Discount grocer Lidl is facing accusations of false advertising this week after questions were raised about the veracity of its claim of only using 100% British potatoes in its ‘Sea Salt & Black Peppercorn’ crisps.
Posting on social media platform Reddit – a concerned (and confused) shopper noted how despite claiming that its crisps were derived exclusively from British potatoes, Lidl’s packaging also stated that it contained ‘non-British potatoes’.
The post has understandably caused significant confusion among commenters – questioning whether this amounted to false advertising or simply an administrative error.
Various users naturally cracked jokes at the supermarket’s expense – writing: “They’re British as in they’re processed in a factory named ‘British,” “It contains potatoes that are 100 per cent homegrown British, but not all potatoes are those.”
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On a more serious note, other users tried to get to the truth of the matter: “They obviously had a temporary shortage of British spuds and rather than changing the film reels they just added a note to the date code which is printed onto the bag and can be edited when required.
Another users added: “Their standard policy is to use only British potatoes. However, due to a shortage I assume, they are temporarily using an alternative, so they’ve made this clear on the packaging.”
Since being posted on 22 August, the photo has amassed well over 1,500 upvotes and has generated close to 250 comments – leading to unwanted negative attention for the grocer.
