- 2 days ago
In this brand-new programme, Joe Swash investigates the meal deal phenomenon to find the most surprising revelations about this uniquely British consumer obsession.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Ah, The Meal Deal.
00:02It's a great British lunchtime obsession.
00:04Yo, I get the smoothie for £2.80 and two other items.
00:09Come on now.
00:11Last year we spent £6.2 billion on meal deals.
00:15That means we ate roughly £5 million every day.
00:19The sandwiches alone, if you laid them end to end,
00:22would go round the moon three times.
00:24Wow.
00:25I want to find out whether meal deals could be good for your pocket.
00:28Go and find me the best meal deal money can get.
00:31And for your health.
00:32Having two or three hundred at lunch just isn't going to cut it.
00:35And what your favourite combinations are.
00:37Oof.
00:38The meal deal is left.
00:40Wait for it.
00:41Soup in the meal deal.
00:43Who's going for that?
00:44As I get inside the supermarkets,
00:47see how new meal deals are made.
00:49I'm learning here as well Lucy.
00:51And discover the future.
00:53Oh wow.
00:54To find out what is behind the bargain.
00:57How about that?
00:59Stop it.
01:05I'm investigating the phenomenon that transformed the way us Brits eat lunch.
01:10And firmly placed itself into our culture.
01:13The meal deal.
01:17Meal deal time is back baby.
01:19Let's get a meal deal.
01:21Well Keir Starmer.
01:22He said that sandwiches are a great British institution.
01:26Wow.
01:27James Corden.
01:28Deep bulletproof.
01:29Yeah.
01:30Corden Brown.
01:31Gets an egg and crust sandwich.
01:32Yeah.
01:33Pink.
01:34If there was a bottle of Prosecco in the meal deal, pink would get it.
01:35Yeah.
01:36Maybe like a baby bell.
01:38I've already found out that there are more than 20 million possible meal deal combinations
01:44for us to choose from.
01:47And with us Brits spending more than 6.2 billion pounds last year on meal deals,
01:52there's way more to this lunchtime obsession for me to uncover.
01:55In this episode, I'll be revealing the results of my poll to find out which main snack and drink came out on top.
02:08My poll has shown your favourite sandwich is.
02:12I'll be inside Tesco headquarters meeting the team that scours the world for new products to put into the meal deals.
02:18This is another product that we picked up in America, and it's a spicy salted egg salmon skin snack.
02:23Oh.
02:25I'll be finding out that meal deals could be the new way to get you a lunchtime protein fix.
02:30Mia's meal deal had 50 grams of protein, which is absolutely amazing.
02:35And I'll be heading into the future to find out how meal deals might look to my grandkids.
02:40The future of the meal deals, when we're looking forward, they could be completely plastic free.
02:46Absolutely.
02:48One thing is clear, 25 years after it was invented, the meal deal was a lot more than the simple sandwich packet of crisps and a fizzy drink.
02:58And it all started at Boots.
03:02I imagine that there was no idea, when this was first introduced in 1999,
03:07that the concept of a meal deal would be so well known now,
03:11and that it has become an absolute part of people's working day.
03:16And really, it is just a symbol of how lunchtime culture has changed in the last 30 years.
03:24And as our diet and tastes have changed, the meal deal has just kept evolving.
03:29We've gone through American subs and muffins and popcorn to Italian and Mediterranean-inspired, and now we have sushi, which is very popular.
03:39We're seeing the rise in vegan food choices.
03:43I think we've seen big trends around protein.
03:47People have been trying to get a protein packed lunch.
03:49We've also seen massive swavery trends, where people really want a sweet and savoury.
03:57And it's not just the food we eat that's evolved.
03:59A recent study found a whopping 82% of office workers eat lunch at their desks, with nearly half dining al disco most days.
04:08So the big shift in the last 20 years has been, again, around time constraints.
04:14And then in the mid-2000s, we had self-scan.
04:17So literally, scan yourself and go.
04:20Choose what they need and be back at their desks as quickly as possible.
04:23So, with stiff competition on the high street to win part of this multi-billion-pound meal deal market, every year, hundreds of new items appear on the meal deal aisle.
04:38And according to my poll, 22% of you lot love trying the new things on offer.
04:44Yo, four different dragon roll options.
04:47They had them as an addition.
04:49Wait for it.
04:50Soup in the meal deal.
04:53But I want to find out who decides which new products get added to our meal deal, and how do they know what we want to eat next?
05:01So food retailers will always be looking at trends that are coming down the line in terms of our changing food tastes.
05:09And that is, in and of itself, really, really attractive to consumers.
05:13Today, we'll be in Welling Garden City at the HQ of Tesco, where thousands of people work tirelessly around the clock to make sure the shelves are full in the 3,700 stores around the country.
05:30So I'm here to meet the people whose job it is to predict the future.
05:37Hello.
05:38Hi, dear.
05:39Hello, you must be Cassie.
05:40I am.
05:41How are you?
05:42Welcome to Tesco.
05:43Come on through.
05:44Your job absolutely fascinates me.
05:47It's a really interesting space to work.
05:49Cassie is Tesco's Head of Product Direction.
05:52Oh, wow.
05:53She's one of the people influencing how our meal deals change from year to year.
05:59So, yeah, we try to inspire product developers a lot to help them understand what's coming in the future.
06:07Yeah.
06:08That's the role of my team.
