0:00:02 > 0:00:04There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates
0:00:04 > 0:00:08and the shops and labels don't always tell you the whole story.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11I think they encourage you to buy more than you need
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and that causes a lot of waste.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Whether you're staying in or going out,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18you've told us you can feel ripped off
0:00:18 > 0:00:21by the promises made for what you eat
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- and what you pay for it.- How do you know that it's half price?
0:00:24 > 0:00:27What they've done, they've bumped the price up
0:00:27 > 0:00:28and then knocked it down.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33From claims that don't stack up to the secrets behind the packaging,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36we'll uncover the truth about Britain's food,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40so you can be sure you're getting what you expect at the right price.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46Your food, your money. This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Hello and a very warm welcome to Rip-Off Britain
0:00:51 > 0:00:52and our specialist series,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56getting our teeth into all sorts of things to do with food.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today, we'll be investigating some of the favourites
0:00:58 > 0:01:01in our cupboards and fridges - foods that most of us,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03let's face it have grown up with and that, in some cases,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05really are synonymous with Britain.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06But we're going to be asking
0:01:06 > 0:01:08if they're still synonymous with quality
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and, indeed, whether or not they still offer
0:01:11 > 0:01:13good old-fashioned value for money
0:01:13 > 0:01:16because you've been telling us that the cost of some of those favourites
0:01:16 > 0:01:19seems to have gone up rather more than perhaps it should.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21So, we're going to see if that is really the case,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23and, if so, why that is.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25In some cases, of course,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28it may be worth splashing out the extra money.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31On the other hand, it could be that a cheaper option is just as good.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34So, as ever, while we try to find out
0:01:34 > 0:01:36whether you really DO get what you pay for
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and if it even matters where it comes from,
0:01:39 > 0:01:40we'll have plenty of tips and advice
0:01:40 > 0:01:44to make sure you know exactly what you're getting for your money.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Coming up, the supermarket milk raising money for dairy farmers,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52but not all of it goes to the ones that you might think.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54When I first saw the labelling,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58it stated that 23p per four pints was going back
0:01:58 > 0:02:02to what I would assume was UK dairy farmers,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06cos it represented a Union Jack on the label.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09That's why we thought it was a good idea to pay the extra money.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11And the bestselling lagers
0:02:11 > 0:02:15whose ads go big on the countries they apparently come from,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18so does it matter if, in fact, they're brewed a lot closer to home?
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It is a bit misleading
0:02:20 > 0:02:23if you're getting beers from foreign countries and we're brewing it here.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25It's not really coming from a foreign country, is it?
0:02:28 > 0:02:32A food story that's dominated the headlines in recent years
0:02:32 > 0:02:35is how much dairy farmers are paid by the big supermarkets
0:02:35 > 0:02:37for the milk that they sell them.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39It's a tricky issue for consumers
0:02:39 > 0:02:43because while we might want the price that we pay to stay low,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47what we don't want is for that to be at the expense of the people
0:02:47 > 0:02:51whose livelihood depends on actually producing it, which, of course,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54is exactly what the industry says has been happening,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57with some farmers squeezed out of business altogether.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00While the issue remains a pretty hot potato,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02one big-name store has come up with a solution
0:03:02 > 0:03:05that does seem to offer shoppers a real choice on this.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08But is it all that it seems? Well, that's the question
0:03:08 > 0:03:11that one Rip-Off Britain viewer has asked us to look into.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14The days when most of us
0:03:14 > 0:03:16had our milk delivered to our doorstep are long gone.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Two semi-skinned, one silver top, number 18.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23And though milk consumption is up,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26the dairy farming industry is in crisis.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Since the year 2000,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34over half of the UK's dairy farmers have gone out of business
0:03:34 > 0:03:38and many say that that's because it costs them more to produce the milk
0:03:38 > 0:03:41than the amount that they get back when they sell it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45And one of the reasons sometimes cited for this
0:03:45 > 0:03:48is the competitive pricing of the supermarkets,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50who've been accused of milking the industry dry.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- NEWS REPORT:- Supermarkets say their pricing deals are fair
0:03:54 > 0:03:56but farmers say that they are paid less
0:03:56 > 0:03:58for milk than it costs to produce.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04All of this is news that bothered Malcolm Frances from Redditch.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07He wants to make sure that more of his cash
0:04:07 > 0:04:09ends up in the pockets of the farmers,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12rather than the hands of the retailers.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15So, when he heard about one of a number of supermarket schemes
0:04:15 > 0:04:18that claimed to give farmers a better deal,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20he was keen to find out more.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25I first saw the Morrisons Milk For Farmers on television,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27that they were going to bring it out.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Morrisons supermarket says it's introducing a special brand of milk
0:04:31 > 0:04:35with 10p from every litre going to farmers which supply it.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39And then a couple of weeks later, we actually found it
0:04:39 > 0:04:42in our supermarket and that's how we started buying it.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47The Milk For Farmers scheme offers customers the option
0:04:47 > 0:04:49of paying a few pence more for their milk,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53with the extra money going straight back to the producers.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55And this is the milk in question -
0:04:55 > 0:04:59a four-pint bottle of milk costing £1.12,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03which is exactly 23p more than this exact same bottle,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08four pints of milk, British milk, costing 89p.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10But that's because... Look at the label.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13It says, "We give 23p back to the farmer."
