0:00:02 > 0:00:05There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08And the shops and labels don't always tell you the whole story.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Sometimes there's just too many offers
0:00:11 > 0:00:14and when you actually look at them, you're not really saving that much.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Whether you're staying in or going out, you've told us you can
0:00:18 > 0:00:20feel ripped off by the promises made for what you eat
0:00:20 > 0:00:22and what you pay for it.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27If you buy six, it's cheaper. But I don't want to buy six.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29I want to buy one.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34From claims that don't stack up, to the secrets behind the packaging,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37we'll uncover the truth about Britain's food, so that
0:00:37 > 0:00:41you can be sure that you are getting what you expect at the right price.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Your food, your money, this is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Hello, and welcome to Rip-Off Britain where, as ever,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56we've been busy fighting your corner and investigating
0:00:56 > 0:00:59whether you're getting the best value with the things you buy.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Now, in this series, we're taking a closer look at some
0:01:01 > 0:01:05of our favourite foods, and that's especially the case today, as
0:01:05 > 0:01:09we'll be unpicking why some of you have been left feeling distinctly
0:01:09 > 0:01:12unimpressed by the quality of some very familiar products.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And while not all our stories are about what's inside our food,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18what they do have in common is that each of them
0:01:18 > 0:01:21was prompted by you telling us you feel either underwhelmed
0:01:21 > 0:01:24or even short-changed by what you've eaten.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27You don't think you've got what you paid for and you've asked us
0:01:27 > 0:01:28to find out why.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31And while we've been very happy to investigate those stories,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34you can be assured that we've also got plenty of tips
0:01:34 > 0:01:36and advice that you're not going to want to miss, so that the next
0:01:36 > 0:01:39time you're out shopping, you really will know the sort of things
0:01:39 > 0:01:42you need to look out for and that you can be absolutely sure
0:01:42 > 0:01:47that whatever it is you're buying really is what it says on the label.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Coming up:
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Are you being short-changed by food that doesn't weigh
0:01:54 > 0:01:56quite as much as is claimed on the packet?
0:01:56 > 0:01:59I feel really angry about it, actually,
0:01:59 > 0:02:00to be quite honest with you.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I think it's an absolute disgrace and should be looked into.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And the wedding guests have turned up, but where's the food?
0:02:06 > 0:02:10The caterers accused of destroying a bride's big day.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Some of the guests ended up leaving early,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15because they hadn't eaten all day.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17They were really hungry.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I did a lot of crying and no bride should have to go through that.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Now, sometimes it isn't just rose-tinted glasses that make
0:02:25 > 0:02:29people question if their favourite foods didn't taste better
0:02:29 > 0:02:30when they were younger.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I'm sure you've heard that story.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35It could be that over the years the manufacturing processes
0:02:35 > 0:02:39have changed, perhaps to improve the flavour, or just as likely,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42to speed up how things are made or even maximise on profits.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45And it does appear that's the case with an everyday staple
0:02:45 > 0:02:48that for many years has been very much enjoyed by one of our viewers.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50But when he started enjoying it less,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52he wrote to us to find out what's been going on.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55And it could be that you've wondered about the thing that first
0:02:55 > 0:02:57made him so curious as well.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Now, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, for some,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06bacon can be a very welcome ingredient at any time of the day.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09And whether you favour the classic BLT or you like it as part
0:03:09 > 0:03:13of a fry-up, or indeed prefer the good old bacon butty, the smell
0:03:13 > 0:03:18and the sound of it cooking is sure to make devotees' mouths water.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22It's something that Rip-Off Britain viewer Philip Holmes has
0:03:22 > 0:03:23enjoyed for years.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26But these days, when he brings home the bacon,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30he's increasingly put off by something he really doesn't like.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I first noticed it about 20 years ago.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37But up to that point in time, bacon was great to cook
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and you just had oil in the pan and bacon.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46But now, it seems like you get a white gunge coming out of it.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And the white stuff tastes awful.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53It's like something you would scrape off the side of the bath.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55When I see the white stuff,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I just scrape it off before it kind of sets itself on the meat.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Because I don't want to eat it.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05And of course although Philip appreciates that all meat reduces
0:04:05 > 0:04:08when it's cooked, he reckons that by the time he's finished getting rid
0:04:08 > 0:04:12of the white stuff from his bacon, there's not too much of it left.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17So, keen to show us what he means, he's going to do an experiment.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20OK, well, I'm just trying to weigh the bacon
0:04:20 > 0:04:25and see this time the way it goes down that much after it's cooked.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31And that's showing me that it's about 4oz, it's not
0:04:31 > 0:04:34a particularly accurate scale, but I'm now going to cook the bacon.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38After frying for several minutes, it's clear that the meat has
0:04:38 > 0:04:41lost some inches, but how does that convert into weight?
0:04:41 > 0:04:45So, we started off with 4oz and it is now 1oz, which is
0:04:45 > 0:04:47a bit of a shock to me!
