{"id":62458,"date":"2014-10-13T08:17:55","date_gmt":"2014-10-13T06:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=62458"},"modified":"2014-10-15T15:30:33","modified_gmt":"2014-10-15T13:30:33","slug":"woolworths-carbclever-banting-range-another-misleading-consumer-rip-off-not-banting-clever-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/woolworths-carbclever-banting-range-another-misleading-consumer-rip-off-not-banting-clever-at-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Woolworths’ ‘CarbClever’ Banting range another misleading consumer rip-off, not Banting clever at all!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Woolworths<\/a> It is interesting to see Woolworths’ reaction to Banting and the (LCHF) low carb high fat eating plan advocated by Professor Tim Noakes<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, in how long it has taken the retailer to react to the Banting diet craze, and how it has reacted, in misleading health-conscious consumers with its new CarbClever range.<\/p>\n

In essence Professor Tim Noakes, in his book ‘Real Meal Revolution<\/em>‘, advocates a diet of no carbohydrates, such as South African starch staples rice and potatoes, as well as any wheat products such as bread, pasta, and pizza. \u00a0He advocates high fat too, suggesting lamb or other high fat meat types, butter, full cream dairy products, and more. \u00a0Sugar is completely off the Banting list.<\/p>\n

While two Banting-focused restaurants have opened in Cape Town already (65 on Main Banting Caf\u00e9 and the not-1oo%-Banting The Banting Kitchen), no Banting product range is known to have been launched in the six months since Banting caught the attention of South Africans. \u00a0Now Woolworths has launched the CarbClever range for ‘Carb Conscious Customers<\/em>‘, odd in its choice of name\u00a0(perhaps they should have referred to it as ‘Carb-free Conscious Customers’), in focusing attention on Carbohydrates, when in fact they contain (by inference almost) none. \u00a0Interesting is that Woolworths ignores\u00a0Noakes’ other element of fat, making these meals unbalanced and not Banting-friendly at all!<\/p>\n

I went to the V&A Waterfront branch of Woolworths on Friday, and asked a number of staff where I could find their Banting range, mentioning Noakes, but the staff on the Foods floor had no clue. \u00a0 A friendly manager took me to the Slimmers section, where Woolworths already has a recently launched ‘brand’ called ‘Slimmers Choice<\/em>‘, described as ‘Low Fat’<\/em>. \u00a0\u00a0There is no advertising or banner to attract attention to the new CarbClever range, which was launched about a week ago, seen on the retailer’s Facebook page. The Facebook page visual (above) is very unexciting, and shows five products in the range, but eight \u00a0were on the shelf in the V&A store. \u00a0No CarbClever products are stocked at the St John’s branch in Sea Point.<\/p>\n

Each of the CarbClever packs uses the word ‘Fresh’<\/em>, which one would expect to be obvious, and the pack copy advises against home freezing, which is odd! \u00a0The packs have varying grammage, which makes it difficult to compare, misleading in that they all look the same size:<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh cauliflower mash – a 350 gram pack costs R34,95, very expensive relative to the other products in the range.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh smoked pork – a 340 gram pack costs R54,95<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh beef meatballs – a 340 gram pack costs R58,95 (hardly an exciting eating option)\"Woolworths<\/a><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 \"Woolworths<\/a>Fresh Indian chicken – a 340 gram pack costs R59,95<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh Thai Red chicken curry – 340 gram pack costs R58,95<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh grilled chicken – a 340 gram pack costs R59,95<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh Shepherd’s Pie – the 350 gram pack costs R47,95<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Fresh Cottage Pie – the 350 gram pack costs R45,95.<\/p>\n

\"Woolworths<\/a>Each pack front spells out ‘no rice, no pasta, no potato<\/em>‘. \u00a0The Shepherd’s Pie pack describes the product on the pack front as follows: ‘Why CarbClever? \u00a0Savoury minced lamb topped with cauliflower mash instead of mashed potato<\/em>‘. \u00a0The Smoked Pork pack is more hard-sell: ‘Why CarbClever? We’re helping you avoid potato by adding creamed cabbage and spinach to enjoy with the succulent smoked pork shoulder<\/em>‘. \u00a0The\"Woolworths<\/a> back of the Smoked Pork pack describes the product as containing 23% pork shoulder, 25% creamed cabbage, 23% sage cream sauce, and 4% spinach. \u00a0 The milk is full cream, and other specified ingredients are onion, carrots (on the Orange Banting list, eating to be minimised), cabbage, baby marrows, cheddar cheese (an absolute Banting no-no, with all the preservatives it contains), corn starch (containing wheat, it is a Banting no-no), butter, olive oil (only extra virgin olive oil is allowed, but is not specified on the pack), yeast extract (contains wheat, and therefore not Banting-friendly at all), mustard powder (only in order if preservative-free, but not specified), chicken stock, fresh sage, and dreadful sounding ‘irridiated’<\/em> nutmeg and pepper! \u00a0The ingredient listing on the back pack goes into further off-putting details, in describing the ingredients used to prepare:<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 the pork shoulder: it contains sugars (dextrose, sucrose and maltodextrine, all absolutely forbidden on Banting – maltodextrine is made from starch!); anti-oxidants (sodium erythorbate, citric acid, and erythorbic acid); and curing agent sodium nitrate, which is Banting-verboten.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 the Cheddar cheese: it contains forbidden ingredients calcium chloride, potassium\/sodium nitrate, non-animal rennet, and lactic acid, the only good element being the milk, salt, and cultures.<\/p>\n

