Stores have been accused of using copycat products, hiding away ingredients and inflating packs to fool shoppers. A study by consumer champions has identified ten packaging tricks which risk misleading customers about the health, quality and quantity of what they are getting. Which? surveyed hundreds of products and asked more than 7,800 of its members to point the finger at companies that are misleading shoppers. A Which? survey found that Tropicana's Mango and Passion Fruit juice was made from 87 percent apple . It found examples of fruit juice cartons where the main ingredient was omitted from the pack name and relegated to small print. For example, Tropicana Mango & Passion Fruit juice is actually 87per cent cheaper apple juice, while the firm’s Lemon & Lime Juice is 96per cent a mix of apple and orange. Many companies put nutrition information on the front of packs which is designed to tell shoppers ‘at a glance’ how healthy they are in relation to other similar products. However, a number use unrealistically small portion sizes as the basis of these nutrition claims, which makes the products appear healthier. For example, Waitrose offers a small individual ‘Essential’ cheese and tomato pizza that weighs just 165g, which would normally be eaten whole. However, the firm gives fat, salt, sugar and calorie information for just half the pizza. Similarly, the nutrition information on the front of a Goodfella’s extra thin pizza is given based on someone eating just one quarter of it when most people would eat at least half. Which? found that some packs of sausages and bacon given nutrition information based on eating just one sausage or rasher, when most people would eat two or three. The editor of Which? magazine, Richard Headland, said: ‘We’ve found packaging tactics across the supermarkets that run the risk of misleading customers. Supermarkets and manufacturers need to play fair to avoid confusing consumers. Tropicana's Lemon & Lime juice is made from 96 per cent apple and orange juice . ‘We’re campaigning for simple food pricing to make it easy for consumers to compare products and find the best deal.’ As we approach Christmas, many people will be buying gift packs as presents. However, Which? found a Lynx pack containing a deodorant and shower gel for £6.50 which could be bought separately for £5. Researchers also found a Dove gift set for £4.50 containing products that could be bought for £4.40. A number of supermarkets have created own-label products that bear an uncanny resemblance to big brands, which manufacturers have spent millions of pounds to create and promote. The budget chains Aldi and Lidl appear particularly keen to borrow from famous brands. Some 39per cent of people surveyed by Which? thought Lidl’s Tower Gate Ginger Nuts were actually McVitie’s Ginger Nuts. Lidl’s Newgate Cream of Tomato soup can looks very much like the Heinz version. Aldi’s Snackrite Thick Ridged Crisps also look similar to the popular ‘Real McCoys’ brand. Earlier this year, Aldi was forced to remove its ‘Saucy Salmon Fillets’ from sale following complaints and legal action from the Saucy Fish Company, who said they were a copy of its packs. Which? also found that companies use deliberately inflated packs to give a false impression. For example, it found boxes of Cadbury fingers were only two thirds full, while packs of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Amaretti biscuits were only 60per cent full. Some products contain ingredients that shoppers, particularly vegetarians, would not expect. For example, drinks like Lilt and Kia Ora orange squash with no added sugar contain fish gelatine. One of the biggest problems faced by shoppers is comparing the price of packaged fruit and veg versus the same products sold loose. In theory, those sold loose should be cheaper, but this is not always the case. Which? found bananas sold loose worked out at just 68p a kilo, while those sold in plastic bags were at least £1 a kilo. Other problems include products sold as ‘Fairtrade’ when this is not necessarily the case, ‘light’ products that are not as healthy as they may appear and product descriptions on cooked meat which are not clear . Example: Tropicana Mango & Passion Fruit Juice is actually 87% apple juice, 9% mango puree; 4% passion fruit juice. Tropicana Lemon & Lime Juice is mainly apple and orange with only 2% lemon and 2% lime. Response: Tropicana said drinks are named according to the main flavour, rather than the main ingredient. Small portion size used to skew nutrition figures. Example: Waitrose 165g ‘Essential’ pizza bases front of pack nutrition figures on only half the product. Goodfella’s pizza uses only one quarter of pizza for its figures. Response: Waitrose said the portion size represents a typical meal which would include other elements. Goodfella’s is changing labels to give figures for half a pizza . Waitrose's ‘Essential’ pizza bases front of pack nutrition figures on only half the product . Copycat brands. Example: Lidl’s Tower Gate Ginger Nuts mimic McVitie’s product; Aldi’s Snackrite Thick Ridged Crisps are similar to ‘The Real McCoy’s’. Response: Aldi says generic colours help shoppers find what they want. Lidl says it ensures own-label are clearly differentiated. Poor value gift sets . Example: Lynx gift set costing £6.50 contained a deodorant and