|
www.bwmaOnline.com |
Contact Search Links Publications |
The Legal Campaign
Birds Eye downsize to Metric packs (5 December 2007)
Food producer Birds Eye has reduced the weight of frozen food packs in the latest 'gram scam'. Packs which used to show both imperial and metric weights have been rounded down to metric sizes with no reduction in price. Below are scans of Birds Eye packaging that show the metric downsizing process.
Birds Eye Garden Peas; used to display both metric and imperial units ("454g 1lb"):
In 2006, metric/imperial labelling became metric-only "454g":
But in December 2007, the quantity was downsized to "400g":
Test purchases by BWMA show that prices have remained the same: at Sainsburys, the price charged for metric bags of 400g - £1.06 - was the same as for bags of 454g the week before. Thus, the price has increased in real terms by 12%
Birds Eye has carried out the same downsizing process for their 2lb bags; the images below show the former 2lb bag, and the new metric bag:
907g 2lb 800g
Petits Pois have also been downsized: for instance, bags of 680g (1½lb) have been reduced to 640g - but sold at the same price:
Below: the 1½lb bag of petits pois, showing the metric and imperial indications side by side ("680g 1.5lb") Below: the bag with the lb marking removed; and the bag downsized to 640g
Right: a till receipt for 680g and 640g bags purchased together, showing that the same price was charged for each
BWMA wishes to hear urgently from consumers who have spotted other shrinking Birds Eye packages
Birds Eye is only the latest example in a long list of metric downsizers:
Material Copyright © 2001 BWMA. Visitors are free to reproduce information in part or in full on the condition that www.bwmaOnline.com is acknowledged.