0:00:02 > 0:00:05There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10And the shops and the labels don't always tell you the whole story.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12If you do read the list of ingredients, there's loads of stuff
0:00:12 > 0:00:15in there, and you think, "I don't really want to be eating that.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17"That just sounds like a whole load of chemicals."
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Whether you're staying in or going out, you've told us you can feel
0:00:21 > 0:00:26ripped off by the promises made about what you eat and what you pay for it.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32It makes my blood boil, because I feel like they are tricking people.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36From claims that don't stack up to the secrets behind the packaging,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40we uncover the truth about Britain's food, so that you can be sure
0:00:40 > 0:00:43you are getting what you expect at the right price.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Your food, your money.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Hello and welcome to Rip-Off Britain,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56the programme that is always on your side when it comes to getting
0:00:56 > 0:00:59a really good deal, so that whatever you spend your money on,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02you can be absolutely certain that you really are ending up with
0:01:02 > 0:01:04exactly what you expect.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06But when it comes to food, that's not always the case, is it, Julia?
0:01:06 > 0:01:09No, cos food is big business,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and the major companies employ very clever marketing people
0:01:12 > 0:01:15to persuade us to part with our money for their particular brand.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17And the method they use,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19whether it's some sort of amazing special offer,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23or the claims or pictures on the label, can be very convincing indeed.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26But things are not always what they seem.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29So, today we're going to be looking behind some of those promises
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and revealing the things that they don't tell you.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Because, in some cases, after you've heard what we've got to say,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39it may just make you look at things in a rather different way.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Coming up, we go undercover in the wine aisles.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Are all those supermarket special offers as good as they seem?
0:01:47 > 0:01:49You might think, "This is great, everyone's a winner."
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Well, actually I think the problem is that even at half price,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55many of these wines are still, I think, quite poor value.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And if you only want to buy food that's made in Britain,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02why it isn't always easy to know exactly what you're getting?
0:02:02 > 0:02:06We've got such a distinctive design of our national flag
0:02:06 > 0:02:10and people see that and associate it with something being British.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And that is being abused a lot at the moment.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Taking great photographs is really quite a skill.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19And, as we're about to find out, when it comes to taking pictures
0:02:19 > 0:02:23of food, it can also be a highly creative process.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27One Rip-Off viewer contacted us wondering if it really is true
0:02:27 > 0:02:29that the camera never lies
0:02:29 > 0:02:33after playing a game of spot the difference by comparing the food
0:02:33 > 0:02:38that was shown ON the packet with what was actually IN it.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Terry Edwards lives in Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52home of one of the country's busiest seafood exporting ports.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55And he's also a man that very much believes
0:02:55 > 0:02:58in the Rip-Off-Britain philosophy.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I really think that people don't complain enough.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04I think if you've got something that you find is not as good as what
0:03:04 > 0:03:08you think it should be, you should tell the company. Let them know.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And there's one particular issue that prompted Terry,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and indeed even more of you, to contact us.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I'm sure that quite often when we buy food in a packet,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21it's because we've been tempted by that oh-so-enticing photograph
0:03:21 > 0:03:25of the food on the front of the packaging, because when it's done
0:03:25 > 0:03:29well it can make even the simplest of foods look absolutely delicious.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32The trouble is that quite a few of you have told us
0:03:32 > 0:03:35that once you get the food home and undo the packet,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38you find that what's inside bears very little resemblance
0:03:38 > 0:03:42to that mouth-watering image on the front.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It was a seafood product that left Terry wondering
0:03:47 > 0:03:49if something fishy was going on.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Normally I would buy the haddock or cod.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58This particular packet just looked so attractive,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01but it was not what I thought it was going to be
0:04:01 > 0:04:03and I was very disappointed.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05The product in question was some frozen
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Chip Shop Extra Large Fish Fillets from Young's.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14The actual packet showed a large white piece of fish,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17really thick, and a lovely golden batter on it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Having cooked it, it was a different picture altogether.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27It wasn't thick - not at all - and it wasn't white.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31My wife, she actually ate hers and she said it was OK.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I didn't fancy mine so I'm afraid mine went in the bin.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40The experience left a disappointed and somewhat hungry Terry
0:04:40 > 0:04:43wondering how the image that drew him to the product
0:04:43 > 0:04:44was actually created.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49And it looked pretty different to what ended up on his plate.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50It looked too good.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The picture probably had been enhanced as well.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I can actually use Photoshop myself, so I know what can be achieved.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Of course, it's not just the food industry that presents its products
0:05:00 > 0:05:02in the best light for advertisements.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Adverts and package advertising is all around us.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09But whereas we probably know deep down that a hair dye
0:05:09 > 0:05:12won't turn us into Cheryl Cole,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17we do expect the food shown on the packaging to match the contents.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But we've found plenty of examples where what's on the front
0:05:20 > 0:05:22doesn't look quite the same as what's inside.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24And Terry doesn't think it's right.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27I mean, if you went to a garage and you picked a Jaguar up
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and they wrapped it up for you, when you got home it was a Mondeo,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33you'd be disappointed, wouldn't you? I think that's what happens there.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Terry brought his experience to Young's attention and the company
0:05:37 > 0:05:40apologised for his disappointment, saying it would bring details
0:05:40 > 0:05:45of his complaint to their production and quality control personnel.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48It also gave him a voucher as reimbursement for the money
0:05:48 > 0:05:50that he'd spent on the product.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53But how is it that the images used on most food packets
0:05:53 > 0:05:57end up looking quite so delicious in the first place?
