Our new grumpy man in residence Rick Wakeman investigates...
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What you see is usually what you get in life. Take me. I sound grumpy. So if you meet me, you won't be surprised to find that I'm, well... grumpy. But some things don't always match the image. Like food, I get suspicious when I see all those tasty and tempting ad images... just like some people we spoke to on the streets...
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'Food' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
They told us:
"It's not at all what you see on the photos and it doesn't even look remotely the same to be honest".
"On the pictures, it seems much better than it is actually in reality".
"The reality is, that they don't look anywhere near as good on the tray when it arrives versus what's in the photo".
We can be forgiven for being cynical - because some of these companies have been caught out. Last year, the Advertising Standards Authority found Burger King had used an actor with small hands to make its Tendercrisp chicken look bigger. And in 2007 the same company was found exaggerating the size of its Double Whopper in TV commercials.
You can understand companies wanting to make their food look as nice as possible. But how much nicer than it is in real life? Our researchers visited the four biggest takeaway outlets - McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and Subway. They bought two products in five different branches of each. They photographed each specimen immediately after it had been purchased so we could see what the purchases looked like and how they compared to the products as advertised.
First up was Burger King's Double Whopper with Cheese. When we compared our photos to the marketing image we found they didn't quite look the same, although one didn't look too bad. Next we compared their Angus burger marketing photos to our test results. They weren't the tidiest thing I've seen.
Next was the Big Mac from McDonald's, which is their classic product. But from what I saw I wouldn't call it classic burger making though. And what about their Big Tasty burger? The advert looks scrumptious. But compared to our photos, not quite as likely to excite the taste buds. All the advertised ingredients were present and correct in every one of our samples. The appearance was sometimes lacking, though... as with KFC's Fillet Burger.
Next, it's the Steak and Cheese sub from Subway. They're now the largest fast food chain on the planet. But no thanks to photos like ours, I'd say. Take the marketing image for their popular Meat Ball Marinara.
We asked people on the streets if our images would tempt them to buy these products and they told us:
"That photo doesn't look great. No, that wouldn't sell it to me. Definitely not".
"OK, it's fast food, but that is too fast".
"The buns look squashed, it looks very thin and not very appetising to be honest".
"Yeah, I wouldn't buy that".
That was what the public think, but what about a food writer? Watchdog spoke to Tom Parker-Bowles who said:
"It's that great gulf between the marketing and how wonderful all these fast food chains are and the reality which is this. I've seen those adverts for this and they sit sort of proud and virile, standing there and the reality is never quite the same, it's like Hollywood. You see those Hollywood stars close up and they're never quite as burnished and beautiful as they appear in the movies."
Looking at the photos - obviously there's been some real care, some real skill there in that fast food kitchen putting it together. This looks like a yawn with bits of greenery in there and the burger really does not look very attractive. Looking at these, it's not the best selling point of these burgers. They're not eaten for their beauty are they?
So that's takeaways, then. But what about ready meals? They always look so appetising on the packaging. So how do they look when you take them out and cook them? The ready meal I cooked didn't look great, but maybe that's the result of my dodgy cooking skills. Think I'll leave it to the Watchdog researchers again...
Lasagne is the UK's most popular chilled ready meal. Watchdog tested the four big supermarkets' versions. First up was Asda. We compared their photo with our picture, and did the same with Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco. Next was cottage pies. We asked Tom Parker Bowles what he thought of these:
"We all know that they do not look like they do on the packet. There's been a very good food stylist at work trying to make you buy this ready meal... And if this is our four big supermarkets here, their take on cottage pie - just the look, I'm not talking about taste - the look. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... "
I couldn't agree more, Tom. Appearance isn't everything. Which - for me - is just as well...
Statement from Burger King to Watchdog
A BURGER KING® Spokesperson said: BURGER KING® would like to thank Watchdog for bringing this matter to our attention. We would like to assure customers that representing our products correctly in our advertising is of the utmost importance to us. The food depicted in our point of sale material is representative of the actual build of the product, uses real ingredients and complies with all regulatory requirements when photographing food.
With regard to the ASA adjudications mentioned in your report, both advertising creatives were cleared by the relevant regulatory authorities prior to going on air. It is never our intention to mislead our customers and the two ad creatives have never been shown again in the UK in accordance with these rulings.
Statement from Subway to Watchdog
At the time of writing we have not been able to review the photographs taken by Watchdog so it is hard to make specific comments but we do make every effort to ensure that the images used in our marketing materials accurately represent the products that people buy in store. Naturally we take care to ensure that photographic conditions such as lighting and background are optimal but the Subs themselves are prepared in the normal way.
