50 Shocking Food Scams That You Won’t Believe

Elsa Goes Awry

We all enjoy having cake, particularly at birthday parties, because it brings happiness. However, if the design of the cake hasn’t been carefully considered, it can spoil a celebration and upset a child. This Frozen-themed cake serves as a prime example of a cake supplier’s deception.

If the baker had looked into Elsa, they might have done a better job with the illustration. Another theory we considered is that the baker did research but didn’t have the artistic ability to create an appealing cake.

In any event, it would certainly be beneficial to conduct detailed research before selecting someone for the job.

Tricky Sandwich

When we purchase a sandwich, we generally expect it to be full because that’s the norm. That’s why we were utterly shocked to see this empty meal. The advertiser certainly knew how to deceive someone. From the shelf, you would assume the sandwich is filled with ham and cheese.

Sadly, this wasn’t the case when the package was opened. This strategy may have worked for the brand, but it likely damaged their overall credibility. After all, would you buy from a company that sells bread as a ham and cheese sandwich?

The Deception of Packaging

Who doesn’t enjoy a box of chocolates brimming with delightful treats? The answer would be everyone, except for the individual who purchased this product. We all would have anticipated every row being filled with chocolate. However, the packaging was designed to deceive the consumer.

What was visible through the transparent section was precisely what this individual received. An overpriced box of chocolates that was not worth the cost is both disappointing and frustrating. Picture buying this item and giving it as a gift to someone.

The packaging strategy was clever, but companies should definitely hire better marketing consultants.

An Incredible Marketing Strategy

It’s well-known that we would like to buy a tin of Oreos due to its elegant appearance and larger quantity. However, this box was just a smart marketing strategy to encourage people to purchase a pack of six Oreos. If we had to guess, we’d wager that this tin was pricier than the regular biscuit package.

We feel sorry for the person who believed they were getting a container filled with Oreos. It’s surprising that a well-known brand would employ such a deceptive tactic. This is why it’s important to be cautious when buying fancy treats.

A Bottle Half Full

Optimists often suggest seeing the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. We would certainly offer this advice to those who have purchased this spice container that isn’t filled to the top. The person in charge of packaging this jar was clever. The label was precisely placed to conceal that the spice quantity was less than advertised.

At least, this person seems to have noticed it early on. This is because the picture was taken in the supermarket. They must have experienced many food deceptions. Otherwise, who would think to check the spice quantity by turning the bottle?

A Snack You Shouldn’t Judge By Its Appearance

We often tend to purchase products based on the packaging. However, you should avoid buying this poppy seed brioche because it has very little filling. According to consumers, the snack only has a small amount of poppy seed filling in the center. These kinds of incidents make us cautious about all brands.

Moreover, marketing experts should avoid overstating the description. Although many might have bought the snack, the brand’s overall credibility has been damaged. Therefore, if you see this brioche on the market shelves, make sure to steer clear of buying it.

The Jerky Box That’s Missing

Many people purchase beef jerky from grocery stores because it’s easily accessible. However, you might want to avoid this specific brand unless you’re okay with receiving only eight small pieces. The top label was intentionally placed to conceal that the box was empty in the center.

The person who shared the photo was quite frustrated by the situation. However, if you pay close attention, the brand wasn’t that deceptive. Anyone who checked the weight of the container would have noticed there wasn’t much inside. This person just discovered this the hard way.

The Candy Meant to Be Frightening

Paleta Payaso is a popular snack with children and some adults. Normally, the treat inside the package is meant to be unique and resemble a clown. Occasionally, it can look scary, so finding such a humorous treat in the package was surprising.

This might not appear to be a traditional food scam, but it all depends on your expectations. If you’ve tried the candy before, you would find this amusing and understand the person’s disappointment. However, even if you haven’t, we can wager that you were probably expecting a clown. Well, sorry to let you down.

The Cone Without Ice Cream

Have you ever had packaged ice cream cones before? If so, you must know that this picture is lacking some ice cream. The chocolate ice cream should be touching the top of the cone.

