Sandwich Labels 'Are Misleading Consumers' Warns Watchdog

The Huffington Post UK  |  By Posted: Updated: 17/05/2012 18:00

Keeping track of how many calories and fat in our lunch would be easier if popular high-street sandwich brands clearly labelled the nutritional value, consumer watchdog Which? has warned.

The report claims confusing and contradicting labels on lunchtime favourites are making it hard for consumers to make correct comparisons when choosing the healthier option.

Tesco, Aldi, Greggs, Morrisons and Caffe Nero were all criticised for their lack of ‘traffic light labelling’ on pre-packed sandwiches.

The standard labels, created by the Foods Standards Agency, should include a colour-coded wheel indicating the salt, saturated fat and calorie content – with red, amber and green measuring how high or low the nutrient levels.

Food retailers who do use the traffic light labelling system include Asda, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Boots.

As portion size and nutritional content vary from sandwich to sandwich, Which? point out consumers could be eating three times as much fat and double the amount of salt in apparently 'equivalent' meals.

Shocked? Take a look at other hidden fat traps lurking in your everyday food…

To illustrate their concerns, Which? focused on three popular sandwiches – chicken salad, egg mayonnaise and bacon, lettuce and tomato (BLT).

They discovered a chicken sarnie from Morrisons contained 11.7g fat compared to one from Waitrose which contains 6.0g fat. A BLT from Lidl racks up 3.36g of salt, whereas in Boots, the same sandwich contains 1.5g salt.

Incidentally, the sandwiches with the highest levels of fat and salt were the ones without the traffic light labelling.

SEE ALSO

"With obesity levels reaching epidemic proportions, it's more important than ever that consumers know exactly what they're eating,” Richard Lloyd from Which? said in a statement.

“Many retailers are already using traffic-light labelling, but the rest need to catch up and do what works best for consumers. We want to see the government insist that all food companies use traffic lights on their labels, so there's a clear, consistent system that makes it easier for people to make informed choices about what they eat."

Loading Slideshow...
  • Tuna And Sweetcorn

    Individuals that pick tuna and sweetcorn on white bread love order, routine and targets. They can often find it hard to relax, work ahead of deadlines, can be high achievers and have a tendency to believe they are always right. They enjoy a range of hobbies and seek friends who share the same drive and beliefs as them.

  • BLT On Seeded Bread

    The BLT on seeded bread eater lives in the now, believing that experience speaks louder than words. Those that pick this sandwich are often self-indulgent and materialistic. They love eating out, films and live music. A good sense of humour in friends and partners is a must.

  • Cheese And Pickle

    Those who go for the classic cheese and pickle are logical planners who like to surround themselves with successful people. They tend to be good at tasks and will always tell the truth no matter how tactless it may seem. They love solving things and are a fan of games and puzzles.

  • Prawn On Brown Bread

    Those who pick a prawn sandwich on brown bread are friendly and tactful in any situation. They are sensitive and tend to be very unsettled by conflict. The need to agree with others can make them easily led. They love fashion and shopping and seek friends with a good sense of humour.

  • Beef Roll

    The beef roll lover acts first and then thinks later. They love to solve problems and are great at multi-tasking. They often have an unwillingness to commit to anything that will interfere with their freedom. In a partner they seek someone who is attractive and they enjoy the thrill of spectator sports.

  • Ham On White Bread

    The ham salad on white bread lover often spends time thinking about their future. They are inventive and original. A real love of physical activity and the outdoors, they gain inspiration from their surroundings at the expense of observing and experiencing them.

  • Chicken Wrap

    Those who pick a chicken salad wrap are sociable and talkative and thrive on interaction with the outside world. They do tend to act without thinking things through. They enjoy spending time watching sports and seek a partner with a strong career success.

  • Egg Mayonaise

    Those who prefer an egg mayo on wholemeal are reflective, quiet people, they like to spend time alone and are motivated by private, internal goals. They find social situations draining and instead prefer to spend time at home. In a partner they seek someone with similar interests and values to themselves.

FOLLOW UK LIFESTYLE

Keeping track of how many calories and fat in our lunch would be easier if popular high-street sandwich brands clearly labelled the nutritional value, consumer watchdog Which? has warned. The repo...
Keeping track of how many calories and fat in our lunch would be easier if popular high-street sandwich brands clearly labelled the nutritional value, consumer watchdog Which? has warned. The repo...
 
 
  • Comments
  • 17
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Post Comment Preview Comment
To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
18:28 on 04/06/2012
Have you ever seen how and by whom these sandwiches are made
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
wallace792
Fear Naught
11:46 on 21/05/2012
Hungary? Get yourself to a good old fashioned English-fish-n-chip shop! At least you can SEE your food getting cooked-n-wrapped and note the cleanliness of which this service is executed!
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
11:27 on 18/05/2012
I don't eat that muck anyway, it's cheaper and of more nutritional value to make your own sandwiches. More hygienic too ! And i stay away from that cheap white bread that's full off bleaching agents and preservatives..
10:54 on 18/05/2012
make your own................take your own..........then you have no problem...........
photo
edmurfin
Old man, on Bonus Time:-)
10:11 on 18/05/2012
I'd be more concerned about the personal hygiene of the low paid, low skilled operatives who make the sandwiches.
09:12 on 18/05/2012
"What Your Sandwich says About You" Hmmmm clearly a talking sandwich would worry me, if it were that old that it had developed intelligence and the ability to gossip about me then it's sell by date would be greatly exceeded. If anyone has had a sandwich talking about them let me know...I'm off to facebook to see if any sandwich has got it's own page.......
20:10 on 17/05/2012
Yes today it was ham and cheese
17:21 on 17/05/2012
During a flight to Lisbon a couple of years ago I chose a bacon sandwich, or so I thought. When I bit into it it turned out to be cheese. Ilooked again at the wrapper and realised that it actually said BA.COM and not BACON.
17:17 on 17/05/2012
Whilst on a flight to Lisbon a couple of years ago I chose what I thought was a bacon sandwich. Whe I bit into it I found that it was infact cheese. I looked again at the wrapper and saw that what it actually said ba.com and and not bacon.
16:08 on 17/05/2012
Obviously people have got so much money they don't know what to do with it, if they can't be bothered to make their own sandwiches and buy ready-made ones. And here I was thinking people were struggling to make ends meet.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Fozwords
Abandon hope when you post on here
15:52 on 17/05/2012
Beef, Ham or pork from my local butcher and sometimes sardine paste if my e numbers are down.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
NornIronMan
15:45 on 17/05/2012
ye dinnae haete be a expert te know breed is fattenin anyway, even wi out the mayonaise an all in it, ye kin?
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Fozwords
Abandon hope when you post on here
15:54 on 17/05/2012
Aye ah ken, an yer reet, so cut the breed oot, and just wrap your beef round veggies, its a breedless sarnie. Its a bit mare difficult with salmon paste though
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
victorzeller
15:29 on 17/05/2012
Yet another waste of time and energy reading this story.
20:02 on 17/05/2012
Yea, you should have a nice sarnie to regain your energy. Ever tried a cornflake sandwich? They are fun.
11:05 on 18/05/2012
... only if you spread the cornflakes with golden syrup. That gives them a really tasty crunch.