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Hi, Terry, I'm Mark Sykes, the photographer.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04We arranged for Terry to spend an afternoon
0:06:04 > 0:06:06with a food photographer and food stylist,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10whose job it is to make what we eat look irresistible.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14They've agreed to take a similar product to the one that Terry bought
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and give it a touch of magic, to show Terry just how it might be
0:06:17 > 0:06:20possible to make the fish that he threw out
0:06:20 > 0:06:24end up looking like the fish that drew his eye when he was shopping.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28OK, so, we've now got a very rough set-up of the basic shot
0:06:28 > 0:06:30that we're trying to create.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- You have to use actually what's in the box?- Oh, yes.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37What we have to do is use the product that is in the box,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and arrange it, cook it to perfection and style it nicely,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- so we bring out the best in the product.- I see.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49And to do that, we've got, I think, ten boxes of fish.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Two portions to a box. So, we've 20 portions of fish to play with.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56It's now down to Richard as the stylist to go through those,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59select the one he thinks will photograph the best,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01and take it from there.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08- Your title - food stylist?- Yeah. - What exactly does that entail?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Initially, my job would be to select
0:07:10 > 0:07:13the best out of a range of the product,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18cook it the best way it needs to be cooked for the camera.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21First, Richard must select the very best fish -
0:07:21 > 0:07:24the one that looks good on the inside and out.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28So, he takes time to cut into them and examine the flakes within.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30So, this third one we'll get to set,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33see what Mark thinks about it, and the camera.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35It's the best-looking one so far.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Once the super star fish is chosen, it's time to get
0:07:38 > 0:07:41it in front of the bright lights for its close up.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Mark, this is our chosen fish for now.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Thought we'd bring it, see what you think of it
0:07:46 > 0:07:49and see what the camera... MARK: OK, action stations, then, eh?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51As the photographer takes pictures,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54the stylist will keep making adjustments until they're happy
0:07:54 > 0:07:58that they're moving towards the most delicious-looking final image.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59When you're doing this,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02do you sometimes have clients from the companies here?
0:08:02 > 0:08:05In most cases, we do, yes. They'll be supervising exactly
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- what we do, so we get it right to their requirements.- Right.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11So, if we can start trying to compact it a little bit,
0:08:11 > 0:08:16fill gaps, and make it look a nice, solid piece of fish.
0:08:16 > 0:08:22Props are added along the way - chips, peas and some sauces.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24These don't come in the packet with the fish, of course,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27but they can still be used in the photos
0:08:27 > 0:08:31if manufacturers put the words "serving suggestion" on the box.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35A bit of a gap between the front pea and the fish.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37If that pea could just push back a bit, close that gap.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Right, I think we're pretty close now.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I think what we need now is the slice of lemon garnish down at that side.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Once everyone is happy with the arrangement,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51it's time for our photographer to apply some tricks of the trade
0:08:51 > 0:08:53for those finishing touches.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- Bit of oil?- Getting very close. Yeah, bit of oil.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Just added a bit of oil to the surface of the batter
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and some slight moisture to the fish. That's where we were.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05And you can see the difference, certainly, on the batter.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07It's got that nice sheen to it now.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I think that's looking pretty good. Let's try another one.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13So, there you have it.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17As they've built up to the final image with skilled styling,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20a delectable-looking picture has emerged.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24But even after this careful preparation, you might be surprised
0:09:24 > 0:09:27by some of the techniques that food photographers often use
0:09:27 > 0:09:29to make food look better.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34And, as Terry suspected, digital enhancing can help.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Any retouching now we've got the main shot in is done in Photoshop.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39Right.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43You get a little bit a yellow colour cast from the batter into the fish.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49And then we can take out a bit of the yellow saturation
0:09:49 > 0:09:54so that...the fish starts to be more white.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58For all practical purposes, you can say this now, if it had been
0:09:58 > 0:10:01done a little bit more precisely, it would be the finished shot.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04We've taken out any minor defects, whitened the fish.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06And, there you have it, that's the finished product.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08It's ready to go on a packet.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It's ready to go on a packet, it's ready to go on a plate.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- And tempt somebody to buy it.- It is.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17When we asked for their response to Terry's case,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Young's Seafood Limited told us that they...
0:10:31 > 0:10:33They say that's...
0:10:40 > 0:10:41In this particular case,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45the fish fillets Terry bought could, at the time, have been either
0:10:45 > 0:10:49pollock or basa, but as a natural product the fish...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The company now only uses only pollock, but in any case,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01they recently launched "updated packaging" for this range,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05which has "new photography" and "improved on-pack information".