However, the picture clearly shows that the treat was recently opened, but the ice cream is smaller than the usual height.

It’s hard to find a trustworthy brand these days with all these food and other types of scams. We’re just glad we weren’t in this person’s situation.

Reduced-size Lindt

Lindt is a well-known, premium brand of chocolates, which is why this food scam was unexpected. Initially, the box in this picture contained five pieces of chocolates. However, Lindt suddenly started selling this product with only four chocolates.

Additionally, the brand increased the length of the box, making it appear as though they had increased the quantity. This is why the person in the picture purchased this package. However, by the time they got home, they were disheartened to discover that Lindt had downsized without any warning.

A Tomato the Size of a Burger

Most items on this list are culinary mishaps caused by missing ingredients or other issues. However, this entry is the opposite and involves an oversized tomato meant for a burger. The individual had actually requested the waiter to add extra tomatoes to the fast-food item.

However, instead of using several small tomatoes, the restaurant opted to be generous by placing one large tomato. As you can see, it’s the same size as the burger and occupies more space than the patty.

Therefore, the creator decided to give the impression of a larger burger. While it worked on many people, it also disappointed others because the taste was affected.

The Doughnut With Two Decorations

We have developed several theories about this peculiar donut with two sprinkles. The initial theory is that the donut wasn’t meant to have any sprinkles, and somebody accidentally dropped the two pieces while the icing was being put on. Additionally, some people propose that the donut was intended to be a strawberry sprinkle donut. However, the chef chose not to add the sprinkles at the last minute, which resulted in the two sticking. It’s important to remember that all of these are just conjectures. Regardless of the situation with this donut, we hope the recipient was pleased with what they received.

The Packet Containing Only One Piece of Broccoli

This food scam is one reason why we recommend people purchase vegetables with clear packaging or from a trustworthy source. The person in the photo was taken aback when they bought a package of broccoli florets for a meal. Surprisingly, the product contained only one large piece of the vegetable, which was insufficient and overpriced. The consumer was greatly surprised and shared the photo online to caution others. So if you ever want broccoli florets, make sure not to buy from this brand. Otherwise, you’ll have to make another trip to the store.

What would you like as a side dish?

Nowadays, restaurants tend to take instructions very literally. In the picture, a couple ordered sour cream as a side with their tacos. Looking at the picture, you might guess where the restaurant made a mistake. Yes, you guessed it right.

Instead of serving the dip on the side, a worker put it on the actual sides of the taco. The couple found this amusing and didn’t reprimand the restaurant. However, this doesn’t mean that food establishments shouldn’t be cautious with instructions. After all, the next customer might not be as forgiving.

Fewer Chips, More Air

It’s well-known that chip manufacturers often fill half of their bags with air to make them appear fuller. Doritos, however, seemed to push this tactic further by launching a new package that appeared to be more filled. But if you look closely, you’ll see that the weight in grams of the smaller and larger packages is the same.

This branding strategy disappointed many consumers who checked the weight details. Naturally, when this information became public online, even more people noticed it. This is why it’s important for a brand to be cautious when trying to deceive customers. We tend to notice the small details.

The Bagel Without Vegetables

This is a food mishap that we’re still trying to understand. At first glance, everything might seem fine, but when you examine the pictures closely, you’ll see that one side is missing vegetables. It might have been an innocent mistake by the vendor. However, it could also be an attempt to deceive the customer.

Regardless, the person who received this bagel was likely disappointed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shared the picture to highlight the mistake. We hope that this never happens to you or us. We would certainly be upset about the absence of veggies.

Oreo-flavored ice cream without Oreos

Anyone hoping for Oreo ice cream today had their craving spoiled. The tub was filled with plain vanilla ice cream instead. According to the consumer, there wasn’t a single Oreo piece in the dessert. The cookie brand certainly has a reputation for misleading people.

