Yahoo News Aldi shoppers feel cheated after spotting secret symbol on food packaging
Shoppers have just discovered what a secret symbol on supermarket products means - and they're not happy. The 'e' symbol is found on most products but its meaning confuses many.
However, some eagle-eyed shoppers have realised it is a way supermarkets can get away with charging more for less. One such shopper showed anger online after finding that her 230g bag of crisps did not meet the weight, reports the Mirror.
Shockingly, the shopper found that her bag of Aldi crisps had only 139g of crisps inside. Sharing her find online, she said: "How is this okay at all? [We] try to save money by buying from Aldi, but we don't even get the amount on the packet!"
She continued: "More than two-thirds of the packet was air - hence why I decided to check it... I put the whole bag with chips in it on the scales first and it was 157g."
Many people were shocked to see the discovery, but some saw the reason behind the big difference. One pointed to the letter 'e' on the bag - a symbol which indicates the volume or weight of the product is in fact an "average value".
According to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Average Quantity System (AQS) shouldn't have this much of a discrepancy. Its website said: "The AQS is an internationally agreed method of determining the size or quantity of pre-packed articles with a 'constant nominal content'. This means it provides confirmation of the measurement or quantity of goods in the package, being sold by measure (weight, volume, length, area or number)."
The website says that "no pre-packaged article can have a shortfall greater than 5 per cent of the stated quantity." However, shoppers weren't happy with the discovery.
One said: "That isn't an estimation, though. Nearly 100g is massive!" A second said: "Not getting what you pay for is a joke and being so far off the 'e' weight is just ridiculous."
According to EU regulations, prepackaged (or prepacked) products sold in any EU country must provide information on the package specifying the nominal quantity (weight or volume) of their contents, as stated by the official European Union website. They explain that the 'e' mark "placed next to the nominal quantity, shows that you have complied with the relevant European laws".
The Mirror approached Aldi for comment.