0:11:05 > 0:11:10What I saw was very professional and skilful people
0:11:10 > 0:11:14taking something and making it so that it's ready for a packet,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and it was very, very well done.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Obviously some trickery was involved and if you buy that piece of fish
0:11:20 > 0:11:22it's not going to look like the fish on the packet.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25When I'm going around the supermarkets in future,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27and I see the packets on the shelves,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30it will certainly make me think about today and what goes into
0:11:30 > 0:11:34actually making those packets look the way they do.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40We all love a bit of a bargain.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43And when you're looking out for them in the supermarket,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46one of the things that you're most likely to see on special offer
0:11:46 > 0:11:50is wine. It's very difficult to walk down the aisles these days
0:11:50 > 0:11:54without being confronted by signs offering us bottles for half price,
0:11:54 > 0:11:55or three for a tenner.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58But although we're all drinking more wine than ever before,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02not too many of us are experts, and we don't always feel confident
0:12:02 > 0:12:04when confronted by all the jargon.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08And that makes it all too easy for us to be bamboozled when trying to
0:12:08 > 0:12:13work out which of these wine offers really does offer the best value.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17It's not so long ago that for most people the choice was pretty simple
0:12:17 > 0:12:19when it came to wine - red or white.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22And if you were somewhere really exotic, there might be
0:12:22 > 0:12:24a bottle of rose available as well.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Nobody but real connoisseurs bothered very much
0:12:30 > 0:12:31about the grapes or the vintage.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35But over the past three decades, that has all changed.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Britain has transformed from a nation of warm beer-drinkers
0:12:38 > 0:12:40to one of wine lovers.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44We're drinking nearly six times more wine than we did in the 1970s.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49And, of course, that means the wine trade is big business.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53We drink 1.7 billion bottles in the UK each year.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55It's become Britain's favourite tipple,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58much more popular than beer, cider or indeed spirits.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01We've fallen absolutely in love with wine.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04But how do we know a good bottle when we see it?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Or, indeed, how to spot a really good price?
0:13:07 > 0:13:09These days, most of the wine bought in Britain -
0:13:09 > 0:13:13around three quarters, in fact - is bought in supermarkets,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and the market is worth a hefty £6 billion a year.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And more than half of the wine we buy in the supermarket
0:13:19 > 0:13:22is on some sort of special offer.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26But that may not be quite the good news it sounds.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Former industry-insider turned-consumer champion,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31James Foord says there is a reason why the stores
0:13:31 > 0:13:34make the offers so attractive.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36During my time with the supermarkets,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40the wine promotions were absolutely crucial to the stores
0:13:40 > 0:13:42because it's all about getting the customers in
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and then hoping that they buy lots of other products.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49So, let's look at the wine aisle. How do you sum it up?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I would sum it up as possibly the most confusing part of the store.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58"Three for two, half price, 10% off." It's just incredible.
0:13:58 > 0:14:05You've got to try and wade through this promotional confusion, really,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07just to work out what's a good deal.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I find myself going back for that label just because it's pretty
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- and it looks nice and I've tasted it before.- Absolutely.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16People like to go with what they know
0:14:16 > 0:14:18or what they've seen other people buy.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Which is why just a handful of lines
0:14:20 > 0:14:25will take the lion's share of the sales in most stores.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29But how can you navigate your way through all those prices and offers
0:14:29 > 0:14:33when it's hard to tell in the first place what a bottle is really worth?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35With less choice of varieties,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38it's pretty simple to work out what, for example, a particular brand
0:14:38 > 0:14:42of baked beans or instant coffee should cost, but with wine,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and all the different grapes and vintages,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46I'm afraid it isn't that easy.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49We thought we'd do a little experiment on the street,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52so I've been to the supermarket, I've bought two bottles of red wine
0:14:52 > 0:14:56and one is actually quite a lot more expensive than the other.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The French tipple on the left is 14.99,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04and the Italian job on the right is 5.99.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07The question is, how many of you would guess which is which?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I'd like you to have a look at these
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and see which one you think is the cheaper.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Good one!
0:15:18 > 0:15:20So, which bottle do our wine drinkers
0:15:20 > 0:15:23think is the most expensive and why?
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Put the price tags on whichever one you think is the cheaper.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- That one's cork that one's screw top. - Right.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33That one, I would think, is the more expensive one.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- This is the more expensive, you think?- By the label.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Now why do you think that? Because it's French?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Cos it's French.- Yeah, OK.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43The question is, who got it right?
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Well, I'm going to tell you that this is the more expensive.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- And look at the difference in price, by the way.- Mmm.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- Are you surprised?- Yeah.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54- You were...totally wrong.- Ohhhh!
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Well, I'm going to reveal now
0:15:56 > 0:15:58because THAT actually is the most expensive.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Surprised by the price that one's coming out at.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- You're spot-on. - Oh, right. That's good.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Cos that IS the most expensive.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09So, in actual fact, you were spot-on. This is the cheaper.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- Oh, we were both right. - So, you did well.- Yeah.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- Good for you.- We both agreed on it but in different ways.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- And you know your wine, so well done, you. Excellent.- Thank you.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21But it's no wonder that many of us are left wondering
0:16:21 > 0:16:23when it comes to wine.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25The very language they use can make it all
0:16:25 > 0:16:28seem a very mysterious business.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Very nice. Quite sweet.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33So, if you're not an expert, how do you know whether
0:16:33 > 0:16:36you're getting a good wine at a good price?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Actually, it's very clean on the palate, isn't it?