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Which means the choice is yours. You can buy this four-pint bottle
0:05:17 > 0:05:21and feel really good about yourself because you know that 23p
0:05:21 > 0:05:24is going back to the hard-pressed dairy farmers.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But which ones?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30The label, which says, "We give back to the farmer",
0:05:30 > 0:05:33it doesn't say which farmers.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Although there's a Union Jack on here,
0:05:37 > 0:05:38specifying that it's British milk,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42it doesn't tell you which British farmers it goes back to.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47So, where does the extra money go?
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Well, the 23p added to the price of milk Malcolm bought at Morrisons
0:05:51 > 0:05:55firstly goes to the UK's largest dairy company, Arla,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57who distributes the milk
0:05:57 > 0:06:00that they get from 12,700 dairy farms right across Europe.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04The money raised from the milk sales are then split
0:06:04 > 0:06:09between all of those farms and not just the 3,000 or so in the UK.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12That's left Malcolm feeling like the scheme isn't quite as good
0:06:12 > 0:06:14for British farmers as he first thought.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17So much so, that he's now considering
0:06:17 > 0:06:19not buying the milk altogether.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Is Malcolm right in considering
0:06:21 > 0:06:23that the Union flag on the bottle is slightly misleading?
0:06:23 > 0:06:27So, we've decided to put this labelling to the test
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and ask the shoppers, here in Peterborough,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32who they think gets this 23p.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Once they've guessed,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37I'll ask them to put a sweetie in the corresponding milk bottle
0:06:37 > 0:06:40for either the EU or Great Britain.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Can I ask you both to take a look at this?
0:06:43 > 0:06:45"23p we give back to the farmer."
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Now, looking at that label, who do you reckon gets that 23p?
0:06:49 > 0:06:54- It should be OUR farmers, the British farmers, I think.- Yes.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Yeah, with the Union Jack, "British Farmers" logo, yes.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- I would guess British farmers. - British farmers.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I would say British because you've got the Union Jack.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10And the "British" up there,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12so you'd say the British farmers, wouldn't you?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I would say British and European,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19because it just says, "We give back to the farmer",
0:07:19 > 0:07:21so I would just presume straightaway
0:07:21 > 0:07:24that would be both European and British
0:07:24 > 0:07:26because it doesn't actually say, "British".