0:04:47 > 0:04:49That's the first time I've done that.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54Three-quarters of the weight of the bacon is actually gone somewhere.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58The mystery white stuff, as Philip calls it,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01has a technical name, it is called exudate, and is actually
0:05:01 > 0:05:04protein from the meat which is carried out along with the mixture
0:05:04 > 0:05:06of water, fat, sugar and salt
0:05:06 > 0:05:09which is released when the bacon is cooked.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The amount of water content in your bacon, and indeed how it's
0:05:12 > 0:05:16cooked, can influence how much of this white stuff comes out.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And while it's perfectly harmless, just doesn't look particularly
0:05:19 > 0:05:23appealing, and Philip doesn't think too much of the taste either.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26It's sort of bacony, but it's not very nice.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28HE LAUGHS
0:05:28 > 0:05:30All of the bacon we buy in the UK is cured, a process
0:05:30 > 0:05:35developed before the days of refrigeration to preserve the meat.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39And one reason we still do it today is because bacon's unique taste
0:05:39 > 0:05:44and flavour comes as a direct result of that curing process.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47But there are two distinct ways of doing this and one of them,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49although more efficient for the manufacturers,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52is the cause of Philip's frustration.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Because it's cheaper and quicker to produce, bacon that's been what's
0:05:57 > 0:06:01called wet-cured, in other words, that's been soaked or injected with
0:06:01 > 0:06:06liquid, is now the sort most likely to be found on supermarket shelves.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09So Philip is right in thinking that the white stuff he
0:06:09 > 0:06:13so dislikes seeing coming out of his bacon has become more common.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Meanwhile, the meat that he remembers
0:06:15 > 0:06:20so fondly from his childhood is more likely to have been dry-cured,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23that is, preserved in salt, sugar and seasonings,
0:06:23 > 0:06:29applied directly to the meat without water, and then it's air-dried.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32But modern production techniques have meant that this
0:06:32 > 0:06:35type of bacon is now less common and more expensive,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38often costing several pounds more per kilo than its wet-cured
0:06:38 > 0:06:42counterparts. Which is why Philip got in touch with us to see
0:06:42 > 0:06:45if we could bring back the bacon that he's been so missing.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48I'm on a mission to find a decent piece of bacon.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I'd love to find something that I can guarantee when I bring it home
0:06:52 > 0:06:57and cook it, it's going to be as appetising as I used to remember it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02So for Philip, it's straight out of the frying pan and into the fire.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06He's come to grill a butcher called Simon Taylor on exactly what
0:07:06 > 0:07:10has gone into and indeed coming out of the bacon he's been eating.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13What I'm finding is that when I'm cooking the bacon,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15there seems to be a white residue that comes from the bacon
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and forms between the actual skin, as it were.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- Can you tell me anything about that? - Absolutely. There's a few reasons.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I mean, first of all, the wet-cure bacon, the pork is submerged
0:07:26 > 0:07:27into a brine or injected,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31so it's injected with a sort of salt and sugar solution,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and obviously that moisture and that salt, once it's cooked,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40comes out as that sort of residue, coming out of the bacon there.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43What does dry-cure mean?
0:07:43 > 0:07:45So dry-cure literally means taking a dry cure
0:07:45 > 0:07:47and adding it to this pork loin.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49So when it comes to dry-cure bacon,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51you are probably going to pay a little bit more.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54That's simply because it is much cheaper, faster,
0:07:54 > 0:07:59adding weight when you wet-cure, so it's less labour-intensive.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04You get better yields. So it is a bit cheaper.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Simon is frying up an example of both types of bacon, dry
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and wet-cured, to compare just how much water each one leaves behind.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So, as you can see, as a comparison, we've got
0:08:16 > 0:08:19very little water from your dry-cure,
0:08:19 > 0:08:25and we got quite a puddle that has now formed out of the wet-cure.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27But Philip is convinced that in recent years,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30all the bacon he buys from the supermarket,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34wet and dry-cured, has been getting more watery, and as far as he's
0:08:34 > 0:08:37concerned, that means he's not getting the same value for money.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Current labelling regulations mean that producers must declare
0:08:42 > 0:08:45that water has been added to bacon
0:08:45 > 0:08:48if it makes up more than 5% of the total weight.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51But they don't have to tell you exactly how much extra
0:08:51 > 0:08:52water has been added.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Which means working out from the label just how much your
0:08:55 > 0:08:59bacon is going to shrink during the cooking is pretty much impossible.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02So we've rustled up a few rashers to see for ourselves exactly
0:09:02 > 0:09:06what happens when you cook the bacon most frequently found in the shops.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09We fired up a random selection of unsmoked bacon with the wet and
0:09:09 > 0:09:14dry-cured version bought from each of the four leading supermarkets.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Obviously, we knew there'd be some shrinkage, but there was a
0:09:17 > 0:09:21significant difference in how our cooked bacon turned out.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24As you'd expect, when we ranked our rashers,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28it was a dry-cured bacon that, size-wise, came top of the fry-ups.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33This Sainsbury's Taste The Difference dry-cured,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36outdoor-reared British bacon ended up just 30% smaller
0:09:36 > 0:09:39when it came out of the pan that when it went in.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43The four dry-cured meats that we looked at lost
0:09:43 > 0:09:46an average of 44% of their weight when cooked, although on this
0:09:46 > 0:09:49particular occasion, one of them lost a fair bit more.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Tesco's Finest back bacon came out of the pan 54% lighter
0:09:54 > 0:09:55than when it went in.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Closer to what we typically find with the wet-cured meats.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03On average, our wet-cured samples lost half their weight after cooking.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08But the one that lost the most, this Butcher's Selection wet-cured
0:10:08 > 0:10:12back-bacon from Asda was 59% lighter when it came out of the pan.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16As for the wet-cured bacon that kept most of its weight,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20that was Morrison's Prepared By Us unsmoked back-bacon,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24which tipped the scales at 43% lighter than before it was cooked.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29Of course, our little test is no more than just a snapshot,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32but perhaps surprisingly, it does suggest that whichever
0:10:32 > 0:10:35way your bacon is cured, what comes out when it is cooked may end
0:10:35 > 0:10:39up being more than actually ends up in your butty, and while forking out
0:10:39 > 0:10:44extra for a dry-cured rasher does generally mean you will get more
0:10:44 > 0:10:48actual bacon for your buck when you eat it, that wasn't always the case.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Only Sainsbury's, whose Taste The Difference dry-cured bacon lost
0:10:53 > 0:10:57the least weight of all our samples, wanted to comment on our findings.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It's put its good results partly down to additional
0:11:00 > 0:11:03air-drying that it goes through after curing.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07But as Phil and all bacon butty lovers know,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10what really matters here is the taste.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13And there's only one way to find out whether the way your bacon is
0:11:13 > 0:11:16cured makes any difference to its deliciousness.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I have to be absolutely honest
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and say that I'm rather partial to a bacon sarnie every so often.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25However, I never really thought too much about wet-cure versus dry-cure.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Today, we're going to put it to the test.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I've come to a very busy cafe in Whitstable where I'm playing
0:11:31 > 0:11:33waitress for the morning.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36OK, well, I'm going to take the order them.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- Starting with your good self. - Yes, two bacon sandwiches, then.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Two bacon sandwiches? All for you? OK.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'In return for my help, the owner, Debbie,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48'is letting us carry out another test with some of her customers.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51'Some will be served with wet-cure bacon in their butty
0:11:51 > 0:11:55'and others dry-cure, and we'll see if they can tell any difference.'