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Very clean, very fresh, very zingy.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Frazer Thompson runs the Chapel Down Vineyard in Kent,
0:16:43 > 0:16:48and thinks we should call time on confusing prices.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51How would you convince me that I should pay more, for example,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54for this wine than a cheaper white that I might pick up on offer?
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I think pricing in the supermarkets can be very, very confusing.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01It's a hugely complicated industry. You've got different grapes,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03different regions, different styles of wine,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06there's all sorts of confusion out there, and actually the price
0:17:06 > 0:17:09is your best indicator. Because buying wine that's very cheap,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11really isn't a very smart thing to do.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13In a way you can't blame the consumer.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It's very easy for the supermarket to play around with prices.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21Well, in the UK, we tax wine very, very highly.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23So, you pay £2 on any bottle of wine.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And then, of course, we put a VAT on top of that tax,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29so if you buy a bottle of wine for, say, £3.99,
0:17:29 > 0:17:3267% goes straight to the Government.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Then if you take out what the supermarket...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Have to earn a little bit of money, what the wine-makers,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40the transport costs, everything else, you've probably got grapes in there,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42that's worth about tuppence.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Wow! I think people will be really surprised by that, actually.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49Well, actually, if you spend as much as £5 a bottle, you are getting
0:17:49 > 0:17:52wine in there that's probably worth around about 40 pence.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55If you then go up and you're prepared to pay £10 a bottle,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58then you're getting 75 times the value of fruit in it.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00So, with those fixed costs accounting for
0:18:00 > 0:18:02so much of the price you pay,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05some people might say that when it comes to wine,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07you really do get what you pay for.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09And that you may get better value and quality
0:18:09 > 0:18:12from a wine that has a higher cost.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Now, of course, that's not always the case.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18You can get some very well-chosen, excellent quality wines
0:18:18 > 0:18:23from all the big supermarkets, sometimes for under a fiver.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25But that's where things can get tricky.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Because as if working out what your wine is worth
0:18:27 > 0:18:31wasn't complicated enough, the supermarkets can confuse things
0:18:31 > 0:18:34even further with all their special offers.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Look at the promotional labels
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and you'll be convinced that you're getting an absolute bargain.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41But is that always the case?
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Later in the programme, we go undercover
0:18:44 > 0:18:46in the big stores' wine aisles
0:18:46 > 0:18:49to see if some of those bottles on offer were ever really worth
0:18:49 > 0:18:53the higher cost that the stores claim is the normal full price.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56So, somebody might be tempted to buy this at full price,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59which is why I'm so alarmed by these tactical brands.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Cos it doesn't offer value for money.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Now, when we're trying to choose between products in the supermarket,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11very often we might plump for the ones that seem to be flying the flag.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Buying British, we hope, is a way of ensuring quality and freshness,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18not to mention allowing us all to do our bit for the economy.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22But it seems that buying products which are actually MADE in Britain
0:19:22 > 0:19:25may not always be as straightforward as it appears.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31First, there were the Jubilee celebrations. Then the Olympics.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34And most recently, the birth of Prince George.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38The nation has been decked from head to toe in red, white and blue.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41And politicians of all parties are keen to encourage
0:19:41 > 0:19:44the equivalent economic patriotism.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47That really depends on us as consumers going into shops
0:19:47 > 0:19:51and supermarkets and wanting to buy quality British produce.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54There are three words we don't hear enough in our country.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56"Made in Britain".
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Which one do we need to find?
0:19:58 > 0:20:03James and Emily Bradshaw from Kent are very keen on those three words.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07So much so that, last January, they set themselves a challenge.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Are you going to find one for Daddy? What's Daddy got to find?
0:20:10 > 0:20:14We decided that all the money that we would spend for 12 months
0:20:14 > 0:20:16would be reinvested back in the UK.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20And we'd do that by buying only British.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24That means absolutely everything they buy, including clothes, toys,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28and toiletries, has to have been made in Britain.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31So, all the food to feed their growing family
0:20:31 > 0:20:33has to come from here, too.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37The first shopping trip was...not great.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Um...it took us about three hours.
0:20:40 > 0:20:46Because, initially, you really have to turn every packet, every jar,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49absolutely everything over.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Things did get easier, but the Bradshaws have had to say goodbye
0:20:53 > 0:20:55to some of their favourite foods.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57We cannot buy rice at all.
0:20:57 > 0:21:04There are some small suppliers of dried pasta that we can access.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09But it's not really at a price point that is readily available.
0:21:09 > 0:21:15Apart from rice, any other aching voids you've not been able to fill?
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Citrus fruits.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Though they've had no luck finding oranges and lemons grown here,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25all the rest of their fruit and veg IS British.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Hi! Veg box. How are we?
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Once a week, a box arrives with seasonal produce from local farms.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35What's this wonderful stuff?