Previously, we highlighted the Oreo tin scam, and now this ice cream incident. So, we recommend purchasing from this brand with caution. If this happened to us, we’d be upset about not getting our preferred flavor.

Ineffective Advertising

Do you believe this is a scam by a popcorn brand? If so, you’re not alone. We thought the same until we looked into it further. This product isn’t about selling popcorn, but rather the cardboard container.

The item for sale is actually the popcorn box, with the packet inside just being a bonus. The idea is to provide you with a container that can be filled as much as you want.

It’s clear the marketing team didn’t do a great job. This is because many people purchased the box thinking it contained a large packet of popcorn.

The Bacon for $6

Many people frequently order extras at restaurants. The person in this picture ordered bacon for $6, which made them expect to receive more pieces of this dish. Unfortunately, they were served a small portion of bacon, which greatly disappointed them.

You might think the bacon doesn’t look small in the picture, but you’re wrong. The camera was held close to the dish, which makes it appear larger than it actually is. This is one of the reasons why side dishes should be ordered cautiously at restaurants. A high price doesn’t always mean a generous serving.

Bagel with Cinnamon Made with the Wrong Ingredient

Cinnamon bagels are traditionally plain and don’t contain extra ingredients. However, this product strayed from the standard recipe and contained two raisins. The person who opened the bagel was surprised and briefly believed they had purchased a raisin bagel. Usually, this isn’t something to worry about, as the raisins can be removed.

However, if someone is allergic to the ingredient and eats the bagel without opening it, it could cause problems. Since brands don’t always seem to be cautious, we suggest you take care. Therefore, always inspect bagels before eating to avoid unexpected surprises.

A Burrito Without a Center

When the buyer of this burrito first saw it, they believed its long length would satisfy their hunger. However, upon opening the packaging, they discovered that the burrito was not intact. It had been sliced into two pieces positioned at the ends, and the middle portion, which would have made the burrito lengthy, was absent.

This deceptive practice left the consumer disheartened and regretting their choice. We sincerely hope that no one else experiences this, as the burrito seems insufficient for filling an adult’s stomach.

What you desire versus what you receive.

On social media, there are numerous memes about the differences between food expectations and reality. Many eateries tend to exaggerate in their advertisements for new dishes or offers. This image perfectly illustrates how let down one can feel by restaurants. The customer ordered a nacho platter, expecting it to match the promotional picture.

However, they soon discovered that the establishment scarcely added any sauce or meat as toppings. Although one might suggest finding a positive aspect, as the customer received more nachos than anticipated, having to eat them without sauce ultimately diminishes that point.

A Wrap With Very Little Inside

Many people enjoy buying wraps for breakfast or lunch because they are quick to eat and satisfying. However, this individual had a disappointing experience when they discovered that their wrap was filled to less than a quarter of its length. They requested for the egg to be omitted.

However, the restaurant did not inform them that the egg is the primary component of the wrap. As a result, the wrap appeared incomplete without it. Only two pieces of bacon were positioned in the center, and not even half a slice of cheese was added to make up for the absence of the egg.

The Misleading Chocolate Chip Muffin

When you order a chocolate muffin, you might anticipate it being composed of a batter with melted chocolate chips or having a topping inside or on the outside. Regrettably, in this case, the dessert had none, which is disappointing in many ways. No one wants to purchase a chocolate chip muffin that turns out to be just a vanilla one.

What makes it even more insulting and mocking is that the manufacturers included just one chocolate chip inside. We would have preferred if they had included none. That’s because this shows they don’t care about satisfying customers and couldn’t be bothered to make an effort.

A Cannoli of Little Means

Cannoli is a sweet Italian dessert featuring a fried pastry shell filled with various ingredients. The item in this picture is a subpar version that does not do justice to the original dish. The filling in this pastry does not appear to completely fill it.

This is unfortunate as the dish is usually pricey. We sympathize with the person who ordered it. If they have tried cannoli before, they would likely be disappointed. However, if they haven’t, they might be somewhat impressed.

