Target's 3 In-Store Grocery Brands, Explained

In-house store brands are nothing new in the corporate food industry, with many major grocery chains offering their own renditions of everyday items, usually at lower price points than competitors. Target embraces the practice throughout its stores, including three in the food department. It's an ever-evolving endeavor that now incorporates thousands of food essentials and splurge-worthies ranging from dairy products to breads, juices, baked goods, ice cream, meats, and a whole lot more. The products are spread across multiple food categories within the branded names of Good & Gather, Market Pantry, and Favorite Day. 

Each of the three collections focuses on a different type of food or consumer demographic, reflected by carefully chosen brand names. Its oldest surviving line, Market Pantry, arrived in 2001, about six years after the company introduced groceries to its lineup in the first Super Target store. The Market Pantry brand survives today, though Target announced back in 2019 that it would be gradually reducing the quantity of Market Pantry product offerings in deference to the new and much broader Good & Gather store brand. 

Then there's the newbie, Favorite Day, which debuted in Target freezers, bakery sections, and snack aisles in April 2021. As its name hints, there's some sweet and savory indulgence involved with this group of goodies.

Becoming familiar with each Target food brand can help you zip from aisle to aisle with confidence, and potentially save some money at checkout time. 

Though not the newest of the three Target food brands, Good & Gather is by far the largest, comprising at least 2,000 products and counting. They span the culinary palette from prepared pasta dishes to sparkling waters, salad kits, granola bars, fresh dairy, meats, chips, nuts, and healthy dips and hummus spreads. One differentiating factor with Good & Gather products, evidenced by its chosen moniker, is the absence of artificial sweeteners and flavors, unnatural synthetic colors, and high fructose corn syrup, which is associated with a host of health problems — including diabetes and heart and liver disease, according to Healthline. 

At the brand's launch in August 2019, Target's executive vice president and president of Food & Beverage, Stephanie Lundquist, noted the company's goal of proving affordable food that tastes great, while also helping shoppers feel good about how they're feeding their families. All the products in this line come from an internal Target development team. 

As the Good & Gather family of exclusive Target products continues tucking more items under its umbrella, the company has also phased out a couple of early-adapter food brands. Those include Simply Balanced and Archer Farms, a private-label Target brand that launched in 1995. Sorry frozen pizza fans, you'll have to try the Good & Gather version now. There are over a dozen of them, mostly wood-fired, ranging from thin crust to rising crust with toppings such as pepperoni with spicy honey, mushroom and truffle oil, roasted vegetables, BBQ chicken, and tomato with arugula. 

Favorite Day is the "fun sibling" brand in the Target family trio. It's also the youngest –– and likely appeals to Target's youngest customers. In its launch release, the company calls it a brand designed for celebration and indulgence. With a portfolio of 700 goodies either planned or realized to date, there are plenty of ways to reach that goal. We're talking premium ice cream, macarons, candy, cake supplies, brownie bites, chocolate trail mix, sea salt caramels (which you could make yourself), and snacks galore. There are also adult beverage mixers and mocktail concoctions.

Favorite Day splits into two primary product categories, all priced at less than $15. Favorite Day Bakery features breads, cupcakes, brownie bites, and various baked goods while Favorite Day Gourmet focuses on premium-level sweets of all kinds.  

Finally, there's the elder member of the branded clan, Market Pantry. It's gotten a lot of love over the years — based on its ability to haul in at least $1 billion in annual sales as of 2016. But despite a bold new makeover announced that same year, many of its products are being rebranded under the Good & Gather banner. But others remain, embraced as family-friendly foods costing up to 30% less than similar products with national branding. Its current collection includes staple kitchen items such as flour, canned goods, baking supplies, coffee filters, sauces, salad dressings, bacon, pancake mixes, and tortillas. There's nothing fancy in this group — just solid go-to pantry favorites.