Are the supermarkets trying to out do us?

vivaladiva

A couple of months ago someone posted about the quality of supermarket bread - they commented that it seemed wetter and general consensus was that extra water would keep up the weight of a smaller loaf (IYSWIM!). This also follows on fron the how many slices in your loaf thread.
In the last few weeks I've noticed that shower gel (all brands) seem to have got runnier. No leeway to water it down a bit ourselves. A quick squirt and half the bottle has gone.

Mr T's pasta sauce (I know, I should make my own:o and I will be doing now) tastes as though it is predominantly sugar and water:eek: - has it been bulked out with cheaper ingredients?

Has anyone else noticed that pasta seems to be absorbing much more water than it used to? I have to say I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not:rolleyes:.

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed these subtle changes?

floyd

I noticed that the last jar of Sainsburys Basics peanut butter was swimming in oil and tasted of grease compared to the nice thick paste you used to get. I only use it to make dressings but I don't think I will bother with it anymore because it was foul. If I want peanut butter in the future I will buy the WholeEarth one as its much better quality or attempt to make my own!

Gers

I thought that this has happened to Tia Maria - we call these drinks 'stickies' cos of the texture but the bottle just finished was a lot more watery and not of the same consistency at all. A real disappointment in fact.

Plum_Pie

You'll be able to see what's in your pasta sauce from the label. The nearer to the top of the list an ingredient is, the more of that ingredient the product contains!

vivaladiva

Plum_Pie wrote: »

You'll be able to see what's in your pasta sauce from the label. The nearer to the top of the list an ingredient is, the more of that ingredient the product contains!

Maybe it was made from some totally tasteless tomatoes. OH insisted on having some organic ones from Sainsburys over Christmas - I think there could well have been more taste in the cardboard packaging!

geordie_joe

Plum_Pie wrote: »

You'll be able to see what's in your pasta sauce from the label. The nearer to the top of the list an ingredient is, the more of that ingredient the product contains!

Not much use if water was at the top of the list to start with, then they add more water. Nor will it be much use if they reduce the amount of something, or increase the amount, but not enough to change it's position in the list.

jessicamb

I guess from the manufacturers point of view if costs are going up and the supermarket buyers are not willing to pay a price increase (they resist them as far as possible in my experience) then the only other alternative is to change the product make up and increase the proportion of cheaper ingrediants.

purpleivy

floyd wrote: »

I noticed that the last jar of Sainsburys Basics peanut butter was swimming in oil and tasted of grease compared to the nice thick paste you used to get. I only use it to make dressings but I don't think I will bother with it anymore because it was foul. If I want peanut butter in the future I will buy the WholeEarth one as its much better quality or attempt to make my own!

Strange you should say this about the peanut butter. I made peanut butter and chocolate squares this Christmas and used whole earth peanut butter. Got a much better result than with the own brand. The squares were still reasonably firm, even at room temp. With the own brand I had to keep them in the fridge!

rosieben

I noticed a big change in Heinz ketchup, it used to be so much thicker than the cheaper ones but its very runny now. I wont be buying Heinz again.

Jasper27_2

I hate to see labels with "new recipe" or "improved" you know it's just an attempt to make things cheaper to produce and/or an excuse to jack up the price or reduce the weight. I can only presume manufacturers think we're stupid and won't notice. I make so many things myself now, not just to save money but for better quality. The quality of many baked goods is terrible, even premium ranges, you can get better results yourself for a little effort.

Whole Earth is by far the best peanut better, I love the stuff. I just wait until it's on offer and stock up.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

have you tried the approved foods? they sell food etc which are out of date as in best before, they did have that earth peanut butter before christmas really cheap

here is the link to it on the shop but dont drop board

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1282695

i know its not like a proper weekly shop, but you can stock up on the things that you use...