The Betrayal on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a significant occasion for many couples worldwide, so it’s important for everything to be perfect. Unfortunately, while this guy’s girlfriend was considering a good gift, she chose to buy conversation hearts that didn’t turn out to be as great as she had imagined.

These conversation hearts were meant to have romantic messages. However, as you can see, they have no writing on them. Additionally, some of the hearts are misshapen. This is why you shouldn’t buy something you haven’t seen as a gift. At least the guy found it amusing and shared a photo.

Incorrect Sushi

Sushi (nigiri) is a popular Japanese dish in the US, making sushi restaurants quite common in the country. When this individual ordered avocado nigiri, they expected to receive sushi seasoned or filled with avocado sauce.

However, they were extremely surprised when the restaurant presented sliced avocados on a leaf instead of sushi. This is one of the most disappointing things that could happen. We imagine the customer wasn’t pleased when they received just avocados instead of a complete meal. If we had been there, we wouldn’t have been happy either.

Excellent Packaging, Poor Content

We all enjoy garlic bread as a side dish with pasta, pizza, and various other meals. Consequently, snacks inspired by it are also very popular. However, these garlic bread chips aren’t as appealing as their packaging suggests. You might have anticipated the snack would be similar to the dish.

Technically, the chips do have the shape of garlic bread, but the color and taste don’t match at all. This snack can barely be called garlic bread. This image perfectly illustrates how effective packaging can sell a poor product.

A Cookie Package With Incorrect Image

We all know that the images on a snack package often differ slightly from the product itself. However, in this instance, the cookie inside the package is completely different from the printed image. The major difference is that the cookie inside is a chocolate biscuit with two chocolate chips.

On the other hand, the picture on the packaging shows a vanilla batter cookie with many chocolate chips. It’s also quite difficult to determine what went wrong in this situation. Did the packaging company make an error during printing? Or did the manufacturers package the biscuits incorrectly? Regardless, it certainly was not a happy day for the person who purchased this snack.

A salad that costs $5

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be expensive, as salads often come with a high price tag. It’s also frustrating when you order a salad and receive mostly tomatoes with just a few onions. Someone ordered a tomato salad for $5. Clearly, the restaurant didn’t think it through when adding the dish to the menu.

This salad seems like an attempt to take advantage of customers who choose healthy options over fast food. After all, you could easily slice tomatoes at home at no cost. At least the restaurant showed some thoughtfulness by using two different types of tomatoes.

Increase Ice, Decrease Beverage

Fast-food chains have been using this trick for a long time, where they fill cups with more ice than the actual beverage. For a full drink, ask for no ice or for the ice to be separate when ordering. You likely have ice at home anyway, and the drinks are usually already somewhat cold.

The Unsatisfying Sweet

Blueberry muffins are delightful and can easily improve your mood on a bad day. That’s what we believed until we saw this picture of a blueberry muffin that is mostly just plain. It has some frosting on top, along with the fruit, which makes it look appealing.

However, when the person sliced the muffin in half, they discovered there were no blueberries inside. The treat also lacked cream, which disappointed the consumer. This is why you should never buy something solely because it looks nice.

Appearances can be very deceiving, and this blueberry muffin illustrates this perfectly.

False Advertising

Seafood enthusiasts were likely thrilled to buy this jumbo shrimp platter. Unfortunately, the brand was misleading and failed to deliver on its promise of providing jumbo shrimp. They used the packaging strip to deceive people into purchasing the product. The shrimp were cut in half and the pieces were placed at the far edges.

This enabled the seller to conceal the empty section of the tray with the name strip. Customers believed they were paying a fair price for jumbo shrimp, but in truth, they received less than what they paid for. It’s disappointing, and we sympathize with the buyers.

Unfinished Sour Sticks

Children and young adults really enjoy sour sticks, which is why they are easily found on the market. Unfortunately, even this snack is not immune to deceptive practices by some brands. This picture perfectly illustrates the issue. The sticks in this tray were meant to be the full length of the box. However, as you can see, they were cut short and only filled about three-quarters of the package. This is disappointing because people usually can’t get enough of sour sticks. Moreover, the child who received this likely spent the day feeling upset too.