06:09So as Head of Product Direction, I'm all about looking at the direction of travel for food.
06:14So how far ahead are you looking?
06:17So I'm looking anywhere from 18 to 36 months, but I also collaborate with other parts of the business that are looking even further out in terms of technology, packaging, ingredients, so we can all come together and co-create what the future might look like.
06:33So this is where our future meal deals are going to be coming from.
06:38Very much so, yeah.
06:39Some of these products on these shelves I've never seen before, so I can only assume they're from around the world.
06:46Yeah.
06:47So can you talk me through some of them?
06:48Yeah.
06:49So snacking is a huge part of the meal deal and it's so interesting to see whether people go for fruit or whether they go for something that's maybe more traditional like crisps.
06:59Yes.
07:00Over in America, we saw this brand Wild.
07:02It's been out for a while, but it is protein chips that are made with chicken breast, egg white and chicken bone broth.
07:11So they are a lot healthier than the everyday crisps you might get with a meal deal these days.
07:16They are healthier and they have got natural protein in there as well.
07:19Yes.
07:21So the next one is around mushrooms.
07:23I've got to say, I'm a huge mushroom fan.
07:25They are only going to become more popular really, but their benefits for mental and wellbeing, brain health are really starting to become more documented.
07:35In LA, they put shots of mushrooms into coffee on a morning.
07:39One such mushroom is called lion's mane and among its health claims, new research says it could potentially help in the treatment of early Alzheimer's.
07:48So the future of the mushroom is bright.
07:50It's very, very bright.
07:51Good.
07:52This is another product that we picked up in America and it's a spicy salted egg salmon skin snack.
07:57Oh.
07:58So that's lots of new things all in one.
08:00So it's got lots and lots of heat in it.
08:02The salmon skin is dried and then it's seasoned with this spicy salted egg.
08:07Yeah.
08:08So that is a little explosion of flavour and it's just something that I think is really fun.
08:12I love a bit of crunchy salmon skin when it comes to my food.
08:15So this one might be right up my street.
08:18Could we see any of these in our meal deals this time next year?
08:22We've got big launches coming up for summer soon.
08:24And so you might see elements of some of these.
08:27I'll be looking out for those crispy salmon skins.
08:29Remember, you heard it here first.
08:31I'm also here to meet Eileen, head of product development.
08:36Eileen and her team taste hundreds of new products every week.
08:40And they are also looking at ways to make the meal deal classics even better.
08:44And that includes the BLT, a constant in the Tesco top 10 bestseller list.
08:49So as an example of the forensic work we'll go through.
08:53Okay.
08:54For just a simple bacon, lettuce and tomato product.
08:58Yeah.
08:59We will look at and really drill down all the raw materials that go into that product.
09:03So the softness of the bread, the creaminess of the mayonnaise, the juiciness of the tomato.
09:09The lettuce and the bacon.
09:11We will forensically go through each part of that raw material to make sure it's delivering in the sandwich.
09:17Nobody wants a soggy sandwich, do they Joe?
09:20They definitely don't.
09:21So what we've done is we've actually developed our own variety of tomato.
09:27Can I please stop you there?
09:29Of course you go.
09:30I have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with a tomato.
09:32Find a tomato in a sandwich makes it slight, slightly.
09:36And we've had that feedback from our customers.
09:38Some tomatoes leak 12% of their moisture into the bread.
09:42A right soggy mess.
09:43But varieties developed especially for the sandwich industry can cut that down to just 3%.
09:49We did have a tomato gate here at Tesco.
09:52Come on, tell me.
09:53Where we couldn't get the tomato right.
09:56Yeah.
09:57And obviously that was what was available.
09:58And that's what led us to work with our supplier to actually develop our own unique tomato.
10:04What makes this tomato different from other tomatoes?
10:11So I couldn't tell you every secret.
10:14Tell me what you can tell me.
10:16It is the juiciness and the size of it.
10:19Do you mind if I have a little bite?
10:20No, of course not.
10:23Mmm.
10:24That is a lovely tomato.
10:26That is sweet.
10:27It's got a nice little salty back note to it.
10:29Yeah, we're really pleased with that.
10:31And the BLT looks amazing.
10:32But what about other like new products coming through that you can talk about?
10:37We're obviously seeing high protein and health coming in.
10:40But we're also seeing where people buy the product.
10:43Okay.
10:44So like vending machines.
10:45We're seeing that a lot in Korea.
10:47Choose your nudes.
10:48Pay for your nudes.
10:52You could just order a meal deal sat at home.
10:56You can get it delivered within minutes.
10:58Yeah.
10:59You could also be delivered by a drone.
11:00Wow.
11:01And you could actually ask AI to select your meal deal.
11:04How about that?
11:05Stop it.
11:06If you think about how digital has changed how we shop for things.
11:14Maybe in future we'll be using our own shopping agents or assistants to negotiate on our behalf for whatever the best deal might be amongst all the supermarkets.
11:24Just take me to what I need quickly and make sure it's right for me.
11:29And that's what the agent is really going to revolutionise I think in terms of how we buy what we buy going forward.
11:35I won't have to do nothing soon.
11:36Yeah.
11:37I'll just sit in my chair and watch a bit of football.
11:40AI sorted it out for me.
11:41Yeah.
11:46Coming up.
11:47I've delved further into the future of meal deals to find out if plastic packaging could soon be a thing of the past.
