Retailer recalls nearly 70,000 own-brand packets after Aberdeenshire watchdog discovers several were below weight declared on packaging

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Tesco has withdrawn almost 70,000 packs of garlic bread slices after an investigation found some were underweight.

During two visits to stores in Aberdeenshire, Trading Standards officers said they discovered 39 packets of the supermarket’s own-brand product had net weights below the figure declared on the packaging. One 290g pack was recorded as having a net weight of 229.8g – about 20% lighter than stated.

Tesco said more than 66,000 packets were withdrawn from stores across the UK in August. The product’s producer, Bakkavör Foods, has since put in place several measures to avoid a repeat of the incident.

The Trading Standards manager, Wilma Urquhart, said: “Aberdeenshire council’s Trading Standards service takes these incidents extremely seriously and we were pleased to see that the supermarket acted swiftly following the discovery.

“By issuing an emergency product withdrawal, batches worth £93,000 have been removed from the shelves.

“Our work is very important in protecting both consumers and businesses from unfair competition, and the service will continue to work with both Tesco and Bakkavör to ensure legislative compliance.”

Food and drink sellers are governed by the weights and measures (packaged goods) regulations 2006, which places legal liability in such circumstances on the packer of the goods and not the seller.

A Bakkavör spokeswoman said: “We confirm that a bakery product made on behalf of a customer has been recalled due to an error with product weight.

“Bakkavör takes such incidents seriously and sincerely apologises for this error. We have put in place a number of measures to prevent a similar incident arising in the future.

“We wish to reassure customers and consumers of our continued commitment to compliance and the highest standards of production.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “We take great care to deliver clear information for our customers so they can make informed decisions on the products they buy and to ensure that customers receive the stated quantity of product.

“We are disappointed that errors occurred with a very small number of products and we have worked with our supplier to ensure there is no repeat of the issue.”