0:11:55 > 0:11:57So, Debbie, what have we got here?
0:11:57 > 0:12:01We've got two different types of bacon, obviously, yeah.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02- This is a dry-cured.- Mm-hm.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And this is a wet-cured, and we'll see how they cook.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12- 'And just like that...' This is the dry-cured bacon.- Thank you.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14And this is the wet-cured bacon.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17So I'm just going to pop myself down here while you do a taste for me.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19- I'm your waitress for the day. - Lovely!
0:12:19 > 0:12:21'It's the moment of truth.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'Will our volunteers prefer the taste of the more expensive
0:12:24 > 0:12:25dry-cured bacon
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'or the cheaper, but typically more watery cut of the meat?'
0:12:29 > 0:12:35- Oh, that's really nice. Mmm. - You like that? So, that's dry-cured.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- The dry one. And yours?- That is very good.- Very good?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- It's beautiful, in fact.- So that's the wet-cured one.- Wet-cured.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- It's very, very nice.- Oh, it's delicious.- Yeah?- How's yours?
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- Lovely.- You like that one better, do you? Wet-cure?
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Absolutely, yes, wet one as well.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57You prefer the wet one? That's interesting, isn't it?
0:12:57 > 0:12:59'Well, funnily enough, in contrast to Philip's views on this,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03'the people who we asked in this cafe actually had a slight
0:13:03 > 0:13:05'preference for the wet-cured bacon.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'But the meat wasn't all that they were bothered about.'
0:13:08 > 0:13:11They're just as concerned about the type of bread,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13the size of the bread and the butter.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Which I guess really proves that a good bacon sarnie isn't
0:13:16 > 0:13:17all about the bacon.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20But back in Surrey, Philip disagrees.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23For him, it will always be about the bacon.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26And he knows which sort he'll be shopping for in future.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Even if it does mean he'll have to fork out a bit extra.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Definitely, I think dry-cured bacon from the butchers is definitely
0:13:33 > 0:13:38the way I'll be going in the future and that's the bacon I like to eat.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Meanwhile, if like Philip, you're worried about the white stuff
0:13:42 > 0:13:45coming out of your bacon, here's a tip to reduce it.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48You keep your pan hot and make sure it isn't overcrowded,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51which can reduce the temperature.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54A hot pan seals the meat, which should keep more of the liquid
0:13:54 > 0:13:55and the protein inside.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Now, even the most enthusiastic of shoppers,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and I count myself as one, can find stocking up at the supermarket
0:14:09 > 0:14:10a chore at the best of times.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13And while we've become used to examining all the labels to
0:14:13 > 0:14:16make sure that we're getting what we think we are, one thing
0:14:16 > 0:14:19we probably never thought we'd need to check is
0:14:19 > 0:14:22whether the weight on a product's packaging is actually correct.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24But a few months ago,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26one of the biggest names in the business had to withdraw
0:14:26 > 0:14:30tens of thousands of one particular item after an investigation
0:14:30 > 0:14:33found that customers weren't getting quite as much as was promised.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And it seems, by the way, that that wasn't a one-off,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39because plenty of you have been in touch to say that you've been
0:14:39 > 0:14:41short-changed in exactly the same way,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44buying products with less in the packets than is claimed is inside.
