Suspicious of big chain selling non organic as organic!

cormie

I'm just back from buying a food item in a big chain and could notice straight away that what I was buying looked different than the usual organic ones sold there and looked a lot more like the non organic, much cheaper ones they usually sell. There is a distinct difference in the colour, shape and taste and this is is the same across many suppliers of the same food from many different brands and suppliers.

What's more, the item in question has actually risen in price pretty much everywhere else in the country, yet this chain has reduced their price.

The lady behind the counter even mentioned it and said she wouldn't buy them herself and if I'm not happy to bring them back for a refund. I'd be more curious however to find out if they are indeed organic but I guess that would require a lot of effort? I think the non organic ones usually have sulphites to preserve them and the organic are nothing but the item itself.

I wouldn't like to see anyone get away with falsely labelling organic foods.

slimjimmc

cormie wrote: »

I wouldn't like to see anyone get away with falsely labelling organic foods.

Then speak to the store manager about. He should be able to confirm the origins of the product and do something about it if it's not what it is supposed to be.

Miaireland

How were the items packed? Are they sold loose?

cormie

See this is a huge chain, UK and Ireland coverage so I'm not sure the store manager would have much info ?

The items are packaged, just a 500gm pack. Would be interesting to get a lab to test it but I've no way any time for that :pac:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It might help if you said what the food item was. Organic certification requirements vary depending on the product.

slimjimmc

cormie wrote: »

See this is a huge chain, UK and Ireland coverage so I'm not sure the store manager would have much info ?

The items are packaged, just a 500gm pack. Would be interesting to get a lab to test it but I've no way any time for that :pac:

Worth asking anyway. He's in a much better position than you or me to find out if they are organic or not. If you're still not satisfied then you can contact the FSAI.

cormie

Thanks for the replies. The food in question are stoned dates

wmpdd3

Make a complaint at the customer service desk, the produce manager should look after it.

The store should be able to get you the cert from the soil ass etc from the supplier.

If you still feel there is an issue then you can go to the FSAI, if you go straight they will probably tell you to do the first step.

cormie

Not sure I'd want to go through all the rigmarole. If I could send it off somewhere and all I had to do was pop it in an envelope, stamp it and even pay a few quid I'd do it just out of curiosity!

wmpdd3

You can contact the FSAI and see what they say, but they usually ask that you get the company to investigate the supplier first.

delahuntv

its organic - therefore its look and shape can change from season to season and from different origins. If it was uniform shape and look all year, i'd be concerned.

Also, a large multi national certainly won;t be taking risks of correct laabeling especialy for a tiny seller like stoned dates

cormie

Thanks again for the replies. I'm aware of the seasonal changes that can affect organic foods, but it's not the cause for concern here, it seems the non organic ones go through a whole different processing stage and have a completely different consistency, colour etc. I've only ever seen non organic dates being like this.

The chain in question pack and supply their own branded wholefoods so they'd be in the position to pack incorrectly.

The difference is night and day between these particular non organic and organic, I've had many different types of organic and non organic dates from all sorts of suppliers, grown from all parts of the world. All different consistencies, water content, hardness etc, I go though kilos and kilos of dates a month and have friends who go through similar quantities. I buy mostly organic, they buy mostly non organic, we've tried all sorts between us and the ones I bought this time, packed and sold as organic (with a much cheaper price than the usual organic ones) are the exact same as the cheapest of the cheap non organic dates you can usually find from this supplier and other suppliers non organic range.

I'd place a bet of €100 that something fishy is going on here. I just don't have time to do much more than question it here :pac:

delahuntv

it could be an error?

I doubt if it would be done purposely - as above, contact them and see. They will have a trace system.

wmpdd3

The supermarket doesnt pack its own fruit, there are a few companies that do it for them, often the same supermarkets use the same suppliers and just have it branded in their POS.

If you did launch an investigation, the supplier would submit all their paperwork to prove chain.