11:54A material of the past.
11:55A start of the future.
11:57And I put some meal deal fans to the test to see if meal deals can ever be healthy.
12:02Free!
12:03There's some meal deals that take you past like a thousand calories.
12:06And you eat it and you're just not full of that at all.
12:17I'm finding out what our meal deals might look like in the future.
12:21But the future isn't just about the food.
12:24It's also about the packaging it arrives in.
12:27With UK homes chucking away over a hundred billion bits of plastic packaging every single year.
12:3738% in my poll say they considered how eco-friendly the packaging is before they make their choices.
12:44But there's an even bigger problem.
12:47Packaging is actually only about 7% of the sustainability issues in the industry.
12:52One of the biggest concerns which affects packaging is the risk of food waste.
12:57Because food waste has got the biggest carbon footprint of most things.
13:02But packaging needs to work to stop food waste.
13:06If it doesn't keep it fresh, you're going to end up with more food waste.
13:09So it's a very delicate area to deal with.
13:14The UK produces around 10.7 million tonnes of food waste each year.
13:20With an estimated value of 22 billion pounds.
13:22But if we can't keep using plastic to keep our food fresh, I want to know what's the alternative.
13:29So I've come to Cambridge where some very clever scientists have found a solution.
13:34Hello.
13:39Hi there.
13:43Obviously with the convenience of the meal deal comes the downside of the packaging.
13:48And the little birdie tells me that you guys are trying to combat that problem.
13:52There's plastics in our everyday items.
13:57And sometimes they're quite hidden.
13:59So things like your takeaway box, your coffee cup, and then your favourite meal deal sandwich.
14:05That packaging also has plastic in it.
14:08The plastic triangle sandwich box first became common in the 1980s, when the sandwich started being mass produced.
14:16But even the mostly cardboard ones you see now contain more plastic than you may think.
14:23Mark, tell us what sort of plastics are hidden within these packaging.
14:27So I've got a great example to show you.
14:28Okay.
14:29So, here, I've pre-soaked a sandwich box in water.
14:35Right.
14:36And as you can see, I can essentially take, you know, all this plastic lining, which is, you know, present in a sandwich box.
14:43So this highlights the extent that plastic is present in takeaway boxes like sandwich packages.
14:50So if you'd submerged that into water as well, you'd get the same plastic film that comes off of it.
14:55Yes.
14:57All food containers have some sort of plastic.
15:00So when we, as consumers, are buying something, and you look at this, you think,
15:04oh, that's amazing, because that's totally recyclable, and really, there's hidden plastics in that as well.
15:11A hundred percent.
15:15So what are you going to replace them with?
15:17This is a completely plastic-free sandwich box that you've got there.
15:21The coating inside the sandwich box is our Moro coating.
15:24The window is made from our Moro film, making this a completely plastic-free sandwich box.
15:31The plastic window is very important to supermarkets.
15:34If we can't see, we won't buy it.
15:36We won't buy it.
15:37The reason to have that plastic window is that people like, they shop with their eyes, basically.
15:42So you want to see what you're buying in the sandwich.
15:44Is it well-filled?
15:46Is it got nice ingredients?
15:47And so forth.
15:48So you can't get rid of the plastic window.
15:50And what is it made from?
15:52It's made from plants.
15:53It makes no sense to me that the supermarkets are not knocking your door down.
15:57We've already managed to reduce our use of single-use plastic shopping bags by a huge 98%.
16:04Since the 5P charge was introduced in supermarkets in 2015.
16:09So this could be another huge step forward.
16:12So what I'm really interested in really is how you make this stuff.
16:17Why don't you make one film yourself?
16:19I can make it myself.
16:20Yeah.
16:21Oh, let's have a go.
16:22Only if you trust me enough not to blow up the laboratory.
16:26If you just try to pour the liquid on this side as uniformly as you can.
16:31So this is all the plant-based materials that you've taken out?
16:35Yes.
16:36Just plants.
16:37What sort of plants are you using with this at the moment?
16:39I know.
16:40Our materials can be extracted from a variety of plants like grapeseed and peas, potato,
16:45corn.
16:46And the properties of these materials are pretty much exactly the same regardless of the plants
16:51they're being made from.
16:53If you just like turn this knob to the right.
16:57It's like a rolling pin.
16:59Absolutely.
17:00And actually this is pretty much exactly the same how it will be made on a much larger scale.
17:04So you can upscale this to make sheets and sheets of this stuff?
17:07Yes.
17:08We've already coated kilometres of paper using our material.
17:11Kilometres of the stuff, yeah?
17:12Yeah, absolutely.
17:13OK, so what happens now?
17:15So once we've coated the glass with our material then this will need to get dried.
17:20OK.
17:21So actually there we've actually got a sheet which has already been dried.
17:24So if you pull it from one of the edges then you can peel the entire sheet off.
17:29Oh, wow.
17:30Look at that.
17:31And that is the sheet that you use for the packaging for the inside of the cups and the
17:37boxes and the outside of the film for the sandwiches.
17:40And the window.
17:41Exactly.
17:42That's amazing.
17:43Yeah.
17:44And that's not all.
17:45These guys use similar techniques to make a film to replace the wrapping found on sachets
17:51and other types of packets.
17:53And because it's made from plants it's completely edible.
17:56Do you want to give it a go?
17:58We've turned that film into an edible protein sachet.
18:01OK.