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Out of the 31 people we asked,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34only seven thought that the extra money would be likely
0:07:34 > 0:07:37to benefit farmers outside the UK.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41The rest, like Malcolm, assumed it wouldn't go beyond our own shores.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43I have to admit I'm not that surprised
0:07:43 > 0:07:46that there were more shoppers, here in Peterborough,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49that assumed that that 23p was going to British dairy farmers,
0:07:49 > 0:07:50as opposed to the EU.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52I was a bit confused to start with myself.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55But, you know, nobody wants to knock an initiative
0:07:55 > 0:07:58that's aimed at helping hard-pressed dairy farmers,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01but I think our little straw poll demonstrates
0:08:01 > 0:08:04that really that labelling could be a bit clearer.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08But aside from the labelling, does the scheme benefit farmers
0:08:08 > 0:08:11in the way that Malcolm had initially hoped?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Jonathan Ovens' family has owned this dairy farm,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16here in Wiltshire, for over 150 years.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Come on, then. Up you go. Come on.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Jonathan supplies milk to Arla, so directly benefits
0:08:23 > 0:08:26from the extra 23p charged at supermarket Morrisons.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29He's keen to show Malcolm round his farm and provide reassurance
0:08:29 > 0:08:33that whatever confusion there might be, it IS a good idea.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- Hi, Jonathan.- Hello, Malcolm. Jonathan Ovens, pleased to meet you.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Seeing the Union Jack on the label, I presumed that all the 23p
0:08:40 > 0:08:45- was going to go to all the UK dairy farmers.- No, it doesn't.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49The Union Jack on the label signifies that it's British milk
0:08:49 > 0:08:53that the consumer's buying because we know the British consumer
0:08:53 > 0:08:56wants to be assured that it's British milk that they're buying.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02If I was to stop buying that extra 23p for four pints,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04would it have an effect on the milk price?
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Yes, I would get less for my milk as a result of you stopping buying it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11What Morrisons have done is they've enabled you, the consumer,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16to make the conscious choice to pay that extra 23p for the milk
0:09:16 > 0:09:19and I believe you've done it in the knowledge
0:09:19 > 0:09:21that us, the farmers, are going to get that 23p.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24At the end of the day, it's all down to my choice.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26It's your choice and I would encourage you
0:09:26 > 0:09:28to continue to buy that milk
0:09:28 > 0:09:31because you're helping me, as a dairy farmer, directly.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34We asked Morrisons whether the labelling
0:09:34 > 0:09:37on its Milk For Farmers bottles is as clear as it could be
0:09:37 > 0:09:41and the store told us that, following feedback from customers,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43from early 2016, it has started to roll out
0:09:43 > 0:09:46new labelling on these products.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It said the Union flag is still there because, Morrisons says,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53it represents the fact that the milk is British, but in addition,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57more information about how the Arla scheme works has now been added.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Of course, Morrisons isn't the only supermarket
0:10:00 > 0:10:02to have introduced some sort of scheme
0:10:02 > 0:10:05through which they can claim to support dairy farmers.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Asda told us that, under a long-term contract,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12it's own-brand milk is also supplied by Arla
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and it bears Arla's "Farmer Owned" mark,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18which means that all earnings go back to farmers.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22M&S, Sainsbury's, the Co-op and Tesco all said
0:10:22 > 0:10:26that under their own schemes, they pay farmers fixed amounts
0:10:26 > 0:10:29that are not linked to volatile retail prices.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32M&S has been doing this for 16 years
0:10:32 > 0:10:35under its Milk Pledge Plus programme.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39It links the prices it pays to its 40-strong pool of farmers
0:10:39 > 0:10:42to the costs that THEY pay for production.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45As does Tesco, which told us that, since 2007,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49it has worked with farmers in its Sustainable Dairy Group,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to set the price it pays them for its own-brand milk
0:10:52 > 0:10:55higher than the costs of production.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Tesco says this means its British suppliers are paid...
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Sainsbury's said it reviews the set price it pays
0:11:05 > 0:11:09the 290 farmers supplying its own-brand milk every three months,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12working in collaboration with its Dairy Development Group.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Sainsbury's told us that these farmers make a profit
0:11:15 > 0:11:17from every pint of milk sold.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Meanwhile, the Co-op and Waitrose both told us that they, too, work
0:11:21 > 0:11:25in collaboration with farmers to set a fair price for their milk
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and that these prices are reviewed regularly.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32But while all that paints a very rosy picture,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35it's only a matter of months since protests from the dairy industry,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38which saw farmers herding cattle through supermarkets,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40led to the big names agreeing
0:11:40 > 0:11:42to increase the amount that they pay for milk
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and though that was welcomed by the National Farmers Union,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48it still claimed that some stores continue to pay
0:11:48 > 0:11:50less than the milk cost to produce.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54As for Malcolm,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57seeing how farmers like Jonathan can benefit from the Morrisons scheme,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00has restored his faith in it and he's now started paying
0:12:00 > 0:12:03that little bit extra for milk once again.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08Jonathan made me really understand about the running of the farms,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11of producing that extra pint to go on everybody's table,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15and if he can't make a profit, then his business will suffer
0:12:15 > 0:12:22so, therefore, what Morrisons have done to help them is a good idea.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I will still buy it, hoping it will make a difference.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Nearly eight billion pints of lager were consumed in Britain
0:12:34 > 0:12:38just last year alone and, while most of it is very heavily marketed
0:12:38 > 0:12:41as coming from overseas, in reality it's much more likely
0:12:41 > 0:12:43to come from somewhere much closer to home.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46So, if a beer is sold as being European,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Asian, American, Australian
0:12:48 > 0:12:51or even if it has a label in a foreign language,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54does it actually matter if it's brewed
0:12:54 > 0:12:56in, say, Manchester or Northampton?
