The row between Slimming World and Porky Lights sausages has escalated after Slimming World said new lab tests proved the sausages were not in fact low fat.
Last month the two companies became involved in a public argument after Slimming World became suspicious about the sausages, which are made by G White & Co and claim to contain just 73 calories. Previously, it classified the sausages as being worth 0.5 ‘syns’ rather than the 4.5 ‘syns’ allocated to normal sausages. Syns are the points used by Slimming World to describe how healthy a product is.
Now, Slimming World said it has commissioned independent tests to investigate the issue further. Slimming World sent 13 samples of sausages, bought from a number of stores around the country, to two UKAS accredited laboratories for testing. “We felt it was important to obtain our own test reports because G White & Co, the company who make Porky Lights, were publicly accusing us of relying on sabotaged test results commissioned by competitor companies – in effect suggesting that we were misleading our members and seeking to discredit their company,” said a spokesperson.
Slimming World said the results of the new tests show that the fat content of the sausages varied enormously and none of the sausages we sent for testing were actually low fat. “The average fat content varied between 8.7g/100g and 19.4g/100g – all significantly higher than the 3.8g/100g fat (or 2.5g fat per sausage) declared on the nutrition information on Porky Lights’ packaging. We have photographs to prove that what we sent for testing were unopened packs of Porky Lights sausages,” said a spokesperson.
“We have passed on the results of all the tests conducted to date to G White & Co and we will also be referring the matter to Trading Standards.”
In a statement G White & Co said: “G White & Co does not consider these results to be robust and finds them to be inexplicably different to the results from its own tests that consistently reveal a fat content nearer 3%.
“As an additional test, G White & Co sent the lean pork trim that is used in the making of Porky Lights to test the fat content. The results showed that the fat content of the meat (the only source of any fat) was less than 7g per 100g and once prepared into sausages, equated to less than 5g per uncooked sausage.
“Questions are being raised about the broader methodologies of the food testing processes themselves but G. White & Co stand by the fact that they employ the highest level of food testing available to food manufacturers and repeatedly exceed the testing standards that are required to back up their nutritional claims in order to maintain their stringent quality control.
“In order to expedite the process of giving complete and absolute assurance to its highly valued customers and to protect its impeccable reputation, G White & Co have invited Trading Standards to now step in.”