18:02Pop your protein sachet into your shaker.
18:05Yeah.
18:06Top it up with water.
18:07About three quarters full.
18:11Give it a good shake.
18:12And whilst you're shaking it that sachet is dissolving.
18:16Breaking down.
18:17Breaking up.
18:18We've created zero waste packaging.
18:19Oh, there we go.
18:20So you can pour it onto the glass and give it a taste.
18:26That's incredible.
18:27And as you can see the sachet is completely dissolved.
18:29Oh, well.
18:30Down here.
18:31Chin chin.
18:34Yeah.
18:35That's amazing.
18:36When you think about the amount of packaging a protein shake comes in.
18:40Some of them when you get them they come in these big old boxes made of plastic and lids
18:44on them and we can just absolutely bypass all of that with just these sachets.
18:50So the future of the meal deals when we're looking forward they could be completely plastic free.
18:56Absolutely.
18:57A material of the past.
18:58A start of the future.
19:03Aside from creating all of that packaging waste the meal deal also gets a pretty bad rap for being unhealthy.
19:09I think the concern is that if we make choices really quickly and we're rushed and we are then we might be choosing products that are contributing towards excessive dietary intakes of sugars, salt, saturated fat and perhaps even calories.
19:26And the reason that's a concern is because of its impact on health.
19:30In my poll a very impressive 56% of you's lot are checking your labels before you buy your meal deal.
19:39Well done.
19:40And you's lot I've got a lot to say about the options available.
19:43I feel like there's not enough healthy options because I'm quite healthy eating myself.
19:47There's some meal deals that take you past like a thousand calories like and you eat it and you're just not full of that at all.
19:52There's definitely more options now than there were before but yeah it depends what you're in the mood for I guess yeah.
19:57Meal deal is the real thing yes it keep you strong and healthy.
20:01But what I really want to know is can you be a fan of the meal deal and stay healthy?
20:06So I'm here in Salford for a bit of a challenge with some meal deal fans to find out.
20:11First up Jessie.
20:13Mia.
20:15Sally.
20:17And for some expert advice nutritionist Lucy.
20:24That looks like a good choice.
20:26When we're in a rush making healthy choices is hard.
20:29How many calories do we really need at lunch time?
20:32Are we getting enough protein?
20:34And how much salt is too much?
20:36So we're sending Jessie, Mia and Sally dashing down the aisles to pick up three different meal deals.
20:44And then Lucy can tell us where we're all going wrong.
20:47Well come with you's lot grab yourselves a basket and I'll let you know what we're doing.
20:59Okay.
21:00So the rules are you've got three minutes to find me three different meal deals.
21:07I want one meal deal low in salt.
21:11I want one meal deal that comes in at 600 calories.
21:14And I want another meal deal that's high in protein.
21:17Okay.
21:18I've got me whistle.
21:20I've got me stopwatch.
21:22Are you ready?
21:23On my whistle.
21:24On your marks.
21:25Get set.
21:27Here they go.
21:30The fresh out.
21:31Low in salt.
21:32High in protein.
21:33600 cal.
21:34So Lucy, what would be your golden rule when it comes to a meal deal?
21:37Lots of colour.
21:39And you know what?
21:40A use by date that is either today or tomorrow.
21:43Because if it's got a long use by date, it probably means there's loads of salt in there.
21:46It's probably more processed.
21:48So fresh is best.
21:49Oh my gosh.
21:51This is effort.
21:52I'm learning here as well, Lucy.
21:54Love it.
21:55I'm going to be looking at my new meal deal in a completely different way.
21:57I feel like I can't even read that number.
21:59I don't even know.
22:00Is there anything out there that will surprise people with the amount of protein it contains
22:05and not knowing that it does?
22:07Well, I think everyone's really familiar with like animal proteins, but things like grains,
22:11quinoa, chickpeas, lentils, beans, they are all really good protein sources.
22:16Protein packed meal deals are very popular right now.
22:19Tesco's top combo of 2024 was a chicken club sarni, a Coke and an egg protein pot
22:26with a total of 41 grams of protein.
22:29Does anyone know where the egg is?
22:31Egg.
22:32But if you look at sugar content, a 500 milliliter Coke has 53 grams of sugar.
22:38That's 23 grams over the recommended daily amount.
22:42And that's why people are so confused, right?
22:44It can be really, really difficult to make healthy choices, especially in three minutes plus.
22:47Can I have water twice?
22:49Five!
22:50Oh my God!
22:51Three!
22:52Two!
22:53One!
22:54Well done everybody!
22:55I feel stressed.
22:56You're stressed?
22:57I'm very competitive.
22:58The 600 calorie one, I feel like I lost count.
22:59Erm, I feel like I could have made slightly better choices.
23:00Let's get our baskets and let's find out who the meal deal master is.
23:01Come on you lot, let's go!
23:02I can't wait to see what Lucy thinks of the guys' choices.
23:03We're going to start by finding out who got closest to 600 calories.
23:05So tell me why I got the best.
23:06I'm very competitive.
23:07The 600 calorie one, I feel like I lost count.
23:08Erm, I feel like I could have made slightly better choices.
23:12Let's get our baskets and let's find out who the meal deal master is.
23:19Come on you lot, let's go!
23:20I can't wait to see what Lucy thinks of the guys' choices.
23:25We're going to start by finding out who got closest to 600 calories.
