Shoppers have been left speechless after finding what the letter ‘e’ means next to their store-bought products, feeling that they’ve been charged more money for what’s inside.
Aldi customers are up in arms after a mum’s revelation about the ‘e’ symbol next to the weight on their food packaging, suggesting they might be getting less than they bargained for.
The ‘e’ mark, commonly found on various products, has been called out by shoppers as a potential trick from supermarkets to charge them more for less quantity of the product.
One woman expressed her frustration on Facebook when she discovered what the symbol meant after buying a packet of crisps from an Australian Aldi store. She conducted her own investigation and was shocked to find that the 230g bag only had 139g of actual crisps inside.
The Canberra-based mother shared a photo of her findings online, questioning: “How is this okay at all? [We] try to save money by buying from Aldi, but we don’t even get the amount on the packet!”, reports the Express.
“More than two-thirds of the packet was air – hence why I decided to check it… I put the whole bag with chips in it on the scales first and it was 157g,” she explained in detail.
Her shock was echoed in a report by the Mirror, as she noted the crisps alone weighed significantly less than what was advertised on the package. The post sparked outrage among other Facebook users, many voicing their disappointment over the meagre contents of the crisp packet.
Confusion reigned until it was pointed out that the ‘e’ symbol actually indicates that the stated volume or weight represents an “average value”.
The Department of Industry, Science and Resources has highlighted a discrepancy in product packaging, with the authority’s website declaring: “The AQS is an internationally agreed method of determining the size or quantity of pre-packed articles with a ‘constant nominal content’.
“This means it provides confirmation of the measurement or quantity of goods in the package, being sold by measure (weight, volume, length, area or number).” They further clarified: “no pre-packaged article can have a shortfall greater than five percent of the stated quantity.”
Upset shoppers are airing their frustrations online, with one Aussie on Facebook writing: “That isn’t an estimation, though. Even Woolies mince has the ‘e’ and usually it’s minimal difference – but nearly 100g is massive!” Another buyer added: “Not getting what you pay for is a joke and being so far off the ‘e’ weight is just ridiculous.”
EU guidelines stipulate that all packaged goods sold within EU nations must display the nominal quantity information plainly on their packaging, with the European Union’s official site outlining the requirements. They state that the ‘e’ mark “placed next to the nominal quantity, shows that you have complied with the relevant European laws”.
The Mirror has reached out to Aldi for comment.