Statement from McDonald's to Watchdog
All of our marketing and advertising goes through a rigorous approval process to ensure that it complies both with the relevant law and regulation as well as our own internal standards. The food that is photographed is the same food and in the same portion size that is available in all our restaurants, this ensures that we accurately represent the food and drink a customer would receive from a McDonald's restaurant in the UK. However, given we serve over two and a half million customers a day some variation is possible.
Statement from McDonald's to Watchdog regarding Emily Essington
We're sorry that our usual standards were not met in this instance. However, we can confirm that Ms Essington did receive a replacement product following her complaint at the end of October last year, and a subsequent written apology was also sent in November.
Statement from KFC to Watchdog
Our photos showcase the ingredients in our products so customers know what they're buying. This is why, for instance, we always use photos of an open, rather than a sealed, Twister. Every menu item is made to specific ingredients and processes and we train all our staff to meet our high standards of food preparation and make the best possible burgers and twisters every time.
Statement from Tesco to Watchdog
Our ready meal packaging always accurately depicts the contents in their cooked state, although of course different customers like to prepare their food in different ways.
Statement from Sainsbury's to Watchdog
Our Cottage Pie and Lasagne dishes are prepared for the photographs on our packaging in the same way as they are before being sold in our stores. This means that our customers can be confident about what their meal will look like when they cook it at home.
Although both these dishes will taste delicious no matter which cooking method is used, as you would expect the best visual results are achieved when they are oven-baked rather than microwaved. However, we believe that our customers like having the option to choose the cooking method which is most convenient for them knowing that there will be no compromise on taste and we have not had any complaints about the appearance of these products.
Statement from Morrisons to Watchdog
Our philosophy for pack photography is to be very honest, so we use standard product, directly from a real product run, not created on set for the shoot. Furthermore, we do not use any enhancement tricks, such as adding extra toppings, or pushing fillings to the front of the shot. However, in order to show the product in the best possible way we may shoot the food very close up, give serving suggestions, or adjust the background and lighting to create a particular style for the range.
Statement from Asda to Watchdog
All of our Chosen By You products have been tried, tasted and approved by our customers before they go on sale. They told us they love our Italian Beef Lasagne and our Classic Cottage Pies. We can also confirm we have no plans to re-name the range Chosen by Rick, Tom or Annie.
Food for thought...
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
What you see is usually what you get in life. Take me. I sound grumpy. So if you meet me, you won't be surprised to find that I'm, well... grumpy. But some things don't always match the image. Like food, I get suspicious when I see all those tasty and tempting ad images... just like some people we spoke to on the streets...
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'Food' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
They told us:
"It's not at all what you see on the photos and it doesn't even look remotely the same to be honest".
"On the pictures, it seems much better than it is actually in reality".
"The reality is, that they don't look anywhere near as good on the tray when it arrives versus what's in the photo".
We can be forgiven for being cynical - because some of these companies have been caught out. Last year, the Advertising Standards Authority found Burger King had used an actor with small hands to make its Tendercrisp chicken look bigger. And in 2007 the same company was found exaggerating the size of its Double Whopper in TV commercials.
You can understand companies wanting to make their food look as nice as possible. But how much nicer than it is in real life? Our researchers visited the four biggest takeaway outlets - McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and Subway. They bought two products in five different branches of each. They photographed each specimen immediately after it had been purchased so we could see what the purchases looked like and how they compared to the products as advertised.
First up was Burger King's Double Whopper with Cheese. When we compared our photos to the marketing image we found they didn't quite look the same, although one didn't look too bad. Next we compared their Angus burger marketing photos to our test results. They weren't the tidiest thing I've seen.
Next was the Big Mac from McDonald's, which is their classic product. But from what I saw I wouldn't call it classic burger making though. And what about their Big Tasty burger? The advert looks scrumptious. But compared to our photos, not quite as likely to excite the taste buds. All the advertised ingredients were present and correct in every one of our samples. The appearance was sometimes lacking, though... as with KFC's Fillet Burger.
Next, it's the Steak and Cheese sub from Subway. They're now the largest fast food chain on the planet. But no thanks to photos like ours, I'd say. Take the marketing image for their popular Meat Ball Marinara.
We asked people on the streets if our images would tempt them to buy these products and they told us:
"That photo doesn't look great. No, that wouldn't sell it to me. Definitely not".
"OK, it's fast food, but that is too fast".
"The buns look squashed, it looks very thin and not very appetising to be honest".
"Yeah, I wouldn't buy that".
