The Top 50 Food Scams That Will Surprise You

Elsa Messes Up

Everyone enjoys having cake, particularly at birthday celebrations, because it brings happiness. However, if the theme of the cake hasn’t been properly considered, it can spoil a party and dampen a child’s spirits. This frozen-themed cake serves as a prime example of a cake provider’s deceit.

If the baker had looked into Elsa, they might have done a better job with the design. Another possibility that comes to mind is that the baker did do the research but didn’t have the necessary artistic skills to create an attractive cake.

In any case, it would certainly be beneficial to conduct thorough research before hiring someone.

Misleading Sandwich

When we purchase a sandwich, we usually expect it to be packed because that’s the norm. So, we were completely shocked to see this empty meal. The advertiser certainly knew how to deceive someone. From the shelf, you would expect the sandwich to be packed with ham and cheese.

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

The Deceptive Packaging

Who doesn’t enjoy a box of chocolates packed with delicious goodies? Well, everyone except the person who purchased this item. We would all have expected the entire rows to be filled with chocolate. However, that packaging was designed to deceive the consumer intentionally.

What was seen through the transparent part was exactly what this person received. An overpriced box of chocolates that wasn’t worth the cost is both disappointing and frustrating. Imagine if you had purchased this item as a gift for someone.

The packaging tactic was clever, but companies ought to hire better marketing consultants for sure.

An Incredible Marketing Strategy

Everyone knows that we desire to buy a tin of Oreos due to its elegant appearance and larger quantity. But this box was simply a smart marketing strategy to get people to purchase a pack of six Oreos. We would guess that this tin cost more than the typical biscuit package.

We feel for the person who believed they were getting a tin full of Oreos. It’s surprising that a well-known brand would engage in such a deceptive tactic. This is why you should always be cautious when purchasing fancy snacks.

A Bottle That’s Half Full

Optimists often use the metaphor of encouraging people to see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. We would certainly give this advice to those who purchased this half-filled spice container. The person in charge of packaging this jar was clever. The label perfectly concealed the fact that the spice amount was less than claimed.

At least this person noticed it early, judging by the situation. This is because the picture was taken in the supermarket. They likely have experienced many food scams; otherwise, who would think to check the spice quantity by rotating the bottle?

A Snack That Shouldn’t Be Judged By Its Appearance

We often tend to purchase products based on their packaging. However, it’s important not to buy this poppy seed brioche as it has very little filling. According to a consumer, the snack only contains a small amount of poppy seed filling in the center. Situations like this make us cautious of all brands.

Moreover, marketing experts should avoid overstating the description. Although the snack may have been bought by many, the brand’s credibility has ultimately been harmed. Therefore, if you come across this brioche on store shelves, be sure to avoid buying it.

The Case of the Missing Jerky

Beef jerky is something many people purchase at grocery stores because it’s easily accessible. However, you should avoid this specific brand unless you’re fine with getting only eight small pieces of beef jerky. The top sticker was intentionally placed to conceal that the middle of the box was empty.

The person who posted this picture was quite frustrated with the situation. However, if you examine closely, the brand wasn’t as deceptive. Anyone who checked the weight on the packaging 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 well-loved snack among children and some adults. Usually, the candy inside the packaging is designed to be quirky and look like a clown. Occasionally, it might have an eerie appearance, making it surprising to find a humorous treat in the package.

While it may not appear to be a common food prank, it all hinges on your expectations. If you’ve had the candy before, you’d likely find this amusing and sympathize with the person’s letdown. However, even if you haven’t tried it, we assume you were expecting a clown. Sorry to let you down.

The Cone Without Ice Cream

Have you ever had packaged ice cream cones before? If so, you’ll know that this picture seems to be missing some ice cream. The chocolate ice cream should reach the top of the cone.

However, the picture clearly shows that the treat has been opened recently, but the amount of ice cream is less than the usual height.

In today’s world, it’s hard to find a brand you can trust because of these food and other types of scams. We’re just glad we weren’t in this person’s situation.

Smaller Lindt

Lindt is known as a popular, costly, and high-quality chocolate brand, so this food deception was unexpected from them. Originally, the box in the picture held five pieces of chocolate. However, Lindt suddenly began selling this product with only four chocolates.

In addition, the brand lengthened the box, giving the appearance that the quantity had increased. This is why the person in the picture purchased the package. However, upon arriving home, they were disappointed to find that Lindt had reduced the number of chocolates without any notice.

A Tomato the Size of a Burger

Most items on this list are food mistakes caused by missing some ingredients or other things. However, this one is the opposite and involves a tomato the size of a burger. The person had specifically asked the waiter to add extra tomatoes to the fast-food.

However, the restaurant chose to be generous by placing a large tomato instead of multiple small tomatoes. As you can see, it is the same size as the burger and takes up more space than the patty.