23:30So tell me why is 600 calories important?
23:37The whole point of this challenge was to try and get the guys to really think about making
23:40lunch a full meal.
23:41To try and get to like 600 calories, you know.
23:43We need 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day.
23:46So having 200 or 300 at lunch just isn't going to cut it.
23:49You're going to get to 2, 3 o'clock and you're going to be reaching for the biscuit tin.
23:53Who got the closest to 600 calories?
23:55Who is the winner?
23:57So everyone did really well with this one.
23:59But the winner of the challenge is Sally with 638.
24:03She was just 38 calories off which is amazing.
24:06So well done Sally.
24:07Well, well, well.
24:08Well done Sally, there you go.
24:11Coming in 2nd we have Jessie at 480.
24:17Jessie cook it closer to 600 by swapping the fruit for sushi or chicken bites.
24:22And then 3rd mere 380 your meal was.
24:26So a little bit shy on calories there.
24:28The fruit is healthy but a hummus dip or yogurt would give Mia's calories a boost.
24:33Let's move on to the protein.
24:37And our winner of the protein challenge.
24:39Drum roll please.
24:40It is Mia.
24:42Well done Mia.
24:43Yay.
24:44So Mia's meal deal had 50 grams of protein.
24:47Which is absolutely amazing.
24:48Come on Mia.
24:49Come on Mia.
24:51Coming in 2nd, Jessie.
24:53You had 40 grams of protein.
24:56I think the fruit juice let you down there Jessie.
25:00And Sally came in just under 30 grams.
25:02Walter's healthy but grab a protein shake next time Sally.
25:05Obviously this challenge was about getting the most protein possible in a meal deal.
25:10But the average person does not need 50 grams of protein at lunch time.
25:13The exact amount depends on your fitness level and goals.
25:17But if you're focusing on your protein intake a quick calculation is 0.75 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.
25:25I think per meal around 15-20 grams is a really really good target.
25:30So to be fair all of the meals hit that mark really really well.
25:33Well well done you love.
25:34Well done guys.
25:35You all done very well.
25:36Shall we move on to the salts.
25:39So I think we all need a little bit of salt.
25:41That's healthy.
25:42But the more processed foods you eat the more foods have been treated.
25:45Your salt content will rocket up pretty quickly.
25:47So some really good choices here by the guys.
25:50But the lowest salt meal deal which is just over a gram.
25:54Is Sally.
25:55Oh Sally.
25:57Running away with it.
25:58Congratulations.
25:59The key here she's opted for a tuna sandwich.
26:03So it's not processed meat.
26:04It's not ham or bacon or anything like that.
26:06It's as fresh as you can probably get with a sandwich.
26:09And Mia comes in second with 2.68 grams.
26:12Then Jessie just behind with a total of 2.72 grams.
26:18To stay below the recommended daily maximum of 6 grams.
26:21It's a good idea to avoid higher salt snacks like sausage rolls and Cornish pasties.
26:26Right Lucy the gang have done amazing.
26:28But I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that make the same mistake as I do.
26:31So I like to have like a ham and cheese wrap.
26:34Ready salted crisps.
26:35Yeah.
26:36And maybe like a diet fizzy drink.
26:37Okay.
26:38Where would you change my combination?
26:40Crisp used to be the only thing you could get in a meal deal.
26:42Yeah.
26:43But now it's you know there's eggs, there's fruit, there's yoghurt.
26:45There's so many different things that we can choose.
26:47So maybe you just need to start scrutinising those shelves a bit more.
26:49I would replace my crisps.
26:50Perfect.
26:51With some eggs.
26:52Lovely.
26:53What about the drink?
26:54Diet fizzy drinks.
26:55Low in calorie but they have a lot of sweetener in them.
26:56And sweetener does kick off cravings.
26:58Then I think I would have gone for an oasis as a compromise to the fizzy drinks.
27:03Perfect.
27:04That's yours.
27:05That would be my compromise.
27:06And now sandwich wise I would have gone for a cheese and ham wrap.
27:09So ham tends to be processed you know it tends to be quite high in salt.
27:14Swap me sandwich.
27:15Come on.
27:16Reluctantly.
27:17Rainbow.
27:18You've changed my meal deal completely.
27:19There we go.
27:20Look at that.
27:21Healthy man.
27:22I feel healthy already.
27:23So one thing we have noticed is that you really can get a healthy meal deal if you make
27:28the right choices.
27:29Absolutely.
27:30Right guys.
27:31I think that's a wrap and I don't mean cheese and ham wrap.
27:37Let's get out of here.
27:39Joking aside it is definitely worth knowing how to make healthy choices.
27:44And part of that is looking at the labels.
27:47Front of pack nutrition traffic light labelling appears on the front of products.
27:56So we've got red indicating high levels of nutrients.
28:01We've got amber indicating medium and green indicating low.
28:06And the nutrients that appear on the front of pack traffic light label include fat, saturated
28:13fat, sugars and salt.
28:15You can find nutritional information on the back of most pre-packaged foods.
28:19But not all products have the more visible front of pack is red, amber and green traffic lights.
28:25What I'd love to see is the mandatory implementation of traffic lights.
28:29Because they are currently a voluntary system in the UK.
28:32And supporting people to use them is going to help people make healthier choices.
28:43Coming up.
28:45I'm in Cambridge to see which supermarket comes out on top of my very own rap battle.