0:14:44 > 0:14:482015 was a tough old year for Tesco,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51already reeling from very disappointing sales figures.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57has reported another big drop in half-yearly profits.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01In October, it had to remove around £93,000 worth of products from
0:15:01 > 0:15:07stores after an investigation found that a particular range of garlic
0:15:07 > 0:15:11bread slices were found to weigh far less than stated on the packets.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14But this isn't a problem confined to Tesco.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Other big-name stores have been accused of having underweight
0:15:18 > 0:15:20foods on their shelves as well.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24For some of you, this is going to sound very familiar
0:15:24 > 0:15:27because quite a few of you have been in touch to point out that
0:15:27 > 0:15:30what it says on the packaging of foods that you have bought
0:15:30 > 0:15:33has proved very different from the actual weight of the food inside.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Mark Jackson in York told us
0:15:37 > 0:15:41how disappointed he was to have ended up with a packet of pasta
0:15:41 > 0:15:44that contained apparently only around 20% of the amount it should.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50And Linda Barraclough from Cornwall went further, raising concerns
0:15:50 > 0:15:53that her regular brand of cottage cheese is quite often underweight.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57But if there is one group of people for whom the implications
0:15:57 > 0:16:00of this problem can weigh the heaviest, it is home bakers.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And Geraldine Shanks is very proud to be one of them.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08The thing I love about baking is actually creating something
0:16:08 > 0:16:11that everybody is probably going to enjoy, the buzz it gives me,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15actually the enjoyment to people that come and eat it with me,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and that is quite a thrill for me.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21As I said, the satisfaction of actually baking something yourself.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Geraldine keeps a careful eye on the measurements of her ingredients
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and by doing so, she, too, has noticed that some of the products
0:16:29 > 0:16:33she is buying weigh a little less than stated on the packet.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Over the last few years, when I had been baking,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40I have definitely noticed underweight products,
0:16:40 > 0:16:45such as sugar, butter and flour, certainly.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48There are others but those are the bigger discrepancies,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I would say, in weight.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52She has started keeping a list of the products
0:16:52 > 0:16:56that she's noticed had fallen short, and for Geraldine,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59that can often mean a trip back to the shops.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Personally, I am not an expert, but I do feel that
0:17:02 > 0:17:06when you buy a product in a supermarket and it states
0:17:06 > 0:17:08a specific weight on that packaging,
0:17:08 > 0:17:09and you bring it home to your kitchen
0:17:09 > 0:17:14weigh it on the scales and find that it is underweight, I just don't
0:17:14 > 0:17:18know why I should be inconvenienced by this, put out of pocket.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20I think it shouldn't happen
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and something really should be done about it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25But it's not just the bakery aisle where the
0:17:25 > 0:17:28problem of underweight food has reached a peak.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Pauline from Gravesend contacted us
0:17:30 > 0:17:32to tell us she has had the same
0:17:32 > 0:17:34thing happen when buying packaged meat.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39She found that lamb, salmon and pork escalopes from her local
0:17:39 > 0:17:42supermarket all weighed less than the figure stated on the packets.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And although the supermarket in question did apologise
0:17:45 > 0:17:48when she raised the matter, Pauline says it has put off buying
0:17:48 > 0:17:51meat from the same supermarket ever again.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Businesses in the UK are required by law to comply with EU
0:17:54 > 0:17:58regulations on the quantity labelling of pre-packaged food.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And over here these rules are set by the National Measurement
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and Regulation Office.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07But as Daniel Maxim of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute
0:18:07 > 0:18:11says, ensuring those regulations are stuck to is a mammoth task.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14The onus is on the business to make sure that their systems
0:18:14 > 0:18:18and procedures will achieve the right quantity in the package.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23The backup for that is that Trading Standards officers will carry
0:18:23 > 0:18:27out enforcement checks, inspections, examining records
0:18:27 > 0:18:29to make sure that the businesses' procedures are as good as they
0:18:29 > 0:18:34need to be and the quantity markings can be relied upon by customers.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Businesses are allowed a margin of error so on a typical 100g
0:18:38 > 0:18:42bar of chocolate, that would be roundabout four and a half grams.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44If they start to seriously exceed that,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46they will be liable to prosecution.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Each packet that is seriously underweight would amount to
0:18:49 > 0:18:51about £5,000 fine.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53So, for retailers and all the packers,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56that could be a substantial fine that they would be facing.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00In 2015, researchers at Queen's University in Belfast carried
0:19:00 > 0:19:04out an investigation on behalf of consumer group Which?,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07to see how widespread this problem is.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11They weighed 467 food products bought from supermarkets
0:19:11 > 0:19:14in Northern Ireland and found that 73 of those items,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16around a fifth, in other words,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18fell below the recognised margin of error.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Among those it was claimed fell short were Heinz Chunky Veg
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Big Soup, Green Giant Niblets of Original Sweetcorn,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28and Del Monte Peach Slices.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32The manufacturers didn't comment at the time but when we retested
0:19:32 > 0:19:35these and other items from the list on our own scales several
0:19:35 > 0:19:39months later, they all weighed in at more or less the correct weight.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Indeed, some of them had more than stated on the label.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46But as is clear from your e-mails and letters, that is
0:19:46 > 0:19:49not the case with all the products on our supermarket shelves.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57And as for Geraldine, for whom even a slight variation in weight
0:19:57 > 0:20:01can mean the difference between perfect pastry or the dreaded soggy
0:20:01 > 0:20:05bottom, it is a problem that still gets her very hot under the collar.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06I feel really angry about it,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09actually, to be quite honest with you.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I think that if this is what is happening in the industry
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and the public are being duped, I think it is
0:20:15 > 0:20:18an absolute disgrace and should be looked into.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20I feel quite annoyed about it.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Still to come on Rip-Off Britain, why pub favourite, scampi,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31may not always have the taste or the quality that you might be expecting.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36The texture was horrible.