shower gel that would normally cost £5. Response: Manufacturer, Unilever said retailers set the prices. Excess packaging . Example: Cadbury Fingers 114g box is two-thirds full; Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Amaretti Biscuits is only 60% full . Response: Sainsbury’s blamed ‘settling’ in the bag. Cadbury’s said it is reducing packaging. Cadbury Fingers 114g box is only two-thirds full but the company said it is reducing the size of packaging . Off-putting names hidden in the small print . Example: Sainsbury’s British chicken breast slices are actually ‘Cooked, reformed chicken with less than 15% added water, and starch’; Lidl’s Hazelmeade Farm honey roast ham slices are ‘Cooked and honey roasted reformed ham slices with added water’. Response: The product details are clear on the pack. Fairtrade . Example: Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars carry Fairtrade logo, however not all the cocoa it uses comes from a Fairtrade farmer. Response: Fairtrade Foundation say it is not always possible to keep Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade cocoa separate. Fairtrade farmers get a price premium of $200 dollars per tonne. Fruit and Veg . Example: Produce sold in packaging is not always clearly labelled to help shoppers make a price comparison with items sold loose. Response: Supermarkets say they include information in terms of price per kilo on the shelves of packaged and loose produce. Surprise ingredients . Example: Lilt and Kia Ora orange squash with no added sugar contain small amounts of fish gelatine not listed in the ingredients. Response: Both brands are owned by Coca-Cola which said it avoids the use of ingredients of animal origin in its drinks, but in some cases this is not possible. Flora Buttery Light may appear healthy, however it actually contains 45g of fat per 100g . Light . Example: Flora Buttery Light may appear healthy, however it contains 45g of fat per 100g; McVitie’s Light Digestives contain 4.5g of sugar per 100g than standards ones; Mary Berry’s Light Salad Dressing contains 21.9g of sugar and 21.9g of fat per 100g. Response: Unilever said the Flora label complies with the rules; McVitie’s said the removal of fat from the digestives, required an increase in the carbohydrate and sugar; the Mary Berry brand said the fat level was 50% less than the original product.
Tropicana's Mango & Passion Fruit juice is 87per cent apple juice .
The company's Lemon & Lime is a 96per cent mix of apple and orange .
Kia Ora and Lilt may have no added sugar but do use fish gelatin .
Which? discovered that loose fruit is more expensive than pre-bagged .
Stores have been accused of using copycat products, hiding away ingredients and inflating packs to fool shoppers. A study by consumer champions has identified ten packaging tricks which risk misleading customers about the health, quality and quantity of what they are getting. Which? surveyed hundreds of products and asked more than 7,800 of its members to point the finger at companies that are misleading shoppers. A Which? survey found that Tropicana's Mango and Passion Fruit juice was made from 87 percent apple . It found examples of fruit juice cartons where the main ingredient was omitted from the pack name and relegated to small print. For example, Tropicana Mango & Passion Fruit juice is actually 87per cent cheaper apple juice, while the firm’s Lemon & Lime Juice is 96per cent a mix of apple and orange. Many companies put nutrition information on the front of packs which is designed to tell shoppers ‘at a glance’ how healthy they are in relation to other similar products. However, a number use unrealistically small portion sizes as the basis of these nutrition claims, which makes the products appear healthier. For example, Waitrose offers a small individual ‘Essential’ cheese and tomato pizza that weighs just 165g, which would normally be eaten whole. However, the firm gives fat, salt, sugar and calorie information for just half the pizza. Similarly, the nutrition information on the front of a Goodfella’s extra thin pizza is given based on someone eating just one quarter of it when most people would eat at least half. Which? found that some packs of sausages and bacon given nutrition information based on eating just one sausage or rasher, when most people would eat two or three. The editor of Which? magazine, Richard Headland, said: ‘We’ve found packaging tactics across the supermarkets that run the risk of misleading customers. Supermarkets and manufacturers need to play fair to avoid confusing consumers. Tropicana's Lemon & Lime juice is made from 96 per cent apple and orange juice . ‘We’re campaigning for simple food pricing to make it easy for consumers to compare products and find the best deal.’ As we approach Christmas, many people will be buying gift packs as presents. However, Which? found a Lynx pack containing a deodorant and shower gel for £6.50 which could be bought separately for £5. Researchers also found a Dove gift set for £4.50 containing products that could be bought for £4.40. A number of supermarkets have created own-label products that bear an uncanny resemblance to big brands, which manufacturers have spent millions of pounds to create and promote. The budget chains Aldi and Lidl appear particularly keen to borrow from famous brands. Some 39per cent of people surveyed by Which? thought Lidl’s Tower Gate Ginger Nuts were actually McVitie’s Ginger Nuts. Lidl’s Newgate Cream of Tomato soup can looks very much like the Heinz version. Aldi’s Snackrite Thick Ridged Crisps also look similar to the popular ‘Real McCoys’ brand. Earlier this year, Aldi was forced to remove its ‘Saucy Salmon Fillets’ from sale following complaints and legal action from the Saucy Fish Company, who said they were a copy of its packs. Which? also found that companies use deliberately inflated packs to give a false impression. For example, it found boxes of Cadbury fingers were only two thirds full, while packs of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Amaretti biscuits were only 60per cent full. Some products contain ingredients that shoppers, particularly vegetarians, would not expect. For example, drinks like Lilt and Kia Ora orange squash with no added sugar contain fish gelatine. One of the biggest problems faced by shoppers is comparing the price of packaged fruit and veg versus the same products sold loose. In theory, those sold loose should be cheaper, but this is not always the case. Which? found bananas sold loose worked out at just 68p a kilo, while those sold in plastic bags were at least £1 a kilo. Other problems include products sold as ‘Fairtrade’ when this is not necessarily the case, ‘light’ products that are not as healthy as they may appear and product descriptions on cooked meat which are not clear . Example: Tropicana Mango & Passion Fruit Juice is actually 87% apple juice, 9% mango puree; 4% passion fruit juice. Tropicana Lemon & Lime Juice is mainly apple and orange with only 2% lemon and 2% lime. Response: Tropicana said drinks are named according to the main flavour, rather than the main ingredient. Small portion size used to skew nutrition figures. Example: Waitrose 165g ‘Essential’ pizza bases front of pack nutrition figures on only half the product. Goodfella’s pizza uses only one quarter of pizza for its figures. Response: Waitrose said the portion size represents a typical meal which would include other elements. Goodfella’s is changing labels to give figures for half a pizza . Waitrose's ‘Essential’ pizza bases front of pack nutrition figures on only half the product . Copycat brands. Example: Lidl’s Tower Gate Ginger Nuts mimic McVitie’s product; Aldi’s Snackrite Thick Ridged Crisps are similar to ‘The Real McCoy’s’. Response: Aldi says generic colours help shoppers find what they want. Lidl says it ensures own-label are clearly differentiated. Poor value gift sets . Example: Lynx gift set costing £6.50 contained a deodorant and shower gel that would normally cost £5. Response: Manufacturer, Unilever said retailers set the prices. Excess packaging . Example: Cadbury Fingers 114g box is two-thirds full; Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Amaretti Biscuits is only 60% full . Response: Sainsbury’s blamed ‘settling’ in the bag. Cadbury’s said it is reducing packaging. Cadbury Fingers 114g box is only two-thirds full but the company said it is reducing the size of packaging . Off-putting names hidden in the small print . Example: Sainsbury’s British chicken breast slices are actually ‘Cooked, reformed chicken with less than 15% added water, and starch’; Lidl’s Hazelmeade Farm honey roast ham slices are ‘Cooked and honey roasted reformed ham slices with added water’. Response: The product details are clear on the pack. Fairtrade . Example: Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars carry Fairtrade logo, however not all the cocoa it uses comes from a Fairtrade farmer. Response: Fairtrade Foundation say it is not always possible to keep Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade cocoa separate. Fairtrade farmers get a price premium of $200 dollars per tonne. Fruit and Veg . Example: Produce sold in packaging is not always clearly labelled to help shoppers make a price comparison with items sold loose. Response: Supermarkets say they include information in terms of price per kilo on the shelves of packaged and loose produce. Surprise ingredients . Example: Lilt and Kia Ora orange squash with no added sugar contain small amounts of fish gelatine not listed in the ingredients. Response: Both brands are owned by Coca-Cola which said it avoids the use of ingredients of animal origin in its drinks, but in some cases this is not possible. Flora Buttery Light may appear healthy, however it actually contains 45g of fat per 100g . Light . Example: Flora Buttery Light may appear healthy, however it contains 45g of fat per 100g; McVitie’s Light Digestives contain 4.5g of sugar per 100g than standards ones; Mary Berry’s Light Salad Dressing contains 21.9g of sugar and 21.9g of fat per 100g. Response: Unilever said the Flora label complies with the rules; McVitie’s said the removal of fat from the digestives, required an increase in the carbohydrate and sugar; the Mary Berry brand said the fat level was 50% less than the original product.
A Which? survey found that Tropicana's Mango and example, Tropicana Mango & Passion Fruit juice is actually 87per cent cheaper apple juice, while the firm’s Lemon & Lime Juice is 96per cent a mix of apple and orange. Many companies put nutrition squash with no added sugar contain fish gelatine. Kia Ora orange squash with no added sugar contain