Customers short-changed on the amount of smoked salmon sold in supermarket packets

Supermarkets have been accused of selling shoppers short on packs of smoked salmon, raising concerns they could be doing the same with a number of other goods.

A study by consumer champions at Which? found that 25 out of 32 packs of smoked salmon sold by major supermarkets weighed less than claimed on the label. Just seven had more than stated, raising suspicions that stores are cashing in by delivering short measures on a wider range of packaged goods, the Daily Mail online reports.

A Which? spokesman told the Daily Mail: “We bought and weighed 32 packs from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. While seven of them weighed more than the amount stated on the packs, 25 weighed less – on average, 2.4per cent less.

“The majority of packs bought from each supermarket were underweight.”

The most extreme example we uncovered was a Tesco pack which was so underweight that Which? Said it believed it breaches trading standards regulations.

“The ‘200g’ pack of Tesco Everyday  Value Smoked Salmon actually contained  181.5g when we weighed it.

“When a 100-200g product weighs more than 9per cent under its stated weight it could be in breach of  trading standards rules.”