0:20:36 > 0:20:42There was no flaking, there was no sign of any fish at all.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Now when it comes to planning your wedding, things can get,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51shall we say, a little stressful,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54sending even the calmest of couples into hysterics.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58So, handing over some of the organising to caterers who
0:20:58 > 0:21:01specialise in that kind of thing can take a lot of the pressure off.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05But it all depends on whether they do what they said they would.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Unfortunately, the brides we are about to meet say that
0:21:08 > 0:21:11in their case, that didn't happen and instead of their big day going
0:21:11 > 0:21:16without a hitch, it ended up being memorable for all the wrong reasons.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Like many brides to be, Amanda Davis had a very clear
0:21:21 > 0:21:24vision of the fairytale wedding she wanted.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29My dreams were how my wedding venue was going to look,
0:21:29 > 0:21:35lots of colour, the ivory-covered chair seats and the baby blue
0:21:35 > 0:21:41booths, and my blue arches, and a stylish dance floor.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46So Amanda was thrilled when her partner of ten years, Carl,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49popped the question
0:21:49 > 0:21:52and she could start planning every detail of her big day.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55We couldn't wait for our wedding day, even though
0:21:55 > 0:21:56it was 18 months away.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59We were just really excited and on top of the world.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02One of the biggest tasks was to find a catering company to
0:22:02 > 0:22:06lay on a decent spread for dozens of their close friends and family.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Browsing social media, for inspiration,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Amanda thought she had found the ideal company,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15West Midlands-based Bake A Cake Catering Services,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17run by Lisa Holt.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Bake A Cake Catering's pictures were really, really good.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25I thought that my guests would be on top of the world with that.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It was really, really nice food, it looked professional.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32I just kept liking the pictures and choosing what I wanted.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38In fact, she left so many likes on the site that she came to the
0:22:38 > 0:22:41attention of the company owner, Lisa, who got in touch.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Lisa actually messaged me and said that
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I had been liking the pictures for a long time, did I want to book?
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Already seduced by the mouthwatering pictures,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54the clincher for Amanda was Bake A Cake's competitive pricing.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I know weddings cost a lot of money
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and she was doing really good deals that you could not miss.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04The prices were amazing, really, really good.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And she beat all the wedding caterers around.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Lisa quoted Amanda a package price of £1,500,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16but if she paid the full amount upfront,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19she would get a 50% discount, meaning that the entire wedding
0:23:19 > 0:23:24day food bill for 220 guests would cost just £750,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28around £3.40 a head.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I did feel a bit pressured into paying it all up front
0:23:32 > 0:23:35because it was a lot of money, but because she gave us
0:23:35 > 0:23:40the discount, we knew we had to do it to get what we wanted.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44But, as her special day drew closer,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and with no contract on the table, Amanda began to get a nasty
0:23:47 > 0:23:51feeling that she might have been too hasty handing over the money.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I kept having dreams that nothing was going to be at my venue
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and it was really weird and I thought, don't be silly.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01That was when I started messaging her
0:24:01 > 0:24:04and telling her that I was having bad dreams that nothing was
0:24:04 > 0:24:07going to be there and she told me to stop being really silly,
0:24:07 > 0:24:08that everything was fine
0:24:08 > 0:24:10and everything would be there at my wedding.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Lisa even invited Amanda over to her house to reassure her that
0:24:13 > 0:24:15everything would go to plan.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19I was so excited to meet, knowing that she was doing our wedding.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24And she showed me pictures of things that we were going to have.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28We were just really excited and we could not wait for the week to come.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32We thought everything was going to be amazing, but it wasn't.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39On July 18th, 2015, Amanda and Carl married in a picture-perfect
0:24:39 > 0:24:43wedding ceremony in front of their assembled guests.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46It was everything that Amanda had dreamed of,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50until, that is, the wedding party reached the reception.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54There was half of the food we had ordered for the hot
0:24:54 > 0:24:57buffet, so some of my guests never ate.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59The dessert platter was missing, some of the guests ended up
0:24:59 > 0:25:02leaving early, the party hadn't even started, really.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06It was because they hadn't eaten all day. They were really hungry.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Although Lisa did provide a cold buffet for the evening guests,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Amanda says that didn't make up for the hot food that was missing
0:25:13 > 0:25:15earlier in the day.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It was really, really embarrassing and devastating for us.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I did a lot of crying and no bride should have to go through that.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27But Amanda isn't the only person to tell us
0:25:27 > 0:25:31that Bake A Cake left them facing a catering catastrophe on what
0:25:31 > 0:25:34should have been the happiest day of their lives.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37So we have laid on a replacement event for not just her
0:25:37 > 0:25:40but another unhappy bride, Lisa Keating.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43She, too, paid Bake A Cake for services that she simply
0:25:43 > 0:25:44never received.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48She was asked for a £300 deposit to secure her booking, which she
0:25:48 > 0:25:50paid in good faith.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53I did say, "Can I pay through PayPal?" and she said, no,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55she did not have that set-up.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59This was the only way to do it, or cash if I wanted to.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And I thought the bank transfer was safer than cash.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Lisa ordered a cold buffet and hog roast from Bake A Cake,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09but just seven weeks before the wedding,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13she received an e-mail to say the business had ceased trading.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I was devastated.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20At one point, I did say, "We can't get married, we can't do it."
0:26:20 > 0:26:22And nearly everything was cancelled.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26It was heartbreaking, because everyone was like,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I don't even know how to put it in words.
