Comparing value food to healthy eating food: the Weight Watchers scam

terra_ferma

[FONT=&quot]This morning I have been comparing ready meals using mySupermarket, looking for lower calorie and saturated fat options.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Which is which?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]OPTION 1: [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]per 100g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cal[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 72 kCal[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fat 1.7g [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sat Fat 1.0g [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sugar 1.5g [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salt 0.3g [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Ingredients [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Potato (47%), Water, Minced Beef (18%), Onion (4.5%), Carrot (2.5%), Skimmed Milk, Maize Starch, Horseradish Sauce (horseradish, Water, Vinegar, Vegetable Oil, Turnip, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Egg Yolk, Salt, Stabiliser: E415, Mustard Flour, Flavourings, Preservative E223), Worcestershire Sauce (water, Malt Vinegar, Molasses, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Anchovies, Salt, Shallots, Garlic, Spices, Tamarind, Pimento, Flavourings), Tomato Puree, Beef Stock, Wheat Flour, Low Sodium Sea Salt With Minerals, Yeast Extract, Beef Gelatine (contains Preservative: E220), Beef Extract, Carrot Concentrate, Butter, Colour (e150a), Celeriac Concentrate, Lettuce Concentrate, Black Pepper, Parsley, White Pepper, Salt, Red Beetroot Concentrate, Spinach Concentrate, Celery Extract, Pepper Extract, Acidity Regulator (e330).[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]OPTION TWO: [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]per 100g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cal[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 90 kCal [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fat 2.2g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sat Fat 1.0g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sugar 0.2g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salt 0.5g1.3g [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Ingredients [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Mashed Potato (50%), British and Irish Beef (15%), Water, Onion, Vegetable Stock, Beef Bouillon, Cornflour, Wheat Flour, Tomato Puree, Beef Gelatine, Beef Fat, Malt Extract (from Barley), Salt, Pepper, Mashed Potato (potato, Cream, Salt, Pepper), Vegetable Stock (sugar, Potato Starch, Vegetable Extracts, Celery Extract, Onion Extract, Parsley Extract, Salt, Parsley), Vegetable Extracts (onion, Carrot, Celery, Parsnip, Beetroot, Horseradish, Spinach, Tomato, Garlic, Red Bell Pepper), Beef Bouillon (salt, Wheat Flour, Sugar, Beef Stock, Onion, Caramelised Sugar, Pepper).[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]OPTION 3[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]per 100g [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cal 95 kCal[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fat 2.6g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sat Fat 1.4g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sugar 0.6g[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salt 0.5g [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Ingredients [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Mashed Potato (55%), British and Irish Beef (20%), Beef Stock, Onion, Vegetable Juices from Concentrate, Carrot (4%), Cornflour, Tomato Puree, Beef Gelatine, Malt Extract, Pepper, Salt, Mashed Potato (potato, Cream, Salt, Pepper), Vegetable Juices from Concentrate (carrot, Celeriac, Lettuce, Parsley, Beetroot, Spinach).[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]The first one is WW (£64p per 100g). The second is Tesco Value (28.3p). The third is Tesco Healthy Living (31.6p).

What a scam! Buy WW, pay twice as much and you get twice as much additives and sugar.
Healty Living: pay a bit more and you get more calories and 40% more saturated fat! (in all fairness the saturated fat is due to more meat, and you get less additives than in Value, but still, what a con!).

I have always avoided Value food, thinking it's unhealthy and low quality, but I'm having a rethink....

[/FONT]

1carminestocky

Sainsburys Basics range has the very clear and easy to understand traffic light labelling system on all it's packaged products and it often demonstrates that they have less fat/sugar/salt than the brand names! The often peddled theory about eating value/basics stuff is unhealthy is a bit of a nonsense. For instance, you could pay Ocado prices and, depending on what you bought, eat a thoroughly unhealthy diet.