To say: M&S, it's not a "pesto wrap" without pesto!

[amoreoamicizia]

I grabbed a mozzarella and pesto wrap from M&S yesterday as a little treat (normally I don't buy preprepared stiff as I'm on a budget). Was excited to have a mozzarella and pesto as an option that wasn't yet another "cover all bases" vegan option (I like vegan food, that is another post- I'm sure you all know what I mean).

Anyway, it turns out the "mozzarella and pesto wrap" doesn't actually contain pesto at all, but rather a gloopy, unappetising "basil mayonnaise" concoction. I was so disappointed! 😐😒 Or did I get this wrong? What would you expect from a "pesto and mozzarella wrap"?

Pesto means Pesto. Trading standards. Failing that your local MP or “log it” with 101 (😉)

Aside from that: wasps in the jam!?! 😮

I am with OP.

Vegetarian discussion aside, the point is that it is a different flavour to the label.

If it was called a mozzarella and basil wrap with description of basil mayo underneath then that would be fair enough.

But pesto and basil mayo are different flavours

This wrap is part of a wider problem which is that MAYO IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD (and it's disgusting). Sour cream on your nachos? Nope, nowadays you get a big glob of mayo. Butter in your sandwich? Nope, mayo (cause it's much cheaper). Garlic yogurt? Sure, but it's actually mayo.

It's everywhere and in everything. The fact that they have to label things mayo free suggests people don't actually want all this mayo but it's a very cheap, processed product that manufactures can use as a substitute.

YANBU. Pesto means pesto.

Because when you say you don’t eat meat or fish meat eaters just assume you are vegetarian, sometimes it’s easier to go along with that.

I went out of my way on holiday to eat a “Genovese” McDonald’s burger in Austria.
Yep, it was basil flavoured mayonnaise…
Bleuuurg. No surprise they’re unavailable in Italy!

I agree that people are getting far too hung up on the idea of pesto being vegetarian or not.
Given the packaging I’d expect pesto to be one of the main ingredients, not the mayo which doesn’t get much of a mention.

My daughter chooses this wrap often. It does say with basil mayo underneath so it is fairly self explanatory what is in it.

Having a pesto wrap labelled as vegetarian means I'd expect it to be made with vegetarian pesto (ie not containing Parmesan) not basil mayo which is a completely different thing. With the labelling as it is, I'd have thought it was mozzarella, pesto, slow roast tomatoes, rocket AND basil mayo. Otherwise why mention the small print items? Mozzarella doesn't get mentioned again in the small print so why would you expect that pesto has been completely subbed by the basil mayo?

It says mozzarella and pesto in big print and tomatoes and Basil mayo in small print.

So why is it self explanatory that it doesn’t actually have pesto in?

But most people are just going to look at the wrapper, see "pesto" and buy it, they're not going to think to look any further.

If it's a mozzarella and basil mayo wrap, then that's really what it should say.

Mayonnaise is significantly cheaper than fresh pesto. But then just call it 'with basil' and don't put the word pesto. I guess if they wanted to wriggle out of it they could say that pesto just means paste/sauce in Italian? Which would be preposterous but I wouldn't put it past M&S marketing department. I hate mayo with any kind of cheese as well so I'd have had to bin it!

But most people are just going to look at the wrapper, see "pesto" and buy it, they're not going to think to look any further.

Then they only have themselves to blame if they don't even read the front of the wrapper. It says it's basil mayo very clearly on the front of the packet. Shops aren't responsible for people not reading. 😅

It says mozzarella and pesto in big print and tomatoes and Basil mayo in small print.

So why is it self explanatory that it doesn’t actually have pesto in?

I genuinely don't know what to say if you can't work that out.

While you're right that people should read the ingredients, shops have an obligation to be clear about what their products contain.

Saying something contains pesto when it very clearly doesn't is false advertising at best, and could get them into trouble at worst.

To be honest OP i think the parts about veganism etc aren’t really relevant to your actual problem and that has riled people up the wrong way ie that’s the aspect they are focusing on.

the problem is simple, you bought a pesto wrap, it didn’t include pesto. The rest of it is unnecessarily confusing matters

Would a dairy free pesto be vegan because I know they sell that🤷

Yes. I get mine in aldi.

YANBU

Also hate how all pre packed sandwiches contain mayo now, and I generally like mayo but doesn't think it goes with everything. It's just cheap filler.

I'd be very disappointed by that too. I'd think I'd hit the jackpot with a non-vegan, vegetarian wrap with no mayo.

If I saw that I would assume it had pesto and basil mayo in it. Not that the basil mayo was apparently the pesto.

Putting the overwhelming flavour of one food stuff in something else does not make it the first food stuff, M&S!

While you're right that people should read the ingredients, shops have an obligation to be clear about what their products contain.

Saying something contains pesto when it very clearly doesn't is false advertising at best, and could get them into trouble at worst.

I very much doubt that a big company like m&s wouldn't be staying within the law on this. It's on customers to actually read what they're buying and eating.

OP should complain if she thinks false advertising but I bet it's not. She just needs to go to Specsavers.

The ingredients list sure have stuff for pesto, but if OP didn’t like it she didn’t like it!

Quite simply, M&S are leaning on the cachet of delicious and sophisticated pesto to sell their product which contains an inferior concoction: basil mayonnaise. And if you can't understand that, maybe you need to go to Specsavers yourself.

I think it should contain pesto.

However I think its a dull vegetarian option. (Presuming it's the vegetarian option). It's quite dated now. It was fashionable ooh..10 years ago?