Groceries in Canada: Shopper slams Loblaws for pancake mix that apparently contained half of what box claimed

As if the price of groceries wasn't enough to get Canadians riled up, Loblaws is under fire once again for what some are calling false advertising, after a Reddit user took to the platform to show that the content of their product weighed nearly half of what it claimed to.

“Straight up lies,” user ashhardman titled the post, which has racked up more than 500 comments.

The photo shows a 400-gram box of gluten-free pancake mix next to a scale with the content in a measuring cup on top of it. The scale shows the contents only weigh 205 grams.

Several people questioned whether the poster had simply poured out part of the pancake mix since it was not included in its original packaging. Some suggested that the issue was likely the result of a factory error.

One Reddit user included a picture of the same product in its original package on a scale, which came to 408 grams, to indicate that this likely wasn’t a widespread issue.

Users pointed out that the allowable wiggle room for weight allowed on such an item would be 3 per cent, according to Canadian regulations — a percentage not aligned with the weight shown on the scale.

“Not like we're missing just 5 per cent here or 10 per cent there,” elsewhereorbust wrote. “Damn near half is missing.”

"[It was] 400 grams before they took the gluten out," user c0mputer99 joked.

Others in the comments suggested that the user reach out to the Office of Consumer Affairs to report the product.

“Seriously do this,” user Britwill encouraged the original poster. “It’s important and you’ll be doing the right thing for all of us.”

Expert says this is likely the 'exception not the rule'

Marvin Ryder, a marketing professor at McMaster University, says that what’s happening with the box of pancake mix is likely a defect in the manufacturing process and the customer has the right to get it replaced.

“The problem with the Reddit post is that it takes the exception and tries to make it the rule,” he tells Yahoo Canada. “This person just has one box, so it’s the exception, not the rule.

"I’d be concerned if somebody bought ten boxes and they all weighed 205 grams, and Loblaws would be equally concerned.”

He adds that Loblaws subcontracts its in-house products to larger manufacturers, so if they were paying for a 400-gram box of product that only contained 200 grams of food, they would be getting ripped off too.

In an email, a representative for Loblaws told Yahoo Canada that they had thoroughly checked the company’s records and found no similar complaints for the product in question.

“We have not received any communication from the customer about this issue or their concerns, which makes it difficult for us to assess its legitimacy,” the email read. “We kindly request the customer contact us directly with the specific product information so that we can properly investigate and address their concerns.”

'More like peasant's choice,' user jokes about 'sad pizza'

The pancake mix is not the only President’s Choice product to get called out on Reddit this week, after someone posted a photo of a frozen pizza that did not look much like the image on the box.

The “sad pizza” in question, as the poster described it, had sparse amounts of tomato sauce smears, a sprinkle of cheese and a small handful of arugula.

“I swear this is literally how it came out of the box,” user Badiha wrote. “ I didn’t rearrange anything to make it look worse.”

Many in the comments mentioned the company’s quality guarantee and encouraged the poster to return the product. Others expressed condolences for the poster’s unfortunate purchase.

“More like peasant's choice, amirite,” comfortably__dum joked.

A popular forum on Reddit called "Loblaws Is Out Of Control" has amassed 14,000 followers. It is dedicated to exposing exorbitant pricing on grocery at Loblaw-affiliated stores.