0:12:56 > 0:12:59We hit the town to find out how much drinkers really know
0:12:59 > 0:13:02about where their favourite tipple comes from
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and whether their enthusiasm goes a little bit flat
0:13:04 > 0:13:07when they find out that what they thought was a bit exotic
0:13:07 > 0:13:11actually has just benefitted from some very effective marketing.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Wine may have now overtaken beer
0:13:14 > 0:13:17as Britain's most popular alcoholic drink,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20but the good old pint is enjoying a revival.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Traditional British ales are back in fashion
0:13:22 > 0:13:25but lager is still the beer that Brits buy the most.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31And many of the bestselling brands are those we associate
0:13:31 > 0:13:34with either Continental Europe or even further afield
0:13:34 > 0:13:35and that's thanks
0:13:35 > 0:13:37to multimillion-pound marketing campaigns
0:13:37 > 0:13:40that champion their national heritage.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41You little ripper.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Most foreign lagers are synonymous with their country of origin,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49so much so, that when we asked punters at this Manchester pub
0:13:49 > 0:13:52to guess the country of origin for these particular brews,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55most of them were right every time.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Kronenbourg's French. France.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59Is it German beer?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01I would associate Becks with Germany.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Cobra beer's associated with India.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Australia, obviously.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- San Miguel is associated with Spain.- Spain.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Stella is from Belgium.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Full marks. But the reality behind those slick marketing campaigns
0:14:19 > 0:14:21is a little different because, despite what you might think,
0:14:21 > 0:14:2690% of the UK's consumption of these apparently foreign brands
0:14:26 > 0:14:29is actually brewed right here in the UK.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Take Foster's, for example, one of Britain's bestselling beers.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36One of its ads claimed the name was "Australian for lager".
0:14:37 > 0:14:40In 1888, William and Ralph Foster gave Australia
0:14:40 > 0:14:43its first taste of true refreshment.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Based on the adverts, I'd definitely say Australia.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51In fact, the amber nectar in most of the UK's cans of Foster's
0:14:51 > 0:14:55is actually made, not Down Under, but in Manchester.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00And what's more synonymous with India than a bottle of Cobra?
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Cobra - splendidly Indian, superbly smooth.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- I associate Cobra with India. - Just need a curry now.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14But most UK Cobras are brewed miles away from India,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16in fact, in Burton upon Trent.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Next, a beer that conjures up sun, sand and the Spanish Costas -
0:15:22 > 0:15:24San Miguel.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29San Miguel. Now, that's a beer with an amazing story.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I associate this beer with Spain.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37But most of the San Miguel you'll drink here in the UK
0:15:37 > 0:15:39is brewed in the not-so-hot Northampton.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Take a good look and you'll see
0:15:43 > 0:15:46that these all these bottles do have a clear disclaimer,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49saying that they are, indeed, brewed in the UK.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52That message flashes up in the ads as well.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54But drink connoisseurs, like Jamie Goode,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56believe that the marketing of such lagers
0:15:56 > 0:15:58can be misleading to British drinkers,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03who may be tempted to pay more for these so-called foreign brands.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I think we Brits quite like foreign things.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08We find them interesting and, when it comes to beer,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I think the Brits, generally speaking,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12are prepared to pay more for beers that are foreign,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15that come from somewhere else, with a nice image associated with them.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19If you go into a pub, you'll see some of the most expensive lagers
0:16:19 > 0:16:22are the ones that are from other countries.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26So, after our pub goers had been so definite
0:16:26 > 0:16:29about where they thought these lagers came from,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33how did they react when we revealed where they're really brewed?
