Iceland boss Malcolm Walker says he doesn't eat own-brand value food because, well, they're rubbish and tasteless. What he actually said was that he wouldn't cook own-brand value food because it "won't contain much meat".

Even the bosses of UK supermarket chains are admitting that everyday food staples sold to the British public are junk.

Know your rights

Supermarket Sweep - Tips & Advice


"Filler"

"I wouldn't eat value supermarket products because they won't contain much meat," Walker is quoted in the Mail. "There will be other things in there, whether it's rusk or filler or whatever it is."

Walker went onto claim that supermarkets shouldn't be blamed for the horse meant contamination scandal, blaming instead penny-pinching local councils and schools for driving down costs.

However the Local Authority Caterers Association has hit back at the Iceland boss's comments, claiming Councils are opting for far healthier menu options, and that it's not all about the bottom line.

"He is very, very wrong to put the blame for all this on the local authorities to be blunt – I think it is a cop out for him to blame the local authorities," Anne Bull, the association's chair told the Telegraph.

Supply chain failure

The law is clear says Bull: it's the responsibility of the retailer and supplier to ensure "the product they sell us is what they say it is. There has been a major supply chain failure. That's not the fault of consumers, councils or hospitals."

The quality of meat sold to UK consumers is certainly getting a lot of attention. Much imported chicken, for example, sold to British restaurants comes via processing plants in Europe, heavily adulterated with chemicals. But the actual bird itself may have come from Thailand.

Some consumers will change their behaviour and opt for better quality food in future, paying extra. But there's the suspicion that supermarkets, responding, could attempt to use the opportunity to pump up prices of better quality, or organic, meat products.

10 consumer rights you should know

  • 1. Retailer refunds
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">The law states that any goods you buy from a UK retailer should be of satisfactory quality, as described, fit for purpose and last a reasonable amount of time.</span></p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">This applies even if you buy items in a sale or with a discount voucher. You may have to insist on these rights being respected, though.</span></p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Useful phrases to use when you want to show you mean business include, &quot;according to the Sale of Goods Act 1979&quot; and, if it's a service, &quot;according to the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982&quot;.</span></p>
    1. Retailer refunds
  • 2. Receipts
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Some shops will allow you to exchange goods without a receipt, but they can refuse to should they wish.</span></p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">If the goods are faulty, however, another proof of purchase such as a bank statement should work just as well.</span></p>
    2. Receipts
  • 3. Refund timeframes
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">If you attempt to return goods within four weeks of the purchase, your chances of getting a full refund are much higher as you can argue that you have not &quot;accepted&quot; them.</span></p> <p class="p1"> After this point, you can only really expect an exchange, repair or part-refund.</p>
    3. Refund timeframes
  • 4. Credit card refunds
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">The updated Consumer Credit Act states that card companies are jointly and severally liable for credit card purchases of between &pound;100 and &pound;60,260 (whether or not you paid just a deposit or the whole amount on your card).</span></p> <p class="p1"> Anyone spending between these amounts on their credit card is therefore protected if the retailer or service provider goes bust, their online shopping never arrives or the items in question are faulty or not as described.</p>
    4. Credit card refunds
  • 5. Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) compensation
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">The FOS settles disputes between financial companies such as banks and consumers.</span></p> <p class="p1"> If a financial organisation rejects a complaint you make about its services, you can therefore escalate that complaint to the FOS - as long as you have given the company in question at least eight weeks to respond.</p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">The FOS will then investigate the case, and could force the company to offer you compensation should it see fit.</span></p>
    5. Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) compensation
  • 6. Bailiffs
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Bailiffs are allowed to take some of your belongings to sell on to cover certain debts, including unpaid Council Tax and parking fines.</span></p> <p class="p1"> They can, for example, take so-called luxury items such as TVs or games consoles. However, they cannot take essentials such as fridges or clothes.</p> <p class="p1"> What's more, they can only generally enter your home to take your stuff if you leave a door or window open or invite them in.</p> <p class="p1"> You are therefore within your rights to refuse them access and to ask for related documents such as proof of their identity. If they try to force their way in, you can also call the police to stop them.</p>
    6. Bailiffs
  • 7. Debt collectors
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Private sector debt collectors do not have the same powers as bailiffs, whatever they tell you.</span></p> <p class="p1"> They cannot, for example, enter your home and take your possessions in lieu of payment.</p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">In fact, they can only write, phone, or visit your home to talk to you about paying back the debt. As with bailiffs, you can also call the police if you feel physically threatened.</span></p>
    7. Debt collectors
  • 8. Debt management plans
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">When you cannot afford to meet your debt repayments, it can feel like there is nowhere to turn.</span></p> <p class="p1"> However, debt charities such as the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (0800 138 1111) offer free advice and can often solve your repayment problems by setting up a debt management plan with your creditors.</p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Not only will this mean smaller payments - generally over a longer period of time - it will also put a stop to the threatening letters, visits and calls.</span></p>
    8. Debt management plans
  • 9. Online/phone purchases
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Thanks to the Distance Selling Regulations, you actually have more rights buying online or by phone than on the High Street.</span></p> <p class="p1"> You can, for example, send most goods back within a week, for a full refund (including outward delivery costs), even if there's no fault.</p> <p class="p2"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">You will usually need to pay for the return delivery, though. The seller must then refund you within 30 days.</span></p>
    9. Online/phone purchases
  • 10. Cooling off periods
    <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">We enter into contracts all the time, whether it be to join a gym, switch energy supplier or take out a loan.</span></p> <p class="p1"> In most cases, once you've signed a contract, you are legally bound by it. In some situations, however, you have the right to cancel it within a certain timeframe.</p> <p class="p1"> Credit agreements, for example, can be cancelled within 14 days. And online retailers must tell you about your cancellation rights for any contract made up to stand up legally.</p>
    10. Cooling off periods

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