The Broccoli Package Without Broccoli

We certainly sympathize with the individual who chose to prepare their meal with this broccoli package. This is because it was missing the key component it was supposed to have. Instead of including the actual florets, the manufacturers packed it with broccoli stems.

Although stems do have some nutritional value, they aren’t suitable for use in recipes due to their texture. As a result, this misleading tactic by the brand soured someone’s desire to eat. This situation serves as another reason to steer clear of frozen vegetable packets. Not only are they pricey, but they also carry significant risks. Meanwhile, fresh produce from the market poses a safer choice.

A Single Blueberry in Exchange for a Full Pack of Blueberry Granola

It appears that people often attempt to deceive others with blueberry products, as this is the third instance on the list. When purchasing this blueberry granola, one would anticipate finding both components in similar amounts. However, it seems the manufacturer didn’t receive this information, resulting in a poorly made snack.

The bag is undoubtedly packed with granola. However, regarding blueberries, there’s merely a single small piece visible in the photo. According to the individual, the packet was filled with granola, and there was some flavoring that mimicked the taste of blueberry.

The Can With An Opening

This food mishap took us by surprise and truly shocked us. Normally, a can of tomato paste is completely filled to the top. However, this can exceeded all expectations by having a large hole in the center that extends to the bottom of the can.

If the tomato paste had been filled in the middle, the consumer could have used it for a longer period. Unfortunately, they ended up with a piece of tin. The only thing we are left questioning is how the hole might have been created. If the company did it intentionally, then we hope they face legal action for it.

With additional sauce

Burgers are quite tasty when loaded with our favorite sauces. In this image, you’re seeing a burger missing BBQ sauce. What’s intriguing is that the customer had specifically asked the restaurant for extra sauce.

Either the employee didn’t pay attention while taking the order, or the kitchen made a mistake with the instructions. Regardless of the situation, someone’s favorite meal was spoiled.

After all, the burger appears dry and small. Even the onion rings seem smaller than usual. All we can say is good luck avoiding such mishaps.

The Chocolate Mix-up

Are you wondering what’s wrong with this image? Well, the packaging and the actual filling differ significantly. At a glance, you might feel inclined to purchase this product due to the promise of extra chocolate. However, appearances can be deceiving. In the picture, you’ll notice the actual cookie has barely any filling.

It contains only a thin line of chocolate cream, and it’s not even melted. This is ironic because that’s not how the cookie is meant to be. For example, it’s called Milano Melt, which suggests the chocolate should be melted.

The Polystyrene Foam Technique

A mug filled with candy might seem like a great offer until you discover that the candy was never actually in the mug. Instead, it was placed on styrofoam inside the cup to make it look more appealing and plentiful. If we were the marketers, we would have put all the treats inside the cup to satisfy the customers and encourage them to return for more.

However, we suspect that after reading this article, you might not want to purchase one of these products. There is one positive aspect, though. At least the buyer got to enjoy some jolly ranchers instead of none.

The Chocolate Wafer Roll Without Chocolate

This is another example of excessive packaging that has misled many people over time. The wafer roll on the package appears to be filled with melted chocolate. However, in reality, it is dry and doesn’t contain as much as it seems. In fact, the actual wafer rolls have a hollow space in the middle.

Therefore, relying on a photograph is never a good idea when purchasing products. They are used solely for advertising and do not represent the quality or quantity of the item. We sincerely hope that this kind of deception ends in the future.

The Most Terrible Birthday

Birthdays are meant to be joyful and filled with laughter, as they are a reason for celebration. However, the child at this party was unhappy because he received a styrofoam cake. It might take a moment to notice, but the empty white platform in the picture was intended to be a cake, not just a platform.

When the cake arrived, the family was quite pleased with its size and decoration. It looked good on the outside and was deceiving to everyone. This is why we always recommend ordering from reliable and genuine sources by checking reviews and asking for referrals.