0:26:29 > 0:26:35Since Bake A Cake shut up shop, a Facebook community
0:26:35 > 0:26:40of disgruntled brides and concerned relatives and friends has formed.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44It's allowed many brides. including Lisa, to find last-minute
0:26:44 > 0:26:46solutions for their big day.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49It's funny how you think, "Oh, it's terrible
0:26:49 > 0:26:53"and it has all happened to me," but it'd happened to so many people
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and then all of the people that have come to help,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00like if it wasn't for those people, I wouldn't have got married.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02I wouldn't have been able to afford it.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04All the distance I had, even though it cost so much more than it
0:27:04 > 0:27:08was supposed to, I was able to still get married on the day.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11That's right.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Lisa was lucky to be able to make replacement arrangements but
0:27:14 > 0:27:16another bride we've spoken to
0:27:16 > 0:27:19was left without any catering on her big day.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22And there are plenty more people who say they just didn't get what
0:27:22 > 0:27:24they paid for.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27In just one month, Action Fraud received 170 complaints
0:27:27 > 0:27:32about Bake A Cake Catering company, and throughout summer 2015,
0:27:32 > 0:27:38around £83,000 was reported lost by couples who had booked its services.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Trading Standards are involved in an ongoing
0:27:40 > 0:27:44investigation into the business, but when we spoke to Bake A Cake
0:27:44 > 0:27:49boss, Lisa Holt, she painted a very different picture of what had
0:27:49 > 0:27:53gone on, claiming that she had become the victim of a hate
0:27:53 > 0:27:57campaign set up on social media to put her out of business, which has
0:27:57 > 0:28:02caused great distress and indeed led her to seek help from the police.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06At the same time, she says she had a series of personal problems
0:28:06 > 0:28:09that meant she was having to outsource contracts
0:28:09 > 0:28:13while also refunding those claiming to be unhappy with her services.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16She disputes Amanda's version of events,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19particularly around the quantities of food provided
0:28:19 > 0:28:23and also insists she never encouraged Lisa to pay with cash.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25In any case, she told us,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29both Amanda and Lisa are among the brides she has contacted
0:28:29 > 0:28:31to offer refunds.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34She went on to say that all she has ever wanted to do is offer
0:28:34 > 0:28:38affordability to people with little budgets,
0:28:38 > 0:28:43and while she has great success in that, until 2014, she is
0:28:43 > 0:28:47dreadfully sorry for the jobs that she has not been able to fulfil.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50But some of the brides who lost money through Bake A Cake
0:28:50 > 0:28:53say they will never come to terms with how their wedding
0:28:53 > 0:28:56fell so far short of their dreams.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59I would love to have the day again. Because...
0:29:04 > 0:29:07It just overshadowed everything.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11What was supposed to be the happiest day of our life turned out to
0:29:11 > 0:29:12be a nightmare.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16It is all just material things and you shouldn't feel, "Oh,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19"my wedding was ruined because I didn't have any food,"
0:29:19 > 0:29:23but it is part of the whole day, and it is a day that
0:29:23 > 0:29:29I should have been looking forward to, not dreading.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36Next, a favourite dish you might associate more with
0:29:36 > 0:29:40'70s dinner parties and pub menus than posh fish restaurants,
0:29:40 > 0:29:41and I'm talking about scampi.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44But is it always quite what it's supposed to be?
0:29:44 > 0:29:49True aficionados know that the real wholetail scampi is delicious,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52and they'd probably know what fish it comes from, as well.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55But that isn't what you might typically buy in the shops,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57or indeed be given in a restaurant, as became clear
0:29:57 > 0:30:01when we were contacted by one Rip-Off Britain viewer left very
0:30:01 > 0:30:06disappointed by the so-called scampi she was served up when eating out.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12It's been a staple of pub menus for donkey's years.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16But while scampi is hugely popular, with sales of more
0:30:16 > 0:30:19than £40 million a year, it's also a bit of an enigma.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22'Would you know, for example, where it comes from?'
0:30:22 > 0:30:26- What do you think scampi is? - It's basically a prawn, isn't it?
0:30:26 > 0:30:30- It's a big prawn.- A big prawn? - Virtually, yeah.- Yeah?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33- Is it some kind of shrimp? - Like a large shrimp?
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- I always thought it was a sort of prawn.- A prawn?- A prawn.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Well, I can tell you that scampi comes from a shellfish
0:30:40 > 0:30:43related to the lobster family - langoustine.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Actually, langoustine tails, to be precise about it.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49But whatever you want to call them, whether breaded, fried, served
0:30:49 > 0:30:53up with chips, peas and a good old dollop of tartar sauce, trust me...
0:30:53 > 0:30:55they taste really, really good.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59'Fellow scampi fan and all-round culinary enthusiast
0:30:59 > 0:31:02'Christine Thomas couldn't agree more.'
0:31:02 > 0:31:06I love scampi because it has lovely texture, a lovely taste.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14You can put it into so many different dishes.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19But as Christine discovered to her horror,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21what passes as scampi in some pubs
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and restaurants isn't always the lovely langoustine it should be.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27I saw this little restaurant,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30and I thought, "Oh, I'll pop in there for lunch."
0:31:30 > 0:31:36I started eating the scampi, and I thought, "This is really strange."
0:31:38 > 0:31:42- Good morning.- Good morning.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Can you show me what nice or best scampi you have today?
0:31:45 > 0:31:47As a former cookery lecturer,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Christine knows exactly what should have been inside those breadcrumbs.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54But the quality of what she'd been served instead rather
0:31:54 > 0:31:56stuck in her throat.
0:31:56 > 0:32:03The texture was...horrible. It was... It was tough. It was solid.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06There was no flaking,
0:32:06 > 0:32:08there was no...