28:51It kind of tastes like a rubber ring.
28:54If you know what I mean.
28:55Have you had a rubber ring before?
28:56No, but like...
28:57Out of the ten best selling meal deal sandwiches in Tesco last year, eight of them contained meat.
29:10And that's not a surprise.
29:12Because 72% of us Brits are meat eaters.
29:15But recent research has shown that we should be cutting down.
29:19We cannot continue eating what we are eating today.
29:22We have to reduce our consumption of carbon intensive protein.
29:31So scientists at the University of Leeds are testing thousands of new plant based proteins that might make it into our meal deals in the future.
29:40Our vision is to make alternative proteins mainstream for a sustainable planet.
29:46Who knows, in five to ten years down the line we will see all this product and increasing our choices quite dramatically.
29:54Around 4.5% of us Brits are already vegan or veggies.
29:58But 23% of us are now flexitarians.
30:01Eating meat and fish occasionally.
30:03But switching to vegan or veggie most of the time.
30:06So, whether you're a seasoned vegan or just dipping your toe into plant based eating.
30:12You've got choices.
30:13The real question is, what are the best?
30:16I work for the all day breakfast sandwich, which is quite a meaty option.
30:21It looks horrendous.
30:22I feel like it's best described as stodgy.
30:24Definitely an acquired taste.
30:26Today is a first for me because we're going to be going plant based.
30:32I'm going to be trying a load of vegan wraps.
30:35And to help me decide which ones are the best, I'm going to be getting some help from the wonderful people of Cambridge.
30:41And of course, they all love a meal deal.
30:47Hello, you alright?
30:48Hi.
30:49I'm Jo, nice to see you.
30:50Nice to meet you, Jo.
30:51What is your meal deal go-to combination?
30:53Normally, chicken salad, sandwich, McCoy's crisps.
30:57Ooh.
30:58Yeah, and water.
30:59Nice.
31:00Very sturdy meal deal choice.
31:01Yeah, thank you.
31:02I love meal deals.
31:03You love a meal deal?
31:04Yeah.
31:05So, tell me, what is your favourite meal deal?
31:07I like a BLT sandwich.
31:09Okay.
31:10Bag of salt and vinegar, McCoy's crisps.
31:12A Fanta.
31:13A lady of my own heart.
31:15Well done you.
31:17It's time to get down to the taste test.
31:20I've gone for one of the favourite vegan flavours when it comes to meal deals.
31:24A plant based hoisting duck wrap.
31:26Most of the supermarkets have this flavoured wrap.
31:29But today, I've got one from Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Asda, Boots and Tesco.
31:37Let the wrap battle begin.
31:39Chink.
31:40Good texture.
31:41Good texture.
31:42Good texture, yeah.
31:43Yeah, yeah.
31:44I'm confused that that's plant based, to be honest with you.
31:49I'm a vegan, so, yeah.
31:50Oh, you're perfect.
31:51We've got our first vegan.
31:52So this is going to be a perfect...
31:54Oh my God.
31:55We do live by the five second rule though, yeah?
31:56So we just blow it off and put it back on the plate.
32:01As well as the hoisting no duck wrap, falafel features widely.
32:06While plant based sarnies like no chicken pesto and hummus and veg salads are popular vegan
32:11options.
32:12Mmm.
32:13Okay, it's got more flavour than the first.
32:18Okay, so this one's kind of more balanced.
32:21So it's not too sweet, but you can taste the savoury as well?
32:25No, not your cup of tea.
32:27You can't even swallow it, can you?
32:28Mm-mm.
32:29It kind of tastes like a rubber ring, if you know what I mean.
32:33Have you had a rubber ring before?
32:35No, no, but like...
32:37Some supermarkets have started really innovating with flavours,
32:41like the Co-op's onion bhaji sandwich and Tesco's sagaloo wrap.
32:46And if you fancy a health shake, Huel is another vegan option.
32:50Oh no, that first one didn't taste like meat.
32:54I don't like that.
32:56That is like pate or something, that is.
32:58I don't know, no.
32:59It's alright, time for that one.
33:01It gives a little kick, like a little, yeah.
33:03So you like a little kick in your food?
33:05I love me some Caribbean food.
33:06Well seasoned.
33:07Yeah.
33:08You know, the meat has to be nice and tender.
33:10It just has to be balanced in general.
33:12When it comes to nutrition, these no-duck wraps are all under 420 calories
33:17and below 9 grams of fat,
33:19with Sainsbury's the lowest at just 6.7 grams.
33:23Whereas Sainsbury's real duck wrap has similar calories,
33:26but 9.1 grams of fat.
33:28All plant-based.
33:29All plant-based.
33:30You're not just winding me up.
33:31All plant-based.
33:32I promise you, none of this is real meat.
33:33Tastes really nice.
33:35I think mine might be topped so far.
33:38Oh!
33:40Graham's a vegan.
33:41He knows best, doesn't he?
33:47That takes it.
33:48Wow!
33:49Yeah.
33:50So the purple plate takes it.
33:51Yeah.
33:52Purple plate takes it.
33:53Would you ever eat a plant-based hoisting and duck wrap again?
33:57Yes, I would.
33:58Yeah!
33:59So what we've gathered from today is that there's definitely a firm favourite,
34:05and it's not from Sainsbury's, or Tesco's, or Boots, or even Waitrose.
34:11The favourite from our survey today is from Asda,
34:14and I think the empty plate says it all.