The Fresh Grilled chicken<\/span> contains 23% grilled chicken, and 20% ‘creamy cheese sauce<\/em>‘, the latter containing questionable ingredients carrots, cheddar cheese (with unacceptable ingredients as per smoked pork shoulder), corn starch, and yeast extract! \u00a0The Fresh Indian Chicken<\/span> contains non-Banting friendly ingredients carrots, corn starch, unidentified ‘non-nutritive sweetener<\/em>‘, the Greek yoghurt contains preservatives and ‘modified starch<\/em>‘, the vegetable stock contains maltodextrin, and the coconut sauce and tamarind contain the preservative sodium metabisulphite. \u00a0The Thai red chicken<\/span> contains non-Banting ingredients carrots, corn starch, olive oil (see our criticism above), ‘non-nutritive sweetener<\/em>‘, and the preservative sodium metabisulphite. \u00a0The Beef Meatballs<\/span> contain unallowed ingredients carrots, olive oil (as per above), canola oil, and corn starch. \u00a0 The Shepherd’s Pie<\/span> contains 50% lamb and 51 % cauliflower mash (!), but the ingredients corn starch, caramel powder, and the modified corn starch, carrot extract, maltodextrin, and glucose syrup in the lamb stock are not Banting-permitted! \u00a0 The Cottage Pie<\/span> has 50% beef mince and 51% (great maths) cauliflower mash, but its carrot, corn starch, and caramel powder ingredients are not allowed. \u00a0Oddly beef stock is not listed as an ingredient! The tomato paste content is not specified in the Beef Meatballs, the Shepherd’s Pie, and Cottage Pie, although it is listed as an ingredient, and is likely to contain a preservative too!<\/p>\n

\"Woolworth<\/a>Woolworths could turn around and say that it focused its CarbClever product range on not containing carbohydrates, but they do (through corn starch and yeast extract, for example). \u00a0It may also retort that it is not Banting-focused, but consumers and industry-talk has described CarbClever as Woolworths’ new Banting range, despite making no effort to emphasise its high fat product content, nor in using the B-word or referring to Noakes! \u00a0In its Issue 02 of its ‘Good Food News’,<\/em> seen in Woolworths’ stores this week, and as an insert in the Sunday Times<\/strong> yesterday, the CarbClever range is introduced in its ‘New on the Shelf<\/em>‘ section. \u00a0It emphasises the use of coconut cream in some of the dishes (but is in only one of the eight products – the Fresh Thai Red Chicken), as well as cauliflower, both typical Banting ingredients, especially the latter!<\/p>\n

Should any Woolworths’ customers be considering buying the new CarbClever range they would not be clever at all, in being conned into thinking that the product range does not contain carbohydrates! \u00a0It only excludes pasta, potato, and rice, but is filled with other carbohydrates. \u00a0CarbClever is an expensive way of avoiding potatoes, rice and pasta, which one can exclude oneself when cooking at home!<\/p>\n

This is not the first time that Woolworths has been accused of misleading consumers<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, which we have written about previously. \u00a0Grass Consumer Action is on the retailer’s case about the humane treatment of its suppliers’ pigs, hens, and Ayrshire cows, and its misleading pack labeling.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 13\/10:<\/strong> \u00a0The only response to our blogpost came from Woolworths via Twitter, sending two Tweets:\u00a0@WhaleCottage<\/a>\u00a0Our CARB CLEVER range is about fresh, cooked vegetables and protein, reducing the carbohydrates. We do not want to be (1) \u00a0@WhaleCottage<\/a>\u00a0linked to Tim Noakes or the Real Meal Revolution \u2013 our meals do not support or endorse him or his views. (2)<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 14\/10<\/strong>: Interest in the Blogpost has been huge, with 1154 unique readers until midnight last night!<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 15\/10<\/strong>: \u00a0In an e-mail received from Woolworths today, the CarbClever range is introduced to shoppers, under the heading ‘Prepared Vegetables’,<\/em> but the products shown and included in the range also contain bacon, mince, chicken, and pork, hence misleading Woolworths’ customers! \u00a0The copy in the email states: ‘CarbClever equals Convenience<\/em> (what is the convenience factor of a carbohydrate exclusion, one may ask). \u00a0Avoiding potatoes, rice and pasta is so easy with our new CarbClever range, \"Woolworths<\/a>and you will never be deprived of options again<\/em> (what a weird sentence, and what options are they referring to?). \u00a0They do not use the word ‘CauliMash<\/em>‘ in the copy, despite using it on the packs, writing out the words ‘cauliflower mash’<\/em> in full, perhaps as a result of this blogpost! \u00a0 They show a R10 off flash for the range, shown in a photograph, one expecting it to apply to the whole range, but when one clicks open the page, it shows that only the CarbClever Fresh Cauliflower and Gruy\u00e9re soup, priced at R44,95 previously for 600 gram, is discounted down to R34,95. \u00a0 Two new products in the range which we did not see in the V&A Waterfront branch are the soup, and a Fresh Cauliflower, Bacon and Cheese Bake (250 gram for R39,95).<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio:\u00a0www.whalecottage.com<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: \u00a0<\/strong>click here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is interesting to see Woolworths’ reaction to Banting and the (LCHF) low carb high fat eating plan advocated by Professor Tim Noakes, in how long it has taken the retailer to react to the Banting diet craze, and how it has reacted, in misleading health-conscious consumers with its new CarbClever range. In essence Professor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[26463,3,124,266,20,21],"tags":[28257,28260,28017,32411,28274,28256,26465,28261,23185,32378,28271,28281,28278,28267,28259,28272,2381,1057,27849,28205,28263,28266,28277,27170,26344,28279,28269,28276,28280,28265,22054,28275,28258,28264,26466,23967,28262,28270,28273,1483,28268,19899,502,26439,32393,32373,171,5488],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t