0:16:33 > 0:16:37It's a Spanish beer, so I'd expect it to be brought over from Spain.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It is a bit misleading if you're getting beers
0:16:39 > 0:16:41from foreign countries and we're brewing it here.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44It's not really coming from a foreign country, is it?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46If it tastes good, I don't think it should matter,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49but I don't think they should rip you off for drinking import beer
0:16:49 > 0:16:50when it's not import beer.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52It is misleading, isn't it?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It shouldn't be brewed in Manchester when it's from Australia,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57supposedly, you know.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59I can't imagine the Aussies drinking that, myself.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I don't mind where it's brewed as long as it was brewed
0:17:02 > 0:17:05to the same recipe as the country that it comes from.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07So, while some drinkers did feel they were being misled,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10others simply don't care where their lagers are brewed,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12as long as it all tastes nice.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And that's a view the Advertising Standards Authority took
0:17:16 > 0:17:18over this 2014 ad from Kronenbourg.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Featuring the former French
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and Manchester United football legend Eric Cantona,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27it plays on the whole idea that the lager embodies the French spirit.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Here, in Alsace, things are a little bit different.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36The hop farmers are treated like the footballers of Britain.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40They are idolised and adored, and why not?
0:17:40 > 0:17:42They are living legends.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45So, there you go.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48A complaint was made that the ad was misleading
0:17:48 > 0:17:51because it suggested the beer was brewed in France
0:17:51 > 0:17:53when, in actual fact, it was in Manchester.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56While, initially, it seemed the regulator would take the same view,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00ultimately it changed its mind and said that the ad was fine
0:18:00 > 0:18:03because its focus was on the hops used to produce the beer,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07which were sourced in France, rather than the brewing process itself.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10We spoke to the brewers of all those lagers
0:18:10 > 0:18:13commonly associated with more far-flung lands.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16All said they are proud to brew their beers in the UK,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19while reiterating that they don't make any secret of this fact
0:18:19 > 0:18:21on their labels.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Heineken UK, which makes Foster's and Kronenbourg's 1664, told us
0:18:25 > 0:18:29that brewing in Britain provides employment to thousands of people
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and contributes millions of pounds to the economy,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34while very reasonably pointing out that...
0:18:40 > 0:18:44The companies all emphasised that the heritage of their beers
0:18:44 > 0:18:47is firmly rooted in the countries they're associated with,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51with many of them still using the same recipes or even ingredients
0:18:51 > 0:18:53as they were when they were first brewed.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Foster's, for example, still uses the same Australian yeast.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03But, for Jamie, it's all about transparency for the customer
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and he reckons that the growth in popularity
0:19:05 > 0:19:07of traditional British ales is a sign
0:19:07 > 0:19:11that the novelty of those not-quiet-so-foreign lagers
0:19:11 > 0:19:13may be starting to fade.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17I would urge the big brewers to make it clearer
0:19:17 > 0:19:19which beers are actually imported
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and which beers are produced under licence here in the UK.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25One of the great things this resurgence of interest
0:19:25 > 0:19:27in British beer has done,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29is it means that people are moving away
0:19:29 > 0:19:32from this conspicuous consumption,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35this "I've got this posh foreign lager in my glass
0:19:35 > 0:19:38"that doesn't actually taste particularly different
0:19:38 > 0:19:40"or particularly foreign", and then moving towards,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42"Actually, I've got an authentic product in my glass
0:19:42 > 0:19:45"that tastes interesting and is something we can be proud of."
0:19:50 > 0:19:54What's your favourite food? Well, among us Brits,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57curries and roast chicken come pretty high on the list
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and so, of course, does fish and chips.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01In fact, would you believe that every year,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05we spend more than £1 billion on satisfying our appetite for them.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08And though the fish and chips may not have changed too much
0:20:08 > 0:20:11over the years, what you pay for them may well have done.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13And that's what our next viewer wrote to us about.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16He's been buying fish and chips for over 40 years
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and he wants to know why,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22when his meal is almost identical to the one he bought decades ago,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26he's now paying so much more for the privilege of eating it.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Fish and chips consumption is on the rise
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and while it's still a long way short of its First World War heyday,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38we now eat some 382 million portions every year.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40That's about six servings
0:20:40 > 0:20:42for every man, woman and child in the country.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46But, as the popularity of fish and chips has shot up,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48has its price gone the same way?