34:18Well done, Cambridge!
34:20And if you're a flexitarian, there's classic Reggie Sarnies,
34:24like cheese and onion, egg and crust,
34:26and newer options like sushi, halloumi wraps, and poke bowls.
34:39We've met some huge meal deal fans on our journey,
34:42but my poll has revealed that there's still a whopping 28% of yous lot
34:47that just don't like the options available in the meal deal,
34:50even though there are 20 million available.
34:53I mean, some people can just be so picky.
34:56And that's a real challenge for the supermarkets.
34:59So, despite there being like 20 million combinations of a meal deal...
35:03Yeah.
35:04..some people are still not going to be happy.
35:06So how do you please them people?
35:08So I think, look, there's obviously a massive range here.
35:11We spend a lot of time looking at the customer data
35:13and trying to understand our customers and what it is they want.
35:16It's so important that we have something for everyone.
35:19But they can't be getting it right for everyone.
35:22In my poll, 35% of people we asked prefer to make their lunches at home.
35:28To find out if there's anything the supermarkets can do
35:31to tempt that 35% back into stores,
35:34I've set some meal deal sceptics a challenge.
35:37Normally, they all cook their lunches at home.
35:40But for one week only, can they survive on meal deals?
35:44We already know that there's a huge choice.
35:46But do they really have something for everyone?
35:49Hi, guys. I'm Alice.
35:53I'm Cecile.
35:54My name's Nina.
35:55This is Souma Shree.
35:56I'll stay at home more.
35:57And we are here to buy some meal deals for the week.
36:00Woo-hoo!
36:01Yay!
36:03Eating meal deals five days a week might not be as healthy as home cooking,
36:07but my willing volunteers are giving it a go
36:10to see what the supermarkets can offer.
36:12Oh, okay.
36:14We're not generally big meal deal kind of people,
36:17so it's going to be really interesting.
36:19Looks good.
36:20I work as a live-in carer.
36:22I'm cooking for the elderly on a daily basis.
36:25That looks like my only sandwich option.
36:27I used to be in IT before solving technical problems.
36:31You want this juice? Are you sure?
36:33Yeah.
36:34I don't generally get meal deals because they don't have anything for me.
36:37I need to be, like, low-carb, low-sugar.
36:40I'm veggie because I have PCOS.
36:43So life has transitioned that way.
36:45Oh, Mummy.
36:46Oh, did you bring me food?
36:47Come sit down and save me.
36:48And let's talk.
36:50I very rarely go for meal deals.
36:53I follow a vegan diet.
36:55I don't pre-plan anything, so I feel like this could work in my favour.
36:59Or not.
37:00We'll find out later if one week of meal deals changes their minds.
37:04Of those who don't buy meal deals in my poll, 27% of you don't like the available options.
37:13I don't think there are enough meal deal options out there.
37:17They need more variation, like pies in there.
37:19Get a little pie on my meal deal, I'd love that.
37:2216% of you say it's for health reasons.
37:25I'd say that the meal deals generally are not very healthy.
37:28But I don't think that anything that isn't a home-cooked meal is.
37:32But for those who do love the meal deal, 41% say it's because it saves you time.
37:37It's a very convenient way of having something to eat fairly fast.
37:42They're quick, easy, can grab them at most places.
37:45Yeah.
37:47But for Cecile, Alice, Sommer and Nina, will the convenience outweigh the negatives?
37:54I've got Bombay potatoes and bits.
37:57I have...
37:58Is it a spicy chicken?
37:59What kind?
38:00Yes, a spicy cooking and couscous.
38:02Um...
38:05Not good.
38:06Not good.
38:07Coming up...
38:10Alice, Cecile, Sommer and Nina deliver their final verdict.
38:15And drumroll please, as I reveal which drink, snack and main reign supreme.
38:21My poll has shown that your favourite sandwich is...
38:34I've already learnt that supermarkets are constantly looking for new ways to win part of the multi-billion pound meal deal market.
38:41But in recent years, they've been hit with new hurdles.
38:45The increase of working from home has certainly challenged those supermarkets to make sure that they give us a reason to get out of the office, the home office, and still go down to their local stores to buy something.
38:59Again, because we are more cost-conscious as well, we might be buying our lunchtime snacks and meals as part of our weekly shop and preparing them ourselves more often.
39:12So the food to go space and anyone offering meal deals have had to really compete much harder for our lunchtime spend.
39:20But have they done enough to convince any of my meal deal sceptics?
39:26Hmm...
39:27I would say, for me, I think that the meal deals are still lacking in low-carb options, especially in the snack category.
39:35For Cecile, it's a no.
39:37It was interesting to try and, you know, I might have a meal deal now if I'm massively in a rush and I can't make my own food.
39:45But I don't think... I think I will always try and make my own food.
39:49Yeah.
39:50While Alice is on the fence.
39:52Overall, it was good.
39:54I don't know if it was my, like, if it's given me everything I need to go forth and conquer the day.
40:01For Nina, she's found the choices limiting and noticed a change in diet.
40:05It was either onion bhaji or falafel wrap. That was it.
40:09To me, that would bore the socks out of me if I was eating the same thing like that every day.
40:14Towards the end of the week, I started to feel bloated.
40:17So for someone like me, I would say that I would use a meal deal as a last resort, not a first or a second.
40:26But busy mum's summer has been won over by the convenience.