0:32:08 > 0:32:12No sign of any fish at all.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15And when you bit into it, it stuck to the palate.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18So I've never had scampi again.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23The restaurant apologised and gave Christine a free coffee.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26But after her encounter with the suspect scampi, she wrote to us
0:32:26 > 0:32:30and asked us to look into whether something fishy was going on.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35- How's that for you?- Thank you very much.- That's lovely, thank you.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38So we called in chef Kumud Gandhi to help shed some light on the matter.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42When you order scampi on the menu, you should be getting a langoustine,
0:32:42 > 0:32:48and you should be looking for around about 65 to 75% langoustine.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53So a good-quality scampi should be about..this
0:32:55 > 0:32:59length in size, and about this depth and thickness.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04So that's what you should be getting inside that breaded coating.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06And now for what you may sometimes get instead.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10So in the lower-quality scampi, they may not be using langoustine.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15They may be using just scraps of fish, processed fish,
0:33:15 > 0:33:20and so you could have as little as 20%. Anything ranging from 20
0:33:20 > 0:33:26to 40%. And anything less than 40% really is a very poor scampi.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31To find out more, Christine's joining Kumud for a cookery
0:33:31 > 0:33:35lesson, but this time as a student, rather than teacher.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39We're going to make the lower-grade scampi.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41I'm going to use a cheap white fish, I'm going
0:33:41 > 0:33:43to mix that with some langoustine.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47Now, this fish you could typically buy at a couple of pounds a kilo,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49or something.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52This is haddock, but some scampi, including varieties widely
0:33:52 > 0:33:55available in supermarkets, is made with other
0:33:55 > 0:33:56minced white fish,
0:33:56 > 0:34:00such as cod, pollock, and even basa, which is a kind of catfish.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04So let's get this into the food processor.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Now, they're light, so I'm going to add a couple of teaspoons of oats.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Next, Kumud uses another common trick - adding potato flour
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and rice flour to bulk the fish up at little extra cost.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19If you're buying a 250g pack of scampi,
0:34:19 > 0:34:24actually the scampi will probably be about 25g, and everything else,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28the rest of the weight, is made up of all these kind of ingredients.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Let's give this a bind. A blitz.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42So we just want it to be to the consistency where you would be
0:34:42 > 0:34:45able to really form a shape with it.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48And then we would be able to quite simply roll that into plain flour,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52coat it in egg, and then roll it in breadcrumbs, and then fry it.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58And here's how to make the proper scampi, pure wholetail langoustine.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Now, I'm just going to take the shell off and
0:35:01 > 0:35:05so I'm going to cut through the structure of it.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09You can see that this is quite
0:35:09 > 0:35:13a laborious job, isn't it?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- And very time-consuming.- Yeah.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18So this is where the money is,
0:35:18 > 0:35:20because somebody has to remove all these.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23What we're going to do next is we're actually going to
0:35:23 > 0:35:26use our cleaned langoustines and now I'm actually going to
0:35:26 > 0:35:29dredge them in some plain flour first.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31Coat them in egg and then dredge them
0:35:31 > 0:35:33through their breadcrumbs as well.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Proper restaurant menus don't always tell you what type of scampi
0:35:39 > 0:35:40you're getting.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43But if you're buying it from a supermarket to cook at home,
0:35:43 > 0:35:44simply turning over the packet
0:35:44 > 0:35:47should shed some light on what's really inside.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50And when we did that with scampi on sale in British supermarkets,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52this is what we found.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55We looked at all the scampi products we could find offered
0:35:55 > 0:35:58online by the four biggest supermarkets.
0:35:58 > 0:36:0022 items in total.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03On the day we looked, the highest percentage of scampi
0:36:03 > 0:36:08we found was 45%, which was the amount in three separate products.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12That's Tesco's wholetail breaded scampi.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Asda's breaded wholetail scampi.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17And Asda's Big Saver breaded wholetail scampi.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20And these were the three products containing the lowest
0:36:20 > 0:36:22percentage of scampi.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25One from Sainsbury's, one from Young's Seafood
0:36:25 > 0:36:27and one from Whitby Seafoods.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31They were also amongst only four products we found which listed other
0:36:31 > 0:36:32fish in their ingredients as well.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35So the Sainsbury's Basics Breaded Scampi Fish Bites
0:36:35 > 0:36:41containing 16% scampi, but also 12% minced Alaska pollock and 4% basa.
0:36:41 > 0:36:42These Kiltie Scampi Bites
0:36:42 > 0:36:46made by Young's Seafood had 16.5% scampi
0:36:46 > 0:36:51but also 16% of what was simply described as minced whitefish.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54And finally he's Whitby Breaded Scampi Bites, which contained the
0:36:54 > 0:36:59lowest percentage of langoustine out all the items we looked at, just 7%.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Instead it had 30% minced cod.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Whitby Seafoods also produce the only other scampi product
0:37:07 > 0:37:09we saw which contained other fish as well.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14This Whitby Seashore breaded scampi which had 20% of langoustine
0:37:14 > 0:37:17but also 17% minced cod.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20'But while you might not have realised how little scampi or
0:37:20 > 0:37:23'langoustine is in some of these products, none of them
0:37:23 > 0:37:25'is actually breaking any rules.'
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Regulations steak that product labelling should not be misleading.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32So for example, if it says "wholetail scampi" on the outside
0:37:32 > 0:37:36of the packet, it should definitely be wholetail scampi on the inside.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40However if it only says "scampi", well, I'm afraid there are no
0:37:40 > 0:37:44regulations to control exactly how much langoustine should be in it.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48There is, however, an easy way to spot the products that typically
0:37:48 > 0:37:50contain the least amount.
