People are picking up a kilo of the cakes in boxes – but have been warned to ‘expect crumbs’
Home Bargains’ shoppers felt the need to share the discovery of a massive sweet treat source – but only if you don’t mind that they’re broken. Some felt that the temptation of the kilo pack was “dangerous” but others were keen to “stick the kettle on” and enjoy.
The Jaffa Cake Misfit boxes were spotted on sale in the discount store for under £5. The bulky packs of sweet treats claim to taste good, but shoppers need to be aware they aren’t getting anything photo-worthy with the state of the cakes.
Posting on the Snack Reviews Facebook page, group founder Daniel said: “Closer look at that Jaffa Cakes Misfits Box from Home Bargains, with 1KG of wonky shapes and broken pieces. Good value at under £4.50, not the best quality obviously.”
Inside the box, available to grab in the discount store for £4.49, Daniel shows that the pouch contains “wonky” and “broken” cakes that could not be sold in shops due to quality purposes. On the side of the box, the company shared: “Our broken biscuit boxes are made from imperfect treats, a celebration of second chances, smart choices and flavour that doesn’t cost the earth – expect wonky shapes and broken bits.”
The cardboard packaging adds that shoppers should “expect crumbs” and gives a warning that these chocolate treats are all about taste rather than appearances. One said: “A box that size – dangerous!” Another added: “OMG get the kettle on!” Someone else commented: “My favourites! Looks delicious.”
Someone else tagged a group of friends and wrote: “That whole box would be gone in one sitting though!” And, a fifth put: “They’d be demolished by my little ones!”
The imperfect products do not claim to come directly from McVites, coming from a company called Sweetdreams. Because McVitie’s did not register the name “Jaffa Cakes” as a trademark, other biscuit manufacturers and supermarkets have made similar products under the same name, so these products could easily be rejects from shops like Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Aldi and more.
The box claims that shoppers spending £4.50 will get 1kg of ‘Jaffa Cakes’ A standard pack of 10 Jaffa Cakes weighs 110g, meaning that shoppers would need to buy at least nine packs to get a similar weight (around £8.82 of Jaffa Cakes, based on Asda’s 98p price).
However, not everyone saw this as a true bargain. A shopper claimed: “Boxes of broken or misshapen biscuits used to be a bargain, but they are just a con now. The weight has dropped significantly and the price has tripled. It’s now much cheaper to buy packets of perfect biscuits and get a variety you like, than these wonky boxes!”
Someone else agreed: “These retailers think we’re stupid!” And, one more added: “Swear these used to be like £2.50 a box!”
The box isn’t available online, meaning shoppers should check their closest Home Bargains shop for a chance to claim one. People can find their nearest branch by using the online location tool here.
Are Jaffa Cakes a biscuit or not?
Despite living in the biscuit aisle of most shops and supermarkets, the packaging clearly states that these treats are indeed cakes. That’s not just an opinion – it’s a legal ruling.
Jaffa Cakes were legally classified as cakes, not biscuits, despite their appearance and texture in the 1990s. It followed a courtroom battle between McVitie’s (the manufacturer) and HM Customs and Excise (now merged with HMRC) on the topic of VAT, which found that Jaffa Cakes “have more characteristics of cakes than biscuits”, meaning they would be zero-rated for VAT, making them cheaper for customers.