Coles called out over 'completely inaccurate' mince claim: 'JUST RIDICULOUS'
An eagle-eyed Coles shopper has slammed the supermarket after purchasing what she thought was 800g of mince — only to find it weighed over 25 per cent less.
The woman was suspicious the package of meat may have been a little on the lighter side and weighed it when she got home. She discovered she'd actually received 575g of lean mince.
She slammed the supermarket for claiming it was an 800g packet, saying it was "completely inaccurate" to do so.
"I knew once receiving the product in my click and collect order it wouldn’t be 800g," she wrote in a Facebook post.
"I guess a few grams off isn’t too bad but this is just ridiculous 225g off the packaged amount," she said.
"Surely there should be more regulation of this scaling issue."
According to the Coles Website, the lean beef mince costs $16.25 per kg — so $13 for 800g.
Facebook users pointed out the small "e" on the packet — which indicates it's an estimate of the weight.
"I understand the concept of an ‘estimate’," the woman replied.
"However common sense can acknowledge that an estimate is within the means of 50g... 225g is more of a misrepresentation to consumers than an estimating error."
Coles responds to underweight mince claim
A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the supermarket takes measurement accuracy very seriously, reminding customers that household scales are not up to commercial standard.
The supermarket issued an identical statement to what it released when confronted with a similar customer complaint about mince weight two years ago.
"The measurement instruments used by Coles are tested regularly to ensure they are accurate," they said.
"We also require our suppliers to ensure their products comply with all measurement laws, and we remove products from sale if we find or are advised they are non-compliant.
"Household scales are not made to commercial standard and are generally not regularly checked for accuracy.
"As always, we encourage customers to return any item they’re not happy with to their nearest store for a full refund or replacement.”
What does the 'e' on the packaging mean?
The “e”, also known as the estimated sign or the quantité estimée is used by countries in the European Union along with Australia and South Africa.
In Australia, the “e” indicates goods have been packed in accordance with the Average Quantity System (AQS), a spokesman for the National Measurement Institute previously told Yahoo News Australia.
“AQS is based on recommendations developed by the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (IOLM), and is intended for use in large-scale packaging plants where goods (eg breakfast cereals) are packed in the same quantity in batches of at least 100 packages,” he said.
Under the directive tabled by the IOLM in 1997, packages between 500-1000g or millilitres are allowed to be 15g off their weight.
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