Supermarkets are selling packets of cereal that are HALF EMPTY
A Sun on Sunday investigation compared the height of boxes with the cereal in the bags inside and the results are shocking
SUPERMARKETS are selling packets of cereal that are only half-full.
We compared the height of boxes with the cereal in the bags inside.
Tesco’s Special Flakes was the worst offender, with the plastic bag of contents reaching only 51.46 per cent of the 27cm box’s height.
Asda’s Smart Price Corn Flakes came a close second at 57.14 per cent.
Other poor performers, where cereal came less than two-thirds up the box, were Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Sainsbury’s Wholegrain Bran Flakes and Sainsbury’s Rice Pops.
Large packaging is misleading and not fair on consumers
Fred Isaac
In all cases the weight of the product given on the packaging was accurate, meaning the supermarkets broke no rules.
Consumer campaigner Fred Isaac, from website , claimed shoppers were being conned into believing they were getting more for their money.
He added: “Large packaging is misleading and not fair on consumers.
“Supermarkets exploit our poor size perception to flog us products that are not value for money.”
Retail expert Craig Phillipson, of the consultancy Shopworks, said bigger packaging was down to manufacturers and retailers trying to be “more visible”.
Kellogg’s insisted that the lower cereal height in the box was due to settling of the contents between the factory and the shop.
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A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said the store showed cereal prices per 100g and added: “By leaving a bit of space at the top of bags during production, they are sealed faster and without damaging the product.”
Tesco said: “The weight of each product is always clearly listed on the pack.”