Guess who’s been telling porkies again?

Yup, Woolworths is back in the news (they haven’t been out of it for long), this time for some rather shady labelling on one of their products.

Chances are, if you have shopped at Woolies, that you’ve seen their hams. In this case, we’re talking about the pre-packaged and sliced Beechwood Smoked Ham:

So, what’s the problem? Well, if you look up in the top right corner, you’re probably thinking that you’re buying a product that is 100% pork.

That’s not the case and, according to Business Insider, consumer Jean Naude filed a complaint with the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).

Remember them from yesterday? Sounds like a thankless job.

Naude has a point, because the product is only 70% pork, and Woolies were really trying their luck with this one:

Woolworths contended that the label was “used to inform customers that the product carrying the stamp is made using only SA meat raw material,” and that they’re simply following food regulations on labelling.

But the ARB found that the label could easily be construed as meaning that the product contained 100% pork meat.

The label could give shoppers the wrong impression of the product, which the ARB deems as misleading according to the advertising code.

It found the packaging to be “ambiguous at best,” and ordered its withdrawal with immediate effect.

Let’s just take a look at the offending part of the packaging one more time:

Woolies is trying to say that they’re simply telling us the meat is 100% South African?

Tsek – there’s no other way to read that than the product being 100% pork.

It’s only Wednesday, and the retailer is having a shocker.

Accusations of plagiarism by a local pasta manufacturer (even if those claims seem flimsy), a failed Valentine’s Day campaign that they’ve been forced to scrap, and now their obviously phoney meat labelling.

It’s enough to make even their biggest fans spit out that low-fat almond milk latte on the way to the Constantia Virgin Active.

[source:businsider]