0:21:35 > 0:21:39This is called black kale. It's got that kale feel to it.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- Mmm, it's a beautiful colour. - Yes, it is, it's fantastic.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44It's really good just with a bit of butter.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Couple of butternut squashes, quite small.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49It's not been the best year for butternut this year.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- And a small bunch of carrots. - Oh! Carrots!
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Bradshaws is just how hard
0:21:57 > 0:22:01it can be to find manufactured food that is still made in Britain.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Even some of the long-established names, with their evocative
0:22:04 > 0:22:08British branding, turn out to be far from home-grown.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12It's just very upsetting I think,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15actually, to see British brands
0:22:15 > 0:22:18move their manufacturing abroad or being sold off.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21I think it's a real tragedy.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The Bradshaws aren't alone in finding it frustrating
0:22:24 > 0:22:27trying to work out what is and isn't British.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- I found it!- You found one!
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Nearly half of those asked in a recent survey
0:22:32 > 0:22:36said they were confused about which brands were still made in Britain.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41So, where better to put this to the test than at a very British event
0:22:41 > 0:22:43in a very British town?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Can the fleet of foot in Tunbridge Wells tell which
0:22:48 > 0:22:50of the following British-looking products
0:22:50 > 0:22:52are actually made on our shores?
0:22:55 > 0:22:59There are these Whitby prawns, which sound as if they must have been
0:22:59 > 0:23:02brought ashore by North Yorkshire fishermen.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04HP Sauce uses the Houses of Parliament
0:23:04 > 0:23:09to reinforce its image as an icon of breakfast tables across Blighty.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11And what about this Cadbury's Flake,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13complete with that most prestigious
0:23:13 > 0:23:17seal of British approval, the Royal Warrant crest?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19You are going shopping in the supermarket,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21and you're browsing and you see these products.
0:23:21 > 0:23:27Decide in your heads which you think are British goods and which are not.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31I would've assumed that most of them are British.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Certainly... I don't know about HP. That's a big company.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I would think that's probably been taken over.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42Whitby sounds as if it's, er...British.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44In fact, HP Sauce, an essential addition
0:23:44 > 0:23:47to millions of bacon butties every day,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50hasn't been made in Britain for almost a decade.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53In 2007, its Birmingham factory was closed,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55125 workers lost their jobs,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59and production of this British icon was shifted to the Netherlands.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05- Did anybody choose HP Sauce?- Yes. - And what was the basis of that?
0:24:05 > 0:24:11- An old, established...- It's got Big Ben on it, the Houses of Parliament.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14So, what about those prawns? Made in Britain?
0:24:14 > 0:24:19- Whitby is a place...- Whitby.- ..in the UK, isn't it?- Yes, absolutely.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22With a pretty picture of Whitby on the packet,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25you wouldn't blame the unwitting consumer for assuming that
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Whitby Prawns are indeed from Whitby.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32But turn the packet over and you see that actually the prawns
0:24:32 > 0:24:36you're buying come from at least 5,000 miles away.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I think that's misleading if it says Whitby, isn't it?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44But makers Whitby Seafoods say they're a long-established family
0:24:44 > 0:24:48business based in Whitby, employing generations of people IN Whitby,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53not to mention marinating, coating and packing those prawns in Whitby.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57They point out that warm-water prawns cannot be sourced from the UK,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and the origin of their seafood is made very clear on their packaging.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04So, it's not always straightforward.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And, while in most cases the packaging will make things clearer,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12sometimes you might still leap to the wrong conclusion.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Take this multipack of chocolate bars, the ones long sold to us
0:25:16 > 0:25:20as the "crumbliest, flakiest in the world".
0:25:20 > 0:25:22There is the age-old Cadbury logo,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26and the Royal Warrant crest. Cocoa manufacturers Bourneville.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Do our dancers think the Flake is British?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I thought Cadbury's was definitely British.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37But, no, Flakes, alongside their sister brands, Twirl and Time Out,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40are made in the Republic of Ireland.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I'm a bit annoyed, actually,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46that not more are made in Britain.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Study it carefully and you'll quickly see that,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51as well as displaying the Royal Warrant,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55the label does say "Made under licence from Cadbury UK Ltd".
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Keep looking, and you'll be able to work out
0:25:57 > 0:25:59that they're produced in Dublin.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02But with just a quick glance, you could be forgiven for forming
0:26:02 > 0:26:05the conclusion that the Flake is made in the UK.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10However, makers Cadbury don't agree.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14The company says Flakes have been made in Dublin for over 50 years
0:26:14 > 0:26:17using creamy Irish milk. And it also told us...
0:26:27 > 0:26:30So, what do you have to do to be allowed to say a product
0:26:30 > 0:26:33is "made in Britain"? Kate Hills should know.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36She has founded a campaign to "Make it British".
0:26:36 > 0:26:39If you've got spices that were grown overseas
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and you just put them in a packet over here, then that's still...
0:26:42 > 0:26:45The country of origin is still where those spices were grown.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48However, if you turn them into a sauce in the UK,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50then that's a substantial change,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54because they've turned from raw ingredients into a final product,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and then you can therefore call that product "made in the UK".