40:30Meal deals have not only been my life saviour, they have given me the right thing, right portion at the right time.
40:37Hi, mummy.
40:39So, there you have it. The meal deal isn't for everybody.
40:43And I guess the supermarkets might have to work even harder in the future if they want to tempt more customers through the doors.
40:50And that's the thing. We are ever evolving when it comes to the meal deal.
40:55Choice is very much key. It's the king.
40:59It's all about driving innovation and inspiration.
41:02So we need to inspire and invigorate our ranges constantly.
41:08In this series, my poll has given me real insight into what you guys think about meal deals.
41:15I've learned that 41% of you rate convenience as the most important factor.
41:2019% of you love them for their value for money.
41:24And 88% use a loyalty card to get an even bigger saving.
41:2822% of you love trying new things.
41:3256% look at the labels before you choose.
41:35And 38% consider how eco-friendly the packaging is.
41:39But now, it's time to find out the most important result.
41:44So, here we come.
41:47We asked hundreds of people up and down the country to tell us what their go-to drink, snack and main combination is.
41:56My chicken after deep fry, crispy.
42:00Gluten-free.
42:01Bacon and chicken sandwich. It's really good.
42:04Coconut water.
42:05Ooh.
42:06It's a good one. We buy that.
42:07Caesar salad.
42:08Your breath smells crazy after that.
42:10Yeah, I mean, middle of the world.
42:12Who's going for that?
42:13It's lit.
42:14And it goes without saying, you all have your favourites.
42:19It's a Caesar wrap with the blue Twix's, specifically blue Twix's, they're better.
42:25And then a Dr Pepper, I reckon.
42:27Like a tuna sweet corn pasta pot.
42:30A tub of fruit and just like a simple bottle of orange juice.
42:34Chicken club with a sausage roll and coconut water.
42:38It has to be the ham and cheese.
42:40Probably ready salted and Pepsi Max, I think.
42:44My best meal deal is a cheese and ham roll.
42:47Get it heated up with a tea.
42:50Then we end up with a chocolate cookie, which is good.
42:55And now the results are in and counted and the wait is over.
42:59According to my poll, your favourite drink is...
43:08Are you ready for it?
43:10Cola!
43:13Thank you very much.
43:18Lovely jubbly.
43:20This one's no surprise.
43:22Us Brits drank £798 million worth of Coca-Cola in 2024.
43:27And a lot more than that if you include all the other types of cola.
43:32Now let's move along to the snack.
43:34I can tell you my poll has revealed that your guys favourite snack is...
43:43Ready for it?
43:48Ready salted crisps!
43:50My favourite too!
43:53Yes!
43:54Do it second came another favourite of mine, cheese and onion.
43:59And the much healthier option, the mango pot.
44:04Now, it's time to move on to the main part.
44:08The part we've all been waiting for.
44:11The sandwich.
44:13My poll has shown that your favourite sandwich is...
44:18The BLT!
44:19Yeah!
44:20I'll tell you what that tells me, is that us Brits are traditionalists.
44:33Mmm!
44:38The beloved BLT beat stiff competition from six other sandwiches that came in joint second.
44:44Including smoked salmon and cream cheese and prawn mayo.
44:48Well, I'm very happy with this decision because all of these choices are very much in my meal deal combination.
44:55But what do you guys think?
45:03Boring.
45:04I think a bit dead.
45:05BLT's a bit too standard for me.
45:07And I also think ready salted crisps are very boring.
45:10Salt's on the BLT sandwich.
45:12Yeah, it's a really good balanced sandwich.
45:14Really tasty.
45:15And you know what you're getting with the British favourite, yeah.
45:17I'm not the biggest fan of bacon, but yeah.
45:19No, they're all right though.
45:20I've got nothing against them.
45:21BLT is a pretty staple sandwich for English culture.
45:24Dead.
45:27That's rubbish that.
45:28Ready salted.
45:29That's crazy.
45:30Ready salted.
45:31BLT.
45:32What was that?
45:33Bacon, lettuce, tomato.
45:34That's terrible.
45:35We voted for that.
45:37That's crazy.
45:40If I've learned one thing, it's that everybody has very passionate opinions when it comes to meal deals.
45:46I've also learned that the sandwiches we ate last year could easily stretch around the moon three times.
45:51And that we get a dopamine hit every time we bag that money saving deal.
45:56And with 20 million combinations to choose from, but one thing I can tell you is that the meal deal is definitely here to stay.
46:04Some very fancy Victoria sponges are aiming to be unrecognisable tomorrow.
46:20There's desserts in disguise at eight in Bake Off The Professionals back for a brand new series.
46:25Next tonight, chaos on a crane, bell ringing residents, and a story that leaves officers skeptical.
46:30It's a busy one in Brighton for the night coppers.
46:33It's a busy one in Brighton for the night coppers.
46:35If I don't play a fam, if I'm out of Lighton for the Blinders and new Dre на game'
46:43å¿—ons than anti-joyslei helps it aside.
46:44Couple of death are a tremendous amount of time.
46:45đâu wish would have till the end to Cat ochii loves the night coppers.
46:48That's a huge amount of time.
46:49Thank you for taking advantage of this!
46:51Vamos!
46:52Austin!
46:53What's the most aching thing?
46:54What'd you do to say, Human?
46:56All Хing.
46:57Sure.
46:58Win.
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