jar of strawberry spread and grape jelly. Other varieties of Welch’s grape and strawberry jams and jellies were also evaluated and scored high enough to receive the ChefsBest Excellence Award, which carries with it claims including “Endorsed by Professional Chefs,” “Award-Winning Taste” and “Highly Ranked.”
In all categories where Welch’s was victorious, judges agreed the brand’s varieties possessed a greater intensity of fruit flavor, aroma, sweetness, and character when used in application in a peanut-butter-and-jam sandwich.
“With a mission of helping consumers make the best buying decisions possible and honoring brands that deserve recognition, these are the types of results we love,” said ChefsBest President and CEO Lisa Liguori. “Welch’s and Smucker’s are well-established brands in a largely stable category. This unpaid, independent evaluation provides consumers with vital information in an area where many have likely been buying the same brand over and over without much information from experts in taste. This validates purchasing decisions by consumers who have been loyal to Welch’s, and it may entice others to switch brands.”
Products were evaluated in a blind taste test using the ChefsBest proprietary tasting method called Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis™ (SAQA™), used to organize the sensory experience of eating into an objective set of dimensions, attributes and anchors.
ChefsBest Best Awards were also granted in other product categories including Frozen Burrito, Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary Mix, and Frozen Orange Chicken. Chefs determined the winners in each were, respectively, Tina’s, Mr. and Mrs. T’s and Crazy Cuizine.
“As we continue to become a culture of taste and not just food for consumption’s sake, demonstrated by our rising interest in celebrity chefs and a greater consciousness of organic and farm-to-table items, the opinions of chefs carry greater weight,” Liguori said. “Now shoppers have the information they need to select the best-tasting and highest quality products in these categories.”
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About ChefsBest
ChefsBest identifies and honors the best tasting grocery products in order to support the companies that make them and the people who choose to select them. Through its headquarters in San Diego and the Center for Taste in San Francisco, the organization has judged thousands of grocery products and bestowed its Best Taste and Excellence awards on the highest-quality products since 2000. Through ChefsBest, brands can unlock coveted ad claims and consumers can garner insight they need to purchase the best-tasting and highest quality ingredients. ChefsBest awards are a nationally recognized trust mark used by numerous brands, both in and out of the grocery aisle.