0:26:57 > 0:26:59So, the rules should be clear
0:26:59 > 0:27:03but the same isn't necessarily true of the labels.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06There's definitely quite a few misleading tricks
0:27:06 > 0:27:09that companies and marketing experts
0:27:09 > 0:27:13will use to mislead the public into thinking something was British.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18You have phrases such as "developed in the UK", "designed in the UK",
0:27:18 > 0:27:21"produced in the UK".
0:27:21 > 0:27:24And, also, there's the use of the Union flag.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28We've got such as distinctive design of our national flag,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30and people see that and they associate it
0:27:30 > 0:27:32with something being British
0:27:32 > 0:27:34and that is being abused a lot at the moment.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36That's certainly what the Bradshaws have found
0:27:36 > 0:27:40during their year-long mission to only buy food that's home-grown.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Even flying an actual British-made flag defeated them.
0:27:43 > 0:27:49We tried to find British disposable bunting and plastic flags
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and patriotic-style stuff.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54And it was all made in the Far East.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Now the family's experiment has drawn to a close,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59they're going to let up a bit,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and foreign fruit will once again appear in their fruit bowl.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04But they say that putting in the effort to buy British
0:28:04 > 0:28:07has definitely paid off.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I think that there are many things
0:28:10 > 0:28:14that we would be foolish to go back on.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18I think the food certainly is one of those.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22We are saving about 20% on our food bill.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25It's not to be underestimated, I think,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28what one British family can do.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Next, some tricks of the trade to keep in mind
0:28:36 > 0:28:38if you're going out for a meal.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Restaurant critic Andy Hayler spills the beans on the techniques
0:28:41 > 0:28:44some restaurants can use to push you towards the dishes
0:28:44 > 0:28:47they'd most like you to order.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50When you're looking at a menu, you might not realise that
0:28:50 > 0:28:54some dishes will be significantly more profitable to the restaurant
0:28:54 > 0:28:57than others, and just how deliberately they may have been
0:28:57 > 0:29:01described to try and tempt you to order them.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06If you saw a description that said "spit-roasted chicken,
0:29:06 > 0:29:11"organic producer paired with sweet Italian peas",
0:29:11 > 0:29:15that's a much more appealing thing than just saying "chicken and peas".
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Slightly unfamiliar terms on a menu, you may think,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21"Well, why would they do that? Nobody knows what that means."
0:29:21 > 0:29:23But that's actually to encourage you
0:29:23 > 0:29:25to ask the waiter what something means,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29because if you engage with the waiter then you've got a chance to be
0:29:29 > 0:29:31steered in another direction.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36The very layout of the menu is often designed to get you to spend more.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40Even the colours of the print make a difference on the menu.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44It turns out that research has shown red and blue colours
0:29:44 > 0:29:48stimulate appetite. Grey and purple do the opposite.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51And don't always be sucked in by set menus
0:29:51 > 0:29:55that may end up saving the restaurant more money than you.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Restaurants really like set menus because they know that
0:29:57 > 0:30:00they're going to sell a certain number of those,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03so dishes are all prepared and they've designed it in a way
0:30:03 > 0:30:06that's going to be fairly profitable for them.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09And what about that new trend for sharing plates
0:30:09 > 0:30:12which is popping up more often on menus?
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Be aware that they might not offer the savings they seem.
0:30:16 > 0:30:17This is quite a cunning idea
0:30:17 > 0:30:21because people are perhaps quite price-sensitive about main courses.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24So, imagine a menu where you had a starter at, say, £7
0:30:24 > 0:30:29and a main course at 18. So, £25, you'd have spent.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Instead of that, you're now encouraged to order small-plate
0:30:32 > 0:30:37dishes, which are cunningly priced at about £8 or £9,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40but if you're ordering four of them then that's £32.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Before, you were spending 25.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46And, of course, you may get a bit greedy and order one more, even.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48And it'll be even more expensive.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Whereas you would never order a second main course.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58Earlier in the programme, we started investigating the true value
0:30:58 > 0:31:01of a bottle of wine, so that you can try and work out whether
0:31:01 > 0:31:05all those supermarket offers are really as good a deal as they look.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Now, with so many of them sold with hefty reductions,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10or even half-price, there's no doubt that it all feels
0:31:10 > 0:31:12as if it's a bargain.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15But we've been looking very carefully at the figures.
0:31:15 > 0:31:16And with at least some of those offers,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19we're not be being told the whole story.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Jamie Goode knows his wine.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29He's been writing about the subject for 14 years and just loves the job.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31A red Burgundy, you'd expect to taste like red Burgundy.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36It has a sense of place because it's more than just a liquid in a bottle.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38It's got a story behind it.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42But what he doesn't love is the way supermarkets promote their wine.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45I think it's really tough for most people when they go
0:31:45 > 0:31:48into a supermarket, cos they're faced with the famous wall of wine.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52200, 300 bottles, many of which look quite similar.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55It's very hard to distinguish where the wine really comes from
0:31:55 > 0:31:56and what it's going to taste like.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And the only buying cue that punters are left with often
0:31:59 > 0:32:04is these bright orange stickers saying "half-price" or "a 1/3 off".