The Production Error

Candy is best enjoyed when it’s in its ideal form. Unfortunately, everything seems off in the candy shown in this picture. It wasn’t manufactured correctly, and that’s apparent. The two strips should be attached so that both colors can be eaten at the same time. However, there was an error in production, and the strips are separate. Interestingly, this snack brand is quite popular, which makes it surprising that they made such a basic mistake. We also question whether the candy is truly one foot long, as stated on the package.

The Expensive Piece of Cake

Cheesecakes are tasty and generally cost more than regular cakes. However, this particular slice seems like a rip-off. It costs $10, which is quite pricey for a single slice. Additionally, the portion is quite small.

Normally, cake slices are large triangles that fill up most of the plastic packaging. Whoever purchased this dessert either got tricked or had a strong craving for it.

Otherwise, no one would likely pay $10 for such a thin piece of cheesecake. Hopefully, the flavor was outstanding enough to justify the steep price.

Onions Disguised as Fish

At first glance, the picture might seem flawless, leading one to question if it’s a food scam. However, this impression is misleading. The package, seemingly focused on fish, is mostly made up of onions. It’s a packet of frozen fish available in several grocery stores.

The buyer initially assumed they were purchasing a generous amount of fish because the packaging appeared full. But upon opening, it became evident that the filling was primarily onions rather than fish. The fish was only present in the form of thin rolls wrapped around the vegetables.

Simple Pancakes With an Incorrect Title

Pancakes come in a range of flavors that greatly enhance the dessert. However, these cookies and cream pancakes are unlike anything you’ve seen before. The customer paid an additional $2 to upgrade to the premium flavor but felt practically insulted by the restaurant.

The establishment merely placed an Oreo cookie on top of the pancake and ended it there. This is an act that should warrant the restaurant being banned for deceiving customers. This is because the image does not reflect what cookies and cream pancakes should be. Furthermore, the box is too small for the dish and needs improvement as well.

The Unappetizing Meal

Schools must act responsibly and respectfully towards their students. Hence, we were appalled to see a student’s lunch that was essentially stale and unfit for consumption. To add insult to injury, the student was charged $3.25 for this pizza.

We sincerely hope the student declined to eat this pizza slice. Initially, it appears too old to be fresh, posing a health risk to students. Anyone who consumed this pizza likely ended up in the hospital with food poisoning. Let’s hope the school administration pays more attention to their cafeteria.

The Affordable Alternative to Chicken Strips

Chicken strips are pieces of crispy fried chicken that many restaurants and fast-food chains offer as a side dish. However, this establishment has a new method of preparing the dish. They essentially fry a regular smooth chicken patty and then cut it into four strips.

Once cut, the restaurant labels it as chicken strips. We believe serving this dish to customers is an injustice, as a patty does not do justice to the traditional crispy fried chicken strips. Furthermore, it costs more than typical patty dishes, which surely disappointed customers.

Fries Without The Essential Cheese

Fries are a dish we thought could never disappoint. However, this restaurant proved us otherwise by serving the worst cheese fries we’ve ever encountered. It appears they simply placed a slice of cheese on top of the fries and microwaved it to make it melt.

Naturally, the cheese didn’t melt properly in the microwave. Instead, it shriveled and hardened slightly during delivery. Whoever ordered this must have felt great regret upon receiving it. If it were us, we likely would have refused to accept such a poor order and pay for it.

Deceptive Stadium Food

Stadiums prohibit bringing outside food to increase sales of their expensive meals. Anyone who has been there even once knows that stadium food is one of the biggest rip-offs. This burger perfectly exemplifies our point.

It cost the person $10 and didn’t have any sauce. There was just one tomato, and the patty wasn’t even big enough to cover the entire bun. Overall, this burger is neither appetizing nor satisfying, which is disappointing considering it’s priced at $10. This is why you should never trust stadiums to offer anything worthwhile.