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Well, that's certainly the suspicion of Rip-Off Britain viewer
0:20:51 > 0:20:55and dedicated fish-and-chipper John Spicer from Bodmin.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58John said that in 1960, he remembers
0:20:58 > 0:21:01a fish and chip supper cost one and sixpence.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I'd love to be able to say I'm far too young
0:21:04 > 0:21:06to remember what that means but, in fact, I know
0:21:06 > 0:21:10it works out at about £1.54 in today's money
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and you don't need me to tell you that these days,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14you're likely to have to pay a whole lot more than that
0:21:14 > 0:21:16for your fish and chips.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20John pays between £6 and £8 for his fish and chips
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and says he'd like to know why. It seems to him
0:21:23 > 0:21:27the cost has risen four times more than the rate of inflation.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30So, is he right that the price of fish and chips,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34still the UK's favourite dish, has gone up more than it should?
0:21:35 > 0:21:37A good place to start
0:21:37 > 0:21:40is by asking one of the UK's biggest fish and chips suppliers.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44VA Whitley has been a family business for well over 100 years.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49Its founder's grandson, Tony Rogers, is now the company's chairman.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52But it's clear this isn't a question with a simple answer.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58So, Tony, what affects the cost of fish and chips?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Well, it's, basically, down to supply and demand.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03For example, in the restaurant world,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06there's been a heck of a run on sea bass,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10so sea bass has been over-caught and now it's getting fairly short
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and, as a consequence, more expensive.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Obviously, you have to pass your own costs on to your customers
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- who are the fish and chip shops. - Yes.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24So, once the suppliers' prices go up,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27that increase is passed on to the individual shops.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33The Bridge restaurant is in Norden, Greater Manchester,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36where a standard fish and chips is £4.90.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39It's the owner, Tom, who has to deal with all the fluctuations
0:22:39 > 0:22:44in those wholesale costs and he's got a surprising way of doing it.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47So, Tom, tell me what goes into the pricing of fish and chips?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49We buy our fish in fresh
0:22:49 > 0:22:52so, obviously, that's dependent on the market prices.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Obviously, potatoes, they range in price quite a lot,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58so it's just a case of what the market predicts.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00We try and set our prices
0:23:00 > 0:23:03so we're not raising them and lowering them throughout the year.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05I don't understand how that works, though,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08because if the cost of the individual commodities
0:23:08 > 0:23:12are going up and down, how do you manage to keep your prices level?
0:23:12 > 0:23:13It's very tough.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Sometimes we're not making a great deal of money on the product,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18other times we're making a living out of it.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22It's just dependent on, like I say, what the market predictions are.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26A good example of how costs to a business like this can vary
0:23:26 > 0:23:28is with cod.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Up until 2012, it was on the Marine Conservation Society's
0:23:31 > 0:23:34endangered list of fish.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38But now, its numbers are back up, as is our appetite for it
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and if there's plenty more fish in the sea, that's good news for Tom.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47I'm heading five miles down the road to Tompsons chippy in Bury,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49where its 85-year-old owner, Jack,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51may be able to help answer that question
0:23:51 > 0:23:54about whether prices really have risen more than they should.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57He's been here since the 1970s,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00although his daughter, Caroline, has now taken the business on.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And when it comes to the cost of it,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05when did you last put your prices up?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08We haven't put our prices up for over five years now.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- That's remarkable.- Yeah.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Even though the cost of fish
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and the cost of potatoes and so on has fluctuated?