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Now, the supermarkets really live up to the name when it comes to wine.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Supermarketing all those bottles
0:32:10 > 0:32:12to try and get us to part with our cash.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15I've just been to a big store nearby, to have a look, really
0:32:15 > 0:32:18at what's on offer. I'll be honest with you, I was so bamboozled
0:32:18 > 0:32:22by the sheer volume of half-price and two-for-one, and this and that,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24that I came away not being quite sure
0:32:24 > 0:32:26whether I'd got good value or not.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32We sent Jamie, the self-proclaimed Robin Hood of the wine world,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35undercover in some of the UK's biggest supermarkets
0:32:35 > 0:32:39to see exactly what he made of the all the deals on offer,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42and to find out some of the secrets of the supermarket shelves.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47My first impression is just how many of these
0:32:47 > 0:32:51roll-back signs there are. Unlike any of the other aisles in store,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54there just seems to be so many of them.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58Amongst all those offers were plenty of half-price deals as well.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02One half-price here, another one here, two. Oh, three.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Another half-price one here makes it four, I believe, or five.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08And this is six. Ooh, another. Seven, eight.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Ooh, nine, ten.
0:33:11 > 0:33:1311, cos one's just sold out there, it seems.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16It's a huge number of them, really.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19But in Jamie's opinion, these offers aren't always a good deal
0:33:19 > 0:33:22because he doesn't think that all of them were ever really worth
0:33:22 > 0:33:24the higher price they'd originally been sold at.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28And he says looking at the detail on the back of the label
0:33:28 > 0:33:31may reveal information about that half-price wine
0:33:31 > 0:33:33that you didn't expect.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36This is a Chardonnay from South-eastern Australia,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39but if you look on the back here, there's a clue.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43It says "M44 6BD", which is the postcode of the bottling plant.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45So, this is actually bottled not far away from where we are now.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49So, the wine will have been shipped from Australia in large flex tanks
0:33:49 > 0:33:53of 25,000 litres, and then trucked up to Manchester.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56You know, it's probably at best a £5 wine,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58which is what it's selling for now.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01However, Jamie did find some offers that he liked.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06I mean, this Torres Vina Sol, it's a nice wine.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10At the regular price of £6.75, it's not a bad deal at all.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14And at this discount price of £5, well, that's a good buy.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17That's a proper wine at a good price.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20But all of the supermarkets we filmed in had offers
0:34:20 > 0:34:24that Jamie felt didn't always reflect the wines' true value.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27He suspects the higher price some of these wines are sold at
0:34:27 > 0:34:31is an inflated one, so that the stores can discount the wines
0:34:31 > 0:34:33and make them look like a bargain.
0:34:33 > 0:34:39So, this is a wine I've seen before and it's a Bordeaux wine, £11.29.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44But this is one of those brands, it's regularly on offer at half-price.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Currently not on offer, so it's full-price,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48so somebody might be tempted to buy this at full-price,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51which is why I'm so alarmed by these tactical brands.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Because it doesn't offer value for money.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57In fact, this wine, which has received various commendations
0:34:57 > 0:35:01and awards, had been on special offer no less than five times
0:35:01 > 0:35:06in the past year. Its price kept on changing from as much as £14.99
0:35:06 > 0:35:11to as little as £7.99, making it very hard to gauge the true value.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15I feel really sorry for the producers of wines who don't play this game.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Because how can they compete with a half-price offer?
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Everybody likes to have a half-price wine.
0:35:20 > 0:35:21And what's wrong with that?
0:35:21 > 0:35:25If we end up with wine sold at a lower cost and we feel that
0:35:25 > 0:35:28we're getting a bargain, surely, for most, that's good news?
0:35:28 > 0:35:29You might think,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32"This is great, everyone's a winner, what's not to like?" Well, actually,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I think the problem is that even at half-price
0:35:35 > 0:35:37many of these wines are still, I think, are quite poor value.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Supermarket chains put a lot of effort into their wines.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45And there's no doubt their buyers usually select an excellent range,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48often including some great bottles from their own brand labels.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52So, when you don't have to break the bank to find a decent bottle,
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Jamie thinks we shouldn't be seduced by all those offers.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Even if you've only just got a £5 note to spend on a bottle of wine,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03you can still get some quite good wines these days.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07It's just going for the half-price offers isn't the way to do it.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Of course, supermarkets can charge what they like.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13But with so many deals at once, unless you're a wine buff,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17it's not that easy for the average shopper to know which are a bargain.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19So, how can you exactly work that out?
0:36:19 > 0:36:23Well, one good way to find out is to take the average price
0:36:23 > 0:36:26over the last year, and when you work that out, believe me,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29the results can be very surprising.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33James Foord runs a price comparison site where you can check how
0:36:33 > 0:36:37the price of supermarket goods have changed over the last 12 months.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40It calculates the average price of a product over the year,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44so you can see how that compares to the price right now.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47And he's pulled together some figures for wine.
0:36:47 > 0:36:52We've looked at all the wines sold by the top five online supermarkets
0:36:52 > 0:36:54and looked at how many of those lines are on promotion,
0:36:54 > 0:36:58which ones were not as good as you would probably think.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02- Am I going to be a bit shocked?- You might be with some of the results.
