SASA KOMLEN / SHUTTERSTOCK news Probe finds 15.6 per cent of supermarket products tested are underweight Research carried out at Queens University Belfast has revealed that many supermarket products contain a smaller quantity of food than is marked on the packet. Consumer watchdog Which? commissioned the study. The organisation decided to look at a broader range of products this year after previously discovering that 80 per cent of smoked salmon packs were underweight. Professor Chris Elliott, who released his report on the horsemeat scandal last year, was part of the Queens-based team that found salmon isnt the only product on the shelves thats a bit fishy. In total, 73 of the 467 items tested were underweight (15.6 per cent). The probe showed that six out of eight samples of Tesco Finest smoked salmon were underweight, as were 23 out of 32 tins of Heinz Chunky Veg Big Soup. Four out of 32 Del Monte Peach Slices in light syrup were underweight two significantly so. With Green Giant Niblets Original Sweetcorn, 19 out of 31 tins tested contained less than the drained weight stated on the packaging. Although some margin for error is acceptable, Which? was surprised by how many of the products were underweight. Trading standards officer Paul Ferris was unable to comment on the specifics of the research, as it was not carried out by an accredited weights and measures professional, but he did tell Which?: Discrepancies may be due to natural desiccation of the product as stated weight relates to the time of packing inadequate staff training on packing, or incorrectly using weighing equipment. tastY Fine For West YorKs restaUrant On 4 February 2015 Arshad Hussain, company director of Tasty Balti restaurant, pleaded guilty to 10 charges made under the Food Safety Act 1990 and a number of other food laws at Leeds Magistrates Court. Hussain was personally fined 100 and ordered to pay 500 costs, while the company was fined 1,000 and ordered to pay 2,000 costs. Tests on meals ordered from Tasty Balti showed that cheaper ingredients had been substituted for lamb, ham and mozzarella cheese. The samples were not of the nature and/or substance demanded within the meaning of Section 14 of the Food Safety Act 1990, and were also falsely described on the menu, contrary to Section 15 of the Food Safety Act 1990. In addition, chicken tikka masala was found to contain the colour Ponceau 4R, which is not permitted for use in sauces and seasonings. This is an offence under the Food Additives, Flavourings, Enzymes and Extraction Solvents (England) Regulations 2013. An aggravating factor in the case was that Hussain had not corrected problems identified by an earlier visit in 2013. LDPROD / SHUTTERSTOCK Compensation for consumers mis-sold card security packages Voluntary negotiations between the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Affinion International Ltd and 11 credit card issuers have resulted in an agreement that customers are entitled to compensation if they feel card security products were wrongly sold to them. The products, which cost 25 annually, were sold under the names Sentinel, Sentinel Gold, Sentinel Protection, Sentinel Excel and Safe and Secure Plus. The mis-selling centred around the statement that these products acted as insurance to cover fraudulent use, in the event that a credit card was lost or stolen. However, in this situation the cardholder was only liable for expenditure in certain unusual circumstances the issuer usually covered them for any expenditure after the first 50. In addition, the issuer normally became responsible for all expenditure after the card was reported lost or stolen. Before any compensation can be paid, customers must vote in favour of the measure and the High Court must also give its approval. Affinion and high street banks, including Barclays, Capital One, Irish Bank and Santander, will provide the funds. A company called AI Scheme Ltd has been created to promote and deliver the compensation scheme. It will contact two million customers by post during April or May this year to inform them of the process. Compensation is likely to be paid later this year. Energy companies fail to pass on savings, says regulator Ofgem, the energy regulator, has indicated in its latest Supply Market Indicator (SMI) that major gas and electricity suppliers will increase their average profits per household, failing to pass savings onto the consumer as their own costs fall. The SMI is a report that predicts the cost of gas and electricity over the next 12 months for an average consumer that purchases energy from one of the major suppliers. This helps to improve transparency for the public, who can easily see the relationship between the operating costs of the energy companies and their own household bills. The wholesale cost of 12 months fuel is estimated to fall from 636 last year to 574, and operating costs will stay roughly the same. However, the pre-tax margin made by the companies per household is now 114, up 9 on the November 2014 estimate. The industry was referred to the Competition and Markets Authority last year after Ofgem noted that it was standard practice to raise prices significantly when costs went up, but to pass on only some of the benefits when they dropped. RIEF IN B EWS N Losing a customer as a result of failed or poor deliveries could cost internet retailers as much as 5,300, according to parcel delivery company Parcelhero. Reports over Christmas of budget delivery companies failing to make deliveries on time, or throwing packages in bins and hedges, show that the industry has some way to go in satisfying consumers. 1 2 3 Click numbers for more stories 4 "