Change4Life summer rip-off: more than £275 to redeem vouchers

• £50 Change4Life vouchers require a spend of £275.08

• Some Asda own-brand equivalent products are cheaper than the discounted branded products

• There are cheaper healthier equivalent products available without the vouchers

The Children’s Food Campaign [1] today publishes an analysis showing that shoppers who want to cash-in on this summer’s Change4Life vouchers [2] need to spend more than five times the vouchers’ value to redeem them.  Campaigners calculated that in order to make the savings advertised in Change4Life’s “really big summer adventure” voucher booklet, shoppers would have to spend at least £275.08 of which £155.59 must be spent at Asda [3].  The analysis comes less than a week after doctors called for tougher action to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis [4].

The Campaigners also point out that in several cases it would be cheaper to buy a non-branded version of the same product without the corresponding discount voucher.  For example, 500g Kellogg’s corn flakes are £1.89 at Asda, reduced to £1.49 with the discount voucher, while 500g Asda corn flakes cost just £1.18 [5].

Furthermore, the analysis also exposed that in one case it is cheaper to buy a healthier equivalent product without the corresponding discount voucher. 400g Heinz Light Mayonnaise is £1.89 at Asda, reduced to £1.49 with the discount voucher, while Hellman’s Lighter than Light Mayonnaise is £1.00 without any discount. 100g of the Heinz Mayonnaise contains 26.6g of fat while the 100g Hellman’s Mayonnaise contains only 3g [6]. 
 
“Kawther Hashem of the Children’s Food Campaign said:
“Once again we see the Change4Life campaign being usurped as a marketing opportunity for the companies involved, offering little benefit to consumers’ pockets or health.  We back doctors’ calls for tougher government action on obesity by protecting children from junk food ads and promoting traffic light labelling.

Ms Hashem continued:
“Whilst products like mayonnaise continue to be promoted by the Change4Life vouchers scheme, it is difficult to see that the Department of Health is taking the obesity crisis seriously”.

Ends

For further information and interviews, please contact Kawther Hashem or Charlie Powell on 0203 5596 777, or email Kawther@sustainweb.org or Charlie@sustainweb.org

Notes to editors:

1) The Children's Food Campaign wants to improve children's health and well-being through better food - and food teaching - in schools, and protecting children from junk food marketing. We are supported by over 150 national organisations. The Children's Food Campaign is coordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and funded by the British Heart Foundation. See: http://www.childrensfoodcampaign.org.uk

2) The vouchers are available at Asda stores, in the Daily Mirror on 23 July and once you sign up for the Change4Life website – for details, see https://offers.reallybigsummer.co.uk/.  For more information, see http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/08/big-summer-adventur/

3) Based on prices for the following products available on the websites of on 20 August 2011:

4) See: Global government ‘must get tough on obesity’ – without tougher action, predicted obesity rates are projected to rise from a quarter in the UK to about 40% by 2030.  See:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14669203.  Figures from the National Child Measurement Programme for the school year 2009/10 show that the number of children who are overweight or obese by the time they reach Year 6 (age 10/11) has reached 33.4 per cent and is still rising. See: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/ncmp.

5) Asda Sunflower Light Spread cost £1.26, whereas Flora Light spread cost £1.70 reduced to £1.30 with the voucher. Asda Smartprice Broccoli (907g) cost 89p, whereas Birds Eye Field Fresh Broccoli Florets (750g) cost £1.75 reduced to £1.25 with the voucher. All prices from Asda website on 20 August.

6) Based on prices shown on the Asda Groceries website on 20 August, 100g of the Heinz Light Mayonnaise contains 26.6g of fat and 100g Hellman’s Lighter than Light Mayonnaise contains only 3g.

7) In January, the Children’s Food Campaign analysed the £50 Change4Life Great Swapathon vouchers and showed that shoppers were required a spend £117.05 to redeem the £50. Also, more than half the discount was already available without the voucher and in several cases, the Asda own-brand equivalent products were cheaper than the discounted branded products For more information, see https://www.sustainweb.org/news/jan11_swapathon_response/

8) In July, a coalition of 30 organisations concerned with children’s health wrote to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley raising concerns about plans to increase the involvement of food companies in the Change4Life campaign.  For more information, see https://www.sustainweb.org/news/july_2010_lansley_childrens_health

9) In 2010, the Children’s Food Campaign cited concerns about the involvement of Kellogg’s and Nestlé in the Change4Life campaign after both companies’ marketing activities were shown to directly conflict with key messages of the campaign.  For more information, see https://www.sustainweb.org/news/cocopops_ad/ and https://www.sustainweb.org/news/october10_nestle_breach_change4life/

10) Increased involvement of the food industry in the Change4Life campaign inspired a series of spoof posters, a selection of which are available at https://www.sustainweb.org/childrensfoodcampaign/change_for_life