Quality differences in Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, etc

[gfron1]

Wondering if anyone has ever noticed a difference to explain the price variance among these products by brand. For an example, the bag on the left is .99c US at my local store, and right next to it was the bag to the right priced at $2.19US. There's a third brand that falls in the middle at $1.79US. I've never noticed a difference but I don't use them every day.

[liuzhou]

This is a guess but the bag on the left is obviously Thai while that on the right seems to be Chinese.

 

Trade tariffs?

[paulraphael]

I haven't noticed with starches. But I've never compared, or even paid that close attention.

 

There's a huge difference with gums. Not just different brands and product lines, but sometimes different batches.

 

The supply chain shitshows of the last few years have shaken things up. The big companies (like ingredeon) seem to respond to price hikes in a particular gum by finding a cheaper and possibly lower-quality source. And not telling anyone. I had a couple of ice cream consulting clients say they started having problems with familiar brands. Some of them had to start experimenting by importing alternatives from different countries and doing their own experiments.