CHEESED OFF! Families roundly cheated – by the oval pizzas craze
... and how CAN you slice them into equal portions for the kids?
THEY may look mouthwateringly authentic but shoppers are being short-changed by trendy oval pizzas, consumer experts have warned.
Supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Asda have ditched traditional round pizzas and instead replaced them with ‘luxury range’ oval versions.
But customers are missing out as the new pizzas are up to 14 per cent smaller and cost up to £1.50 more in the latest damning example of ‘shrinkflation’.
Costs are been driven up by the rising price of ingredients and the falling pound following last year’s Brexit vote, forcing some retailers to increase prices – or shrink sizes.
But the move was criticised by consumer experts last night as ‘dishonest’ and ‘crafty’. It comes after The Mail on Sunday revealed last month how at least 25 everyday products had shrunk by up to 40 per cent since the Brexit referendum.
Sainsbury’s is the latest major store to bring in oval-shaped pizzas. Last year, its Taste The Difference pizzas were typically 12in in diameter, but they have now been replaced by smaller ovals with the same £5 price tag.
Its Etruscan Pepperoni & Roquito Pepper round pizza was 515g, but the new oval version is 40g smaller.
M&S insists its oval Wood Fired Pizza range, with a different dough recipe and new toppings, is ‘completely different’ from its round Woodfired Pizzas, which were discontinued in 2015.
An old-style circular Buffalo Mozza- rella & Sicilian Cherry Tomato pizza would have cost £4.50 for 460g, but M&S shoppers wanting a similar dish have to fork out £6 for the 425g Mozzarella di Bufala Margherita. The retailer insisted the oval shape was a ‘more authentic Italian style’.
At Asda, the Extra Special Smoked Ham, Mushroom & Mascarpone pizza weighed 466g when it was round, but is now only 402g, according to mysupermarket.co.uk.
Online retail expert Patricia Davidson said: ‘It’s one thing to put prices up if supermarkets’ costs go up, but it should be made clear. It’s totally dishonest to put the price up or keep it the same on a smaller product.
‘Pizzas are supposed to be round – this is a gimmick to make people think they are getting something special, when all they’re getting is something smaller.’
The oval shape was ‘ a nightmare’ for families with children as it would be very difficult to divide the pizza into even slices, she added.
Ratula Chakraborty, senior retailing l ecturer at East Anglia University, said shape change was a classic example of ‘shrinkflation’ – where manufacturers reduce sizes to avoid having to raise prices.
‘For anyone used to comparing the size of round pizzas by their diameter, it is much trickier to work out the size of an oval one,’ she added.
‘The effect of an oval shape can be deceptive and make you feel the size is bigger than it really is. Crafty retailers and producers might cut the size and consumers might not notice so pay the same – or perhaps even a higher price – for the novelty.’
M&S said sales of its new pizzas were up 40 per cent, adding: ‘These are two different pizzas that can’t be compared.’
Sainsbury’s said its new range included ‘higher quality’ toppings, while Asda added: ‘We have made improvements in the whole Extra Special range, including creating a new recipe for our dough.’