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I don't think you can keep putting your prices up
0:24:17 > 0:24:19cos I think people would get quite disgruntled,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22so sometimes you just have to swallow it.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it's just a fact.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Fish and chips has always been thought of as an affordable treat.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Here, at Tompsons, a standard portion is £4.70
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and Jack, who's been frying for the last 40 years,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39thinks that, while the prices have gone up,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41it's all in line with everything else.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45What's more, Jack reckons
0:24:45 > 0:24:48these days we're getting a bigger fish for our money.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51I'd say the portions now are twice as high as what they were then.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56We used to do a 2oz, now they're 4oz or 6oz.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58And the chips they give now
0:24:58 > 0:25:01are a hell of a lot more than we used to give.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06It's not just Jack who'd say that the portion sizes have rocketed.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Supplier Tony agrees.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10His own research shows that the average size
0:25:10 > 0:25:14of a standard fish was 2.5oz, back in the 1960s,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17which he puts down to the hangover from post-war rationing.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Today he says that a portion of fish has increased dramatically
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and there's a distinct north-south divide.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29In the north, the average size is between 6oz and 8oz.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34But in the south, it's 8oz to 12oz.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Either way, according to Tony,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38you're getting much more than you would have done in the 1960s,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40when the average helping
0:25:40 > 0:25:44was more like our mini fish and chips option today.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46So, is it correct that the price of fish
0:25:46 > 0:25:48we eat at our chippies has rocketed?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Here at Rip-Off Britain, we tried to work it out.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54With so many sizes, prices and outlets across the UK,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57pinning down just one average national price
0:25:57 > 0:25:59for our fish and chips isn't easy.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01But taking everything into account,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05some analysts have estimated it to be around £3.30,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07rising to £5.50 in London.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10The industry itself doesn't have an official figure,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14but its own comparisons would probably put the costs
0:26:14 > 0:26:17a little higher, with a good deal of regional variation.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Unsurprisingly, they found
0:26:19 > 0:26:21the priciest fish and chips were in London,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24where a standard cod or haddock and chips
0:26:24 > 0:26:26can be as much as £9.90 a portion.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Scotland wasn't far behind, with the most expensive around £9.50,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35although in some places, you'd pay only half that.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38In Northern Ireland, prices were typically around £6.40
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and the cheapest chippies overall were in the Midlands,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47where you'd typically pay anything between £4.50 and £6.95.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Now, that's by no means a comprehensive survey
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and you'll no doubt know individual places
0:26:53 > 0:26:55where you can pick up a portion for more
0:26:55 > 0:26:58or, with any luck, less than those industry figures.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But what's interesting is that, once you take a closer look,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04they may not show as much of a rise
0:27:04 > 0:27:07as John from Bodmin had feared when he wrote to us.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Once you've taken into account those bigger portion sizes
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and added on 20% VAT, which wasn't included
0:27:13 > 0:27:17in the price of fish and chips before the early 1980s,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20the modern equivalent of the one shilling and sixpence
0:27:20 > 0:27:24he used to pay works out at around £6.66.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27That's not far off the typical prices
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I've seen on MY fish deliveries.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33And fish and chip shop owner Jack agrees.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35So, people who perhaps complain now
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- about the price of fish and chips... - Mmm.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Do you have sympathy with them or do you think they've got it wrong?
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I think they've got it wrong.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46If you compare with other prices, it's just...
0:27:48 > 0:27:49..almost the same.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54If you think that you're paying over the odds for anything,
0:27:54 > 0:27:55then do please let us know.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And it's not just problems or questions to do with what you eat
0:27:58 > 0:28:00that we want to hear about.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It could be any consumer problem whatsoever.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05That's because we've got plenty more Rip-Off Britain programmes
0:28:05 > 0:28:07coming up over the next few months,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09so it's not just for this series on food
0:28:09 > 0:28:12that your e-mails and letters are our bread and butter.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Any situation that's left you feeling let-down or out of pocket,
0:28:16 > 0:28:17just get in touch with us
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and, if we can, we'll do our very best to help, won't we?
0:28:20 > 0:28:23We really do appreciate all your e-mails and letters
0:28:23 > 0:28:25and we're only sorry that there isn't time
0:28:25 > 0:28:26to look into all of them, aren't we?
0:28:26 > 0:28:30But remember, you can always find tips and advice on our website.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Even when we're not on the air,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38you can join the conversations on our Facebook page.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40But we'll see you again very soon with more of your stories,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- so until then, from all of us, goodbye.- Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.