UK Supermarkets Allegedly Fool Customers by Falsely Labeling Bakery Products 'Freshly Baked,' 'Freshly Made'

By Giuliano De Leon

Jun 11, 2024 04:57 PM EDT

Some UK supermarkets are accused of fooling consumers. In a trading standards complaint filed against them, they allegedly falsely labeled bakery products as "freshly baked bread" or "freshly made every day." Here are other details British shoppers should know. 

UK Supermarkets Allegedly Fool Customers by Falsely Labeling Bakery Products 'Freshly Baked,' 'Freshly Made'
Signage outside a Sainsbury's supermarket in Tunbridge Wells on January 7, 2021. - Sainsburys has upgraded its profit expectations by £60m after surging sales of champagne, steaks and other luxury food drove stronger than expected sales over Christmas and new year.
(Photo : BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Supermarkets Allegedly Fool Customers by Falsely Labeling Bakery Products

Real Bread Campaign, a project of the Better Food and Farming Alliance Sustain, submitted the trading standards complaint regarding how four UK supermarkets falsely labeled their bakery products as fresh.

In its complaint, the campaign named Tesco, Lidl, the Co-op, and Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's claims that the products in its bakery section are "freshly baked" and "freshly made every day."

However, the supermarket giant is switching from scratch baking. It makes products from basic ingredients but rebakes bread made elsewhere.

Because of this, the Real Bread Campaign argued that the supermarket giant's labels are "increasingly unrepresentative of the company's in-store bakeries in general."

Read Also: San Francisco Proposes New Regulation for Grocery Stores to Give Ample Notice Before Shutting

What RBC Reveals About Lidl, Tesco, and Co-op

According to The Guardian's latest report, RBC also revealed how Tesco, Lidl, and the Co-op falsely label their bakery products. Here's what the campaign accuses each of them of:

  • Tesco: Using "freshly baked" marketing at stores where no bakery product is freshly baked.
  • Lidl: It uses "our fresh in-store bakery" and "baked for you throughout the day" marketing campaigns, although it doesn't bake fresh bread at any of its stores in the UK.
  • Co-op: Claims that its sourdough baguette is freshly baked despite its bakery products being baked by a third party.

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