Tesco and Morrisons are among the supermarkets and food brands that have been accused of changing product recipes to reduce costs, while increasing prices for consumers.
Channel 4’s Dispatches ‘Less for More: The Truth About Food Prices’ programme, which airs tonight, accused the supermarkets, alongside brands such as Ella’s Kitchen and Jacobs, of ‘skimpflation’ – swapping out ingredients for cheaper alternatives.
The investigation found that the beef content of Morrisons’ The Best Lasagne Al Forne has reduced from 30% to 26% while the grocer’s Roast Beef Dinner and Yorkshire Pudding had a quarter more Yorkshire pudding and 15% more beef last year.
A Morrisons spokesperson told MailOnline: “This is an unprecedented period of inflation and we are working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability in all our stores.”
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The report accused Tesco of reducing the beef in its lasagne from 23% to 19%, with mushrooms having since been included and salt having risen by a third.
The supermarket giant’s Greek Style Yoghurt’s fat content reduced from 9.5% to 7.5%, however the price increased from 50p in 2020 to £1.10.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are always looking for ways to improve our recipes, not only to make them taste better, but also to provide products that are healthier for our customers and better for the planet.
“We have removed more than 71bn calories from our own brand ranges since 2018 as part of our work to create healthier products, and have set ourselves a target of 65% healthy sales by 2025.”
Sources told the publication that Tesco’s yoghurt was changed to make the product healthier and that there had been no negative impact to the taste, while its beef lasagne was reformulated for the same reasons with better results in taste tests for the new version.
It comes as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found in November that three quarters of branded suppliers in products such as baked beans, mayonnaise and pet food have pushed up prices by more than their costs increased.
In doing so, these branded suppliers “have contributed to higher food price inflation”.
1 Comment. Leave new
It just shows you cannot trust supermarkets. They are finding it tough and have resorted to underhand methods to save money. Pretty good argument to cook your own meals rather than buy Ready Meals.