0:37:02 > 0:37:03Well, let's have a look.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Across the five biggest online supermarkets they sell just over
0:37:06 > 0:37:084,000 wines between them.
0:37:08 > 0:37:13Of which almost 1,400 are on promotion, so that's one in three.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15One in three on promotion.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Which is why there's so much confusion for you and I
0:37:17 > 0:37:20when trying to figure out what to buy.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23James can very quickly see that the price of some bottles
0:37:23 > 0:37:24just keeps on changing.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28And look at the peaks and troughs. Up, down, up, down, up, down.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Exactly, so this is fairly typical. High one minute, low the next minute.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36But according to James' figures,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40you're not always necessarily getting the bargain you might think.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Take this French wine at Tesco's. It was 14.99.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Now half-price at 7.49.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50But actually, according to James' figures it was only sold
0:37:50 > 0:37:54at that full price for a total of two months of the past year.
0:37:56 > 0:38:02At ASDA, this bottle of Italian wine was £7. Now it's £4.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Feels a like a bargain but it had been sold at that £4 price
0:38:05 > 0:38:08or even less for nearly three quarters of the last year.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16And at Sainsbury's, there's this own-brand red
0:38:16 > 0:38:20reduced from £6.49 to £4.86.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24But, again, this wine had only been sold at that higher price
0:38:24 > 0:38:27for 61 days in the past 12 months.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33And on top of that, at all the supermarkets James looked at,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36he even found examples where the special-offer price
0:38:36 > 0:38:38was actually higher than the average price,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41so not such a good deal after all.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Here's a rather nice Italian red.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47But look at this. The average price over the previous year is £8.97.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49If you buy this promotion today
0:38:49 > 0:38:53- you're paying 7% more than the average price.- That's shocking!
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Actually, that would be very disappointing if you bought
0:38:55 > 0:38:57the offer and then discovered you were paying more
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- than the average price.- Well, I think you'd be very disappointed
0:39:00 > 0:39:03but the chances are, you wouldn't know.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06James did find plenty of good offers out there, too.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10But, it's difficult to know just which ones are genuine bargains
0:39:10 > 0:39:13without doing some very serious research.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18We asked the supermarkets about the way they price their wine.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Tesco said that, as the UK's largest seller of wine,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25it takes its responsibility to their customers very seriously,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27but those customers repeatedly say they're...
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Sainsbury's told us that they...
0:39:37 > 0:39:39And, they explained, wine prices are...
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Both stores also queried some of our figures,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58pointing out that new guidelines from the Office of Fair Trading
0:39:58 > 0:40:01prevent products from being on sale at a reduced price
0:40:01 > 0:40:05for longer than they were on sale at the full price.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07But when we double-checked the prices with James Foord,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10he was very confident they were correct, adding that his data
0:40:10 > 0:40:13is based on information from the stores' own websites.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18ASDA told us it takes pricing so seriously, it...
0:40:21 > 0:40:24..to look at all aspects of its pricing...
0:40:28 > 0:40:30The store also stressed it would...
0:40:40 > 0:40:43But it looks like those offers and promotions will continue
0:40:43 > 0:40:45to dominate the wine aisles,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48even if critics like Jamie would like to see that change.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52I think it would be great if the wine industry were more transparent
0:40:52 > 0:40:56and more honest with its customers. The danger is people'll lose trust
0:40:56 > 0:40:59in the supermarkets that are backing these half-price deals.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Here at Rip-Off Britain,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10we're always ready to investigate more of your stories.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12And not just about food.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Confused over your bills,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18or just trying to wade through never-ending small print.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22I mean, why is it in small print if they want you to read it, you know?
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Maybe you're unsure about what to do when you discover that you've
0:41:25 > 0:41:30lost out, and that "great deal" has actually ended up costing you money.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32All my money is very hard-earned.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36So, when I go to spend it, I expect value for money.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Or you might have a cautionary tale of your own
0:41:38 > 0:41:41and want to share the mistakes that you've made with us.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43You can write to us at:
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Or send us an e-mail to:
0:41:55 > 0:42:00The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07Everywhere we go these days, we're bombarded with advertising,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09much of it for food.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11And it's certainly true that all those promotional messages
0:42:11 > 0:42:15help keep us informed about not just new products,
0:42:15 > 0:42:16but also new deals and offers,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19so that we have a real choice about what we buy.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21They certainly do, but as you've been telling us,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24you can't necessarily take all of those promises at face value.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26The marketing men and women -
0:42:26 > 0:42:29well, they have a whole arsenal of tactics they can deploy
0:42:29 > 0:42:31to persuade us to hand over our cash.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36But before you do, we really would advise you look beyond the hype.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Because that wonderful deal may not always be quite as good
0:42:39 > 0:42:41as they'd have you believe.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45So, use a bit of good, old-fashioned scepticism, and take a closer look.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48That way you can be confident you really are getting
0:42:48 > 0:42:51what you're paying for. And if you come across examples
0:42:51 > 0:42:54where you're not, then you know what to do. Let us know!
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Well, we'll be back soon to look into more of your stories.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Until then, thanks for joining us, and from all the team, goodbye.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Bye-bye.