Major supermarket baffles shoppers by labelling tiny salad pots ‘for 2’ to make them appear healthier

MARKS & Spencer is baffling shoppers by selling “tiny” salads and pasta pots — claiming they are for two.

Experts say the move appears to be a bid to make the snacks seem healthier than they are.

By saying a pack serves two, rather than one, supermarkets can halve the amount of calories, fat, saturates, sugar and salt displayed on them — since they do this “per portion”.

Musician Andrea Smith spotted the tactic after buying an M&S bang bang noodle slaw — £2.80 for a 180g pack — in the “food to go” section at a train station.

She said it had a calorie count of just over 100 and under 5g of fat.

Andrea, 35, of East London, said: “I was thinking, ‘This is a great meal for so few calories’. But then I saw it said ‘serves two’. It was actually more than 9g of fat and 210 calories. I felt duped. I can’t imagine I’d split this tiny salad with another person.”

We found similar examples in several M&S stores.

The meals — including supergreen salad and Italian pasta and spinach salad — have “serves two” on the front, yet are only 180g to 200g.

Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said: “Supermarkets suggesting modest meals are meant for two allows the impression a product has fewer calories or less salt and fat.”

Alison Clark, of the British Dietetic Association, said: “The intention seems to be to mislead consumers into perceiving the product as healthier and more suitable for individual consumption than it is.”

M&S said: “These salads are primarily designed as a side for a main meal but are also a popular lunch choice with customers so we include them in our lunchtime meal deal offer.”