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Consumer advocates initially warned Lidl about deceiving consumers and then filed a lawsuit
Photo: Waldmüller / IMAGO
According to consumer advocates, Lidl has given way in the dispute over the sale of muesli packs that are only half full.
The company has assured that the Crownfield muesli jar will be sold with a larger capacity in the future, the Hamburg consumer advice center said on Tuesday.
The consumer advocates had initially warned Lidl about deceiving consumers and then filed a lawsuit.
According to the consumer advice center, 400 grams of muesli were distributed over a little more than half of the can for the product in question, while the rest of the packaging remained empty.
"And according to our measurements, that's around nine to ten centimeters the height of the can," writes the Hamburg consumer advice center in a statement.
"This is not only annoying for consumers, but also for the environment," explained Armin Valet from the consumer center.
The pretense of a larger filling quantity is also prohibited according to the calibration law.
Manufacturers often justify themselves by saying that packs cannot be filled completely for production reasons, writes the consumer advice center.
"We therefore had the bulk density of the Bircher muesli measured." This would take into account that the muesli takes up a larger volume when it is filled, while it is shaken together during transport and storage.
With muesli, however, that can be ruled out: “Even if we take into account “shaking together”, the Lidl can isn’t even 60 percent full.”
Use-by period until November
Apparently, Lidl had already reacted to the warning from consumer protection groups: During random checks, they found that 470 grams of muesli were suddenly filled in the same can size.
However, the 400-gram "air packs" are still in circulation, the consumer advice center explained.
Lidl still has a “use period” until the end of November.
The Hamburg Consumer Advice Center has taken up the fight against consumer deception through misleading packaging.
For example, she awards a negative prize for the “deceptive package” – which went to Lidl muesli in May.
ani/AFP
