Woolworths shopper makes surprising bread label discovery
A Woolworths customer has demanded an explanation from the retail giant after making a shocking discovery on the packaging of the store’s bread.
After shopping in her local Woolworths store and comparing the nutrition labels on the back of three different loaves, the woman became confused when things didn't quite add up.
Reaching out to the retail giant on their Facebook page, the woman asked why the store’s brand hi-fibre bread had the least amount of fibre when compared to other non-high fibre varieties.
“Wouldn't you think the Hi-Fibre loaf on the right would have the most fibre?” she asked.
“Actually it has the least. Please explain Woolworths. After all, two of the loaves are your own brand.”
The confused customer went on to say that the Woolworths Super Soft bread had the highest amount with 7.9g of fibre per 100 grams.
The Tip Top branded bread had the second highest amount with 7.6g of fibre per 100 grams.
But the Woolworths Hi-Fibre branded white bread had the lowest with 7.0g of fibre per 100 grams.
Other shoppers agreed that the varied amounts across all breads and the branding was confusing.
“I would expect it to have a higher fibre content than other Woolworths brand breads, not compared to different brands,” one shopper said.
Woolworths explains label confusion
The retailer has responded to the concerned customer saying the fibre content information on the bread package labels isn’t regulated by Woolworths.
“Our Product Team have advised the fibre content claims are regulated by the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.
They went on to say that while the fibre content was different, it all depends on the size of the slice.
“To make a high fibre or good source of fibre claim, a product needs to contain at least 4g of fibre per serving,” the spokesperson continued.
“Although Woolworths Super Soft Sandwich Bread has a higher dietary fibre content of 7.9g per 100g, when we look at the fibre content per serving, Woolworths White Sandwich Hi-Fibre has a higher dietary fibre content per serving (due to the thicker slices).
“When developing these products, we wanted to ensure both products were great choices when it came to fibre content, however, the focus of our Super Soft product was on softness, which is why this is the focus of the product name.”
Customers call for careful consideration on labelling
The confusion over Woolworths bread labels comes just months after customers questioned the store's branding on their free-range eggs.
A customer called out the retailer for being "misleading" saying they don’t meet the code of practice for free-range birds per acre.
"Your 'free range' eggs say you have max 10,000 birds per hectare... but the free range Model Code of Practice recommends a maximum outdoor density of 1,500 birds per hectare. Isn't this misleading to consumers?" a customer wrote in a post to Woolworths' Facebook page.
While the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) states hens should be farmed at no more than 1,500 hens per hectare, the government-legislated rules allow producers to farm 10,000 hens on one hectare of land and still call them free-range.
"Every supplier of Woolworths brand Free Range eggs meets the industry and legal standards for free-range farming," a Woolworths spokesman said.
"While our cartons show the maximum roaming density, a number of suppliers provide even more space for their chickens than the minimum free-range standard.
"We work closely with our suppliers to ensure their practises comply with all industry standards and labelling requirements."
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
