Nestlé UK appears to have done little to stop cheap Brazilian Nescafé Original ending up on the shelves of UK retailers without its consent.
Earlier this year we revealed that a number of outlets in the north of England were selling the 200g jars at the knockdown price of £1.79 - almost half the then recommended UK retail price of £3.49 (The Grocer, 21 January, p10).
Back then, the fmcg giant said it would consider launching an investigation into the matter.
However, nine months on and the coffee can still be bought in a range of stores for £1.89 - half the cost of the current standard retail price of £3.78.
As previously, packaging details are written in Portuguese, but Leicester-based wholesaler Crown Crest, which is distributing the grey market coffee, is continuing to bypass the Food Standards Agency's 1996 Labelling Regulations by sticking small labels with English product details on the base or side of jars.
The coffee is different to its UK equivalent as it is made to Brazilian tastes.
A spokeswoman for Nestlé UK said: "Nestlé is aware of foreign imports entering the country in limited distribution. These products are manufactured to a different recipe to the Nescafé products sold in the UK. However, we are not in a position to divulge information regarding any action that we have taken or may take."
Earlier this year we revealed that a number of outlets in the north of England were selling the 200g jars at the knockdown price of £1.79 - almost half the then recommended UK retail price of £3.49 (The Grocer, 21 January, p10).
Back then, the fmcg giant said it would consider launching an investigation into the matter.
However, nine months on and the coffee can still be bought in a range of stores for £1.89 - half the cost of the current standard retail price of £3.78.
As previously, packaging details are written in Portuguese, but Leicester-based wholesaler Crown Crest, which is distributing the grey market coffee, is continuing to bypass the Food Standards Agency's 1996 Labelling Regulations by sticking small labels with English product details on the base or side of jars.
The coffee is different to its UK equivalent as it is made to Brazilian tastes.
A spokeswoman for Nestlé UK said: "Nestlé is aware of foreign imports entering the country in limited distribution. These products are manufactured to a different recipe to the Nescafé products sold in the UK. However, we are not in a position to divulge information regarding any action that we have taken or may take."
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