0:37:50 > 0:37:51As a rule of thumb,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54if what you've picked up in the supermarket has the word
0:37:54 > 0:37:56"bites" in its name,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59it's probably made with other fish as well as scampi.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03But without knowing that, and if you were just looking at the packet,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07how much langoustine might you expect to find inside?
0:38:07 > 0:38:10'We went to a cafe in Whitstable to find out.'
0:38:10 > 0:38:14What I want you to do is have a look at the package and tell me
0:38:14 > 0:38:17what percentage of langoustine you think would be in this.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22- OK. Nearly 80%.- In actual fact, it's 37.- 37%?
0:38:22 > 0:38:24OK, this one.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27You haven't got a picture on the front, or anything.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29But these are scampi bites.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33I notice they've got cod and scampi, so I assume a bit less.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36- 30%? - That's a good conclusion, actually,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39as they do say cod on the front as well.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41- It's only seven.- Seven? - 7% langoustine.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45- Are you quite shocked at the percentages here?- It is surprising.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48You've got to take into account it has got breadcrumbs on it, so it's
0:38:48 > 0:38:51not going to be 100% of the fish, but I would have thought it would
0:38:51 > 0:38:54be a lot more than the percentages that are actually in there.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57We got in touch with the manufacturers of the products
0:38:57 > 0:39:00we found containing the least scampi.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Sainsbury's, Young's Seafoods and Whitby Seafoods.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06All of them stressed that these particular products are just
0:39:06 > 0:39:09part of a wider range and developed in response to consumer
0:39:09 > 0:39:13demand for lower-priced alternatives to wholetail scampi.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18Sainsbury's said not only are its Basics Scampi Fish Bites offered
0:39:18 > 0:39:20with quality and value in mind,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but that the product is unique in stating clearly, not just in the
0:39:23 > 0:39:28bag, but in the name of the product itself, that it also contains fish.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Similarly Young's Seafood told us that it uses the name Scampi Bites
0:39:32 > 0:39:36to reflect that this particular product isn't whole scampi.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41And Whitby Seafoods, whose Scampi Bites contained 7% scampi
0:39:41 > 0:39:46and whose Seashore Scampi is mixed with cod, said that
0:39:46 > 0:39:49while it offers a range of products to meet customers "differing
0:39:49 > 0:39:53"price points", its most popular product is in fact its Whole Scampi.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56The each of the three companies also made it very clear that all
0:39:56 > 0:39:59their products are labelled clearly and in accordance with regulations.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, the two types of scampi Kumud has
0:40:07 > 0:40:09made are ready for Christine to taste.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11First up it's the wholetail scampi.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Oh, that looks beautiful.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15You can see all the layers of the fish.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18BOTH: You can actually see the pink. Yes.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Absolutely delicious - really, really lovely.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30And now for the cheaper scampi which has about 10% langoustine
0:40:30 > 0:40:32and some added whitefish.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Oh, my gosh! That's just like I saw in the restaurant.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41Look, it's a sort of mush! Do I really have to taste that? Oh, dear.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47My gosh, it's like eating cotton wool.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49KUMUD LAUGHS
0:40:49 > 0:40:50Not comparable.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54Just like I had in that restaurant and I was absolutely shocked.
0:40:54 > 0:40:59There is no texture of fish at all. It's just a sort of glutinous mush.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02So how can Christine and the rest of us
0:41:02 > 0:41:05be sure what type of scampi we are getting when we eat out?
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Now, if they go to the supermarket, you can actually examine
0:41:09 > 0:41:13the packaging and see if you are getting langoustine.
0:41:13 > 0:41:20But if you go to a restaurant or a cafe, you can't. So what would I do?
0:41:20 > 0:41:22When you see it on the menu,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25just ask them about where it's come from, whether it's langoustine,
0:41:25 > 0:41:31and then if you order it and it's not how it should taste, then
0:41:31 > 0:41:35you are well within your rights to ask them to give you something else.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39So there you have it. Once again testing some top-quality scampi,
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Christine is determined that she won't get caught out ever
0:41:43 > 0:41:46again in the same way.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50I really felt strongly about people being sold scampi
0:41:50 > 0:41:52and it isn't scampi.
0:41:52 > 0:41:57So I'm really happy many people will be made aware and they will be
0:41:57 > 0:42:00more careful and checking what they are really eating.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08Well, I am afraid that's where we have to leave it for today.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Now, don't forget you can share your own food tips by joining
0:42:11 > 0:42:15the conversations on our Facebook page and you'll find much more
0:42:15 > 0:42:18advice on how to get the best value from what you buy on our website.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21The address, that is if you need any remainder, is...
0:42:23 > 0:42:26And of course that's also they placed to send us
0:42:26 > 0:42:30your own stories or questions about topics you'd like us to look into.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33It doesn't have to be food-related, you can
0:42:33 > 0:42:35write to us about anything you spend your money on.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38And we'll keep investigating why what you get in return isn't
0:42:38 > 0:42:40always what you expect.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43So, any prices or promises that you come across that don't
0:42:43 > 0:42:45quite stack up, let us know about them.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48But I'm afraid that that is where we have to leave it for now.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Thanks to everyone who helped us with the stories that we
0:42:50 > 0:42:52featured today and of course to you for joining us.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55We will be seeing you here on Rip-Off Britain again very soon,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58but in the meantime from everyone on the team, bye-bye.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00- Bye-bye.- Goodbye.