UK Supermarkets under fire for sandwich labelling

Fri, 06 Jan 2006
 
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A leading UK consumer watchdog has condemned grocery retailers for adding ingredients such as water, starch and salt to the chicken found in pre-packed sandwiches.

A study of 26 ready-packed sandwiches conducted by the consumer group Which? found that only one filling contained 100% pure chicken, while seven contained oils added for moisture. Other sandwiches contained a combination of water, starch, preservatives and artificial flavourings.

The magazine tested sandwiches from stores such as Tesco, Boots, Morrison’s and Marks &Spencer (M&S) to see if the chicken had been enhanced to give it more moisture, bulk or flavour.

Which? has called for the retailers featured in the study ,which include M&S, Waitrose, Boots, Sainsbury's, BHS, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Somerfield to amend labelling so that shoppers understand exactly what the products contain.

"It was impossible to tell from most sandwich labels exactly how much chicken was meat and how much was made up of unappetising ingredients," the group said.

Asda's "Good for you roast chicken sandwich" was the only sample to contain chicken that was 100% meat. All stores except Sainsbury's revealed the meat content of the chicken they used in sandwiches when asked by which? researchers. This ranged between 94% and 99%.

After the survey, many of the chains, including Tesco and M&S, have decided to revise their policy and change the fillings to 100% chicken.

BHS was the worst offender, according to the survey. The label on its chicken and stuffing sandwich claims "100% breast meat" while the chicken only tested as 94% pure.

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