That was what the public think, but what about a food writer? Watchdog spoke to Tom Parker-Bowles who said:
"It's that great gulf between the marketing and how wonderful all these fast food chains are and the reality which is this. I've seen those adverts for this and they sit sort of proud and virile, standing there and the reality is never quite the same, it's like Hollywood. You see those Hollywood stars close up and they're never quite as burnished and beautiful as they appear in the movies."
Looking at the photos - obviously there's been some real care, some real skill there in that fast food kitchen putting it together. This looks like a yawn with bits of greenery in there and the burger really does not look very attractive. Looking at these, it's not the best selling point of these burgers. They're not eaten for their beauty are they?
So that's takeaways, then. But what about ready meals? They always look so appetising on the packaging. So how do they look when you take them out and cook them? The ready meal I cooked didn't look great, but maybe that's the result of my dodgy cooking skills. Think I'll leave it to the Watchdog researchers again...
Lasagne is the UK's most popular chilled ready meal. Watchdog tested the four big supermarkets' versions. First up was Asda. We compared their photo with our picture, and did the same with Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco. Next was cottage pies. We asked Tom Parker Bowles what he thought of these:
"We all know that they do not look like they do on the packet. There's been a very good food stylist at work trying to make you buy this ready meal... And if this is our four big supermarkets here, their take on cottage pie - just the look, I'm not talking about taste - the look. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... "
I couldn't agree more, Tom. Appearance isn't everything. Which - for me - is just as well...
Statement from Burger King to Watchdog
A BURGER KING® Spokesperson said: BURGER KING® would like to thank Watchdog for bringing this matter to our attention. We would like to assure customers that representing our products correctly in our advertising is of the utmost importance to us. The food depicted in our point of sale material is representative of the actual build of the product, uses real ingredients and complies with all regulatory requirements when photographing food.
With regard to the ASA adjudications mentioned in your report, both advertising creatives were cleared by the relevant regulatory authorities prior to going on air. It is never our intention to mislead our customers and the two ad creatives have never been shown again in the UK in accordance with these rulings.
Statement from Subway to Watchdog
At the time of writing we have not been able to review the photographs taken by Watchdog so it is hard to make specific comments but we do make every effort to ensure that the images used in our marketing materials accurately represent the products that people buy in store. Naturally we take care to ensure that photographic conditions such as lighting and background are optimal but the Subs themselves are prepared in the normal way.
Statement from McDonald's to Watchdog
All of our marketing and advertising goes through a rigorous approval process to ensure that it complies both with the relevant law and regulation as well as our own internal standards. The food that is photographed is the same food and in the same portion size that is available in all our restaurants, this ensures that we accurately represent the food and drink a customer would receive from a McDonald's restaurant in the UK. However, given we serve over two and a half million customers a day some variation is possible.
Statement from McDonald's to Watchdog regarding Emily Essington
We're sorry that our usual standards were not met in this instance. However, we can confirm that Ms Essington did receive a replacement product following her complaint at the end of October last year, and a subsequent written apology was also sent in November.
Statement from KFC to Watchdog
Our photos showcase the ingredients in our products so customers know what they're buying. This is why, for instance, we always use photos of an open, rather than a sealed, Twister. Every menu item is made to specific ingredients and processes and we train all our staff to meet our high standards of food preparation and make the best possible burgers and twisters every time.
Statement from Tesco to Watchdog
Our ready meal packaging always accurately depicts the contents in their cooked state, although of course different customers like to prepare their food in different ways.
Statement from Sainsbury's to Watchdog
Our Cottage Pie and Lasagne dishes are prepared for the photographs on our packaging in the same way as they are before being sold in our stores. This means that our customers can be confident about what their meal will look like when they cook it at home.
Although both these dishes will taste delicious no matter which cooking method is used, as you would expect the best visual results are achieved when they are oven-baked rather than microwaved. However, we believe that our customers like having the option to choose the cooking method which is most convenient for them knowing that there will be no compromise on taste and we have not had any complaints about the appearance of these products.
Statement from Morrisons to Watchdog
Our philosophy for pack photography is to be very honest, so we use standard product, directly from a real product run, not created on set for the shoot. Furthermore, we do not use any enhancement tricks, such as adding extra toppings, or pushing fillings to the front of the shot. However, in order to show the product in the best possible way we may shoot the food very close up, give serving suggestions, or adjust the background and lighting to create a particular style for the range.
Statement from Asda to Watchdog
All of our Chosen By You products have been tried, tasted and approved by our customers before they go on sale. They told us they love our Italian Beef Lasagne and our Classic Cottage Pies. We can also confirm we have no plans to re-name the range Chosen by Rick, Tom or Annie.
Food for thought...