Greggs bakers-- turning off heater displays?

Quat

Something worth considering next time you're digging into one of their sausage rolls: More salt than four bags of Walkers Ready Salted crisps.

Quite scary when I see people (especially kids, usually via their parents) scoffing down at least two at a time!

CupOfChai

asbokid wrote: »

The last (and very last) time I was in a Gregg's store, I noticed a tiny sign tucked discreetly in the farthest corner of the shop.

The sign listed all of the 'nasties' that are found in Gregg's products.

It was a particularly long list of chemicals that are added to the pasties, pies and puddings on sale.

As I ploughed my way through the list, I could feel my appetite waning. When my turn in the queue finally came, I asked the assistant to tell me which products contain which additives.

She admitted that she was clueless, but did gesture helpfully towards the sign I had just been reading and said "that's what they got in 'em".

And so I emailed Gregg's asking for clarity. I explained that I very much liked their 'steak bakes' and their jumbo sausage rolls, and that I was deeply impressed by the "Breakfast Clubs" which the company runs for deprived schoolkids, but I needed to know what additives are in which products.

I waited, and then I waited, but no reply from Gregg's was ever forthcoming.

And so, reluctantly, I decided, absent an explanation, not to consume any more of Gregg's foods, applying the precautionary principle towards my health.

After all, recall that famous adage: "if you've nothing to hide then you've nothing to fear."

Odd. Greggs produce a document for each of their products that details, among other things, the full list of ingredients including flagging up of allergens, and the nutritional data. I'm sure you should be able to see or be told this information if you ask whether product X contains substance Y or what the fat content is, or so on.

They also don't put additives in themselves, but these may be present in the ingredients they use. E.g. a sandwich might be listed as containing a preservative. But Greggs didn't add preservatives to their sandwich, it was in the mayonnaise they used to make it, added by the manufacturer of said mayo who they bought it from. And they have a "banned list" of certain additives that although legal they refuse to have in any of their products, for instance nothing from Greggs will contain Sunset Yellow colouring.

asbokid

CupOfChai wrote: »

Odd. Greggs produce a document for each of their products that details, among other things, the full list of ingredients including flagging up of allergens, and the nutritional data.

It is odd, isn't it?

Yet no proper information on ingredients can be found anywhere on the Greggs website:

http://www.greggs.co.uk/

Why is no ingredient list published online since you say the lists are available in every Gregg's store?

I'm sure you should be able to see or be told this information if you ask whether product X contains substance Y or what the fat content is, or so on.

I see.. so that full list of ingredients is conveyed to a curious customer, not in printed form, but by word of mouth?

So can we clarify: there is no published list of ingredients for any of Gregg's products, as I feared?

They also don't put additives in themselves, but these may be present in the ingredients they use. E.g. a sandwich might be listed as containing a preservative. But Greggs didn't add preservatives to their sandwich, it was in the mayonnaise they used to make it, added by the manufacturer of said mayo who they bought it from.

That's interesting.

Greggs is having an uphill struggle tracking all the 'nasties' that are heaved into its products by the suppliers? No wonder those ingredient lists are so elusive.

And they have a "banned list" of certain additives that although legal they refuse to have in any of their products, for instance nothing from Greggs will contain Sunset Yellow colouring.

You have an impressive operational knowledge of Greggs plc (shares up 2p to 513.50p at Thursday close, incidentally).

http://www.google.co.uk/finance?cid=604111

Does Greggs have an employee share scheme? It's always good to see staff loyalty rewarded (even if misplaced on occasion!)

CupOfChai

As far as I'm aware, the documents themselves are not published online but are produced and kept by Greggs so that the information is there if anyone wants or needs it. I didn't say they are kept in store. They may be there, or they may only be kept at head office, I don't know.

I said "see or be told" because I've not had any experience myself of someone asking, so I don't know if staff are allowed to show you the written pages, if they would answer your question based upon the information in them, or if they would give you the relevant extract.

I don't see that they have an "uphill struggle trying to track all the nasties". They know what is contained in the ingredients they use to produce their products, just as you can go to the cupboard or shop and read the ingredient list on the side of the jar.

I don't work for Greggs.

If anyone wants to contact Greggs for any reason a quick Google tells me you can via http://www.greggs.co.uk/contact-us/contact. I've used it in the past for questions/complaint and found their responses more than satisfactory.

ETA I'm not arguing that the service you got from the shop assistant when you asked wasn't exactly fantastic. I wouldn't be satisfied with that answer either.

Bardo

Just wanted to add. I've worked for Greggs for ten years. And the reason the products are not kept heated is because they don't charge VAT?! I think it is so daft. I would much rather the products be kept warm as this would dramatically lower the number of complaints we get!
Alsooo the cold products should be removed after a certain amount of time, the bakers should use the "bake little and often" rule to keep everything hot/warm!
We did have a book that listed the ingredients etc of each product incase customers askes but that got taken from us so now we are just as clueless as the customers really and that is coming from a manager!

If you ever wanted to know what was in something however you can ask a shop manager to phone the bakery and they will find out for you!

Just my input.

z1985m

thanks for that bardo! greggs looks like its going the way many company's go - not caring anymore! profit profit. instead of making sure things are being done right and staff are knowledgeable and customers are happy, they look at profits first and everything else second. i can understand how frustrating it is to not have your book that lists the ingredients e.c.t..... these little things make a big difference and stop you - the staff from looking stupid! and i get a greggs most days as it's closests to my work, and it's really disappointing eating a cold chicken bake

[Deleted User]

Greggs ming. The pasties are frozen and just heated up in store. They are not baked fresh every day.

Also the staff have poor food safety standards e.g picking up your sausage roll with their bare hands instead of using the tongs.

triticale

asbokid wrote: »

Some wibble about 'chemicals'

It's not 1982 you know, vague scare stories about big companies surreptitiously adding arsenic and verrucas to the food they sell are recognised for the piffle they are these days (apart from on Facebook where gullibility rules ok).

McKneff

Let's have a game,

Add to the list what is in a Gregs sausage roll.

I'll start

Pigs Nostrils

Jeff_Bridges_hair

fluffnutter wrote: »

Just like my husband's groin.

You should be keeping it clean by licking the area every morning noon and night then.

then you wouldnt complain



@Lee uk - so putting a frozen non-cooked product in an oven to 'bake' them is not baking them?

next you'll be telling me that the 'fresh baked bread' in some supermarkets is actually made fresh and not out of pre made dough which is shipped to them every day.