Alcohol in pudding not clearly displayed

[Purpledefector]

I need a bit of a reality check - prefacing to say I'm 2.5 years sober - and not sure if this is clouding my judgement a bit.

I bought a dine in meal in Sainsbury's and the pudding was ' chocolate hazelnut pots' ' sponge biscuit layered with creamy chocolate hazelnut mascarpone and topped with hazelnuts and chocolate shavings'.

When I started to eat it I immediately noticed the very obvious taste of alcohol. Went and checked the packaging and listed within the ingredients was 'alcohol' but this wasn't mentioned or hinted at anywhere else on the product - in the picture or the describing words.

I was really surprised by this lack of transparency. Sainsbury's responded to my complaint really quickly - offered me a £10 gift card and said it would be fed back to the packaging department. I said that I felt that didn't reflect the seriousness of the issue and asked for it to be raised with a manager. It has been and their response is the same.

It's not sitting right with me, it feels like a huge error - and I want to take it further.

What's the general consensus?

@Unopenedpackofmenssocks he actually started a campaign to make the coaches from the ground home 'alcohol free' - whereas before they used to drink cans of beer etc.. He was successful I think.

Times have changed since then and I imagine they would be alcohol free now anyway given the culture around booze and professional sport has changed somewhat.

But yes, Tony kind of did expect things to change to my recollection

What?
No I don't think all products should have the same ingredients. I think that if 2 of them have similar flavours that one of them shouldn't be described as something else.

It would be like if they had 2 packets of crisps beside each other, with one labelled as salt and vinegar and the other one just saying they're salted crisps but then you find out they're actually also salt and vinegar 😂

Both desserts contain alcohol and coffee, yet one is clearly described as such in the description and the other is completely misrepresented because they don't mention that it contains coffee or alcohol in the description.

Not sure why you're making out that it's an odd or unusual or out there expectation that the actual taste of the product would be described seeing as that is literally how supermarkets and food manufacturers tend to do it on the rest of their products 🙄They describe the taste and the predominant flavours so that people can get an idea of what it's going to taste like. It's the done thing!

They now have a summer edition Pistachio tiramisu, with it being immediately obvious that it's actually pistachio and so therefore people are likely to immediately recognise it's going to taste different than the normal one.

I’m not sure banning boozing it up on the bus home (which is, frankly, a bit uncouth anyway) is quite the same as stopping the pop of a champagne cork on the winners’ podium. Though maybe that is no longer classy either, very wasteful.

@Unopenedpackofmenssocks agreed, I am not at all trying to ban the podium champagne moment (apart from the waste of good champagne). I am of the 'get your mouth over the top of it' to stop it being wasted school of thought.

Not sure why you're making out that it's an odd or unusual or out there expectation that the actual taste of the product would be described seeing as that is literally how supermarkets and food manufacturers tend to do it on the rest of their products

Because they put predominant flavours on the front of the pack, and more subtle flavours can often only be found in ingredients. It's not unusual to taste something and say 'Oh, I didn't realise this had xyz in it', or 'Can you taste xyz in this?' and then to look at the ingredients and say, 'Oh yeah, it has got xyz in it.'.

Thanks for the eye-roll. That really made it clear that you know best, here, @kkloo Or that you're trying to show you do.

Coffee and alcohol aren't subtle flavours. They are predominant ones. Another poster responded earlier in the thread after also purchasing the same item and was also surprised by the taste!

You deserved the eye roll for your post asking did I think all ingredients should be 'explained'.
Supermarkets and food manufacturers do explain them, that's the done thing. It's not some bizarre concept or something new that I want them to bring in!

In fact that will be already some peoples job most likely, to describe the products accurately, letting the customer know what to expect, in an enticing way

@kkloo

You deserved the eye roll

You know best.

They havent got any in my local sainsburys.

I visited tonight as I couldnt go at the weekend afterall

I have kicked off royally, smashed up the store and made a formal complaint and claimed a £10 compensation for my distress and confusion.

I think I might take it further too.