Check your Christmas mince pies

21/10/2008

Luxury food retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has been left with egg on its face after astute consumer groups spotted the expiration dates of some of the mince pies.

Many packs of M&S's 'Deep Filled Mince Pies' should not be eaten after the start of December, even though the box bears the words 'Classics for Christmas'.

The retailer, which famously runs television ads with the slogan "This is not just Christmas food; this is M&S Christmas food", says mince pies are not just for the Christmas party season. "Customers enjoy eating them in the autumn and the build-up to the festive season," said a spokesperson.

Shoppers don't seem to agree, however, and it's not just the mince pies that are causing festive confusion. 22-year-old Suzanne Mackie, from Edinburgh, told the Daily Record she had bought Christmas Jelly Babies for the younger members of her family, and only spotted the expiration date of December 9th when she started to wrap them. "For those goods to go out of date before the big day is ridiculous," she said.

A spokesperson for Consumer Focus Scotland said: "Retailers could give more thought to labelling that, while not deliberately misleading, could be easily misconstrued by the consumer."