So the creator decided to deceive people by making the burger look bigger. It worked for many people, but it also disappointed many because the taste was changed.

The Doughnut with a Couple of Sprinkles

We have devised several theories about this unusual donut with two sprinkles. The first theory is that the donut was never intended to have sprinkles, and someone accidentally dropped the two sprinkles while the frosting was being applied. Additionally, some speculate that the donut was intended to be a strawberry sprinkle donut. However, the chef may have chosen not to add the sprinkles at the last minute, leaving the two that remained. It’s important to note that these are all just speculations. Regardless of the donut’s story, we hope the recipient enjoyed their treat.

The Package Containing a Single Broccoli

This food scam is one of the reasons we recommend people buy vegetables with transparent packaging or from a trustworthy market. The individual in this image was very surprised when they purchased a packet of broccoli florets for their meal.

To their surprise, the package contained only one large piece of broccoli, which was insufficient and overpriced. The consumer was so shocked that they shared the photo online to caution others. So if you’re ever looking for broccoli florets, make sure not to buy from this brand, or you’ll have to make another trip to the store.

What would you like as the side dish?

Nowadays, restaurants appear to follow instructions very seriously and literally. In the picture, a couple ordered sour cream as a side with their tacos. By examining the image, you can try to determine where the restaurant made a mistake. Yes, you guessed it correctly.

Instead of providing the dip as a side, an employee applied it to the actual sides of the taco. The couple found this blunder amusing and decided not to reprimand the restaurant. However, this doesn’t mean that food establishments shouldn’t pay attention to instructions. After all, the next customer might not be as forgiving.

Fewer Chips, More Air

Chips manufacturers often fill half the bags with air to make them appear fuller. Doritos went a step further by launching a new package that seemed to contain more. However, upon closer inspection, the weight in grams was the same for both the smaller and larger packages.

This marketing tactic displeased many consumers who looked at the gram values. When a photo of this spread online, even more people became aware of it. Brands should exercise caution when attempting to deceive customers, as details do not go unnoticed.

The Bagel Without Vegetables

This situation involves a food mishap we’re still trying to understand. Initially, everything might look fine to you, but upon closer inspection of the images, you’ll notice that vegetables are missing on one side. This might have been an innocent mistake by the vendor. However, it could also be an attempt to scam the customer.

Regardless, the person who received this bagel was certainly disappointed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shared the picture to highlight the error. We hope this never happens to you or us, as we would be quite upset about the missing veggies.

Ice Cream Flavored Like Oreo Without Actual Oreos

Anyone craving Oreo ice cream on this day definitely had their appetite spoiled. The reason is that the tub only contained plain vanilla ice cream. According to the consumer, not a single Oreo chunk was in this dessert. The cookie brand certainly has a record of misleading customers.

Previously, we highlighted the Oreo tin scam, and now this ice cream incident. Therefore, we suggest that you purchase from this brand at your own risk. If this happened to us, we would be upset for not getting our favorite flavor.

Poor Marketing

Do you think this is a deceptive practice by a popcorn company? If so, you’re not the only one. We also thought the same until we looked into it more thoroughly. This product isn’t about selling popcorn but rather the cardboard container.

The actual product for sale is the popcorn box, with the packet inside being just an extra. The idea is to provide you with a container you can fill as much as you like.

It’s clear that the marketing team didn’t execute well, as many people purchased the box under the impression that they were buying a large packet of popcorn.

The Bacon that costs $6

Many people frequently order extras at restaurants. The individual in this picture ordered bacon costing $6, which led them to expect a larger portion. However, they were served only a small piece of bacon, leaving them very disappointed.

You might believe that the bacon doesn’t look small in the picture, but that’s incorrect. The camera was held close to the dish, making it appear larger than it actually is. This illustrates why sides should be ordered carefully in restaurants. A high price doesn’t always mean a generous portion.

Bagel with Cinnamon Made with the Wrong Ingredient

Cinnamon bagels are generally plain and do not contain extra ingredients. However, this particular product deviated from the standard recipe and contained two raisins. The person who opened the bagel was surprised and momentarily thought they had bought a raisin bagel. Typically, this wouldn’t be a big issue since the raisins can be removed.

However, if someone is allergic to this ingredient and ate the bagel without checking, it could lead to problems. As brands don’t always seem to be cautious, we suggest you take care. Therefore, always inspect bagels before eating to prevent unexpected surprises.

A burrito lacking a center

When the buyer first saw this burrito, they believed it would satisfy their hunger due to its long length. However, upon opening the packaging, they found the burrito wasn’t whole. It had been cut into two pieces placed at the ends, with the middle part that would have made it long missing.

This deceptive presentation disappointed the consumer, making them regret their purchase. We hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else, as the burrito doesn’t appear sufficient to fill an adult’s stomach.

What You Desire Versus What You Receive

On social media, you’ll come across numerous memes about food expectations compared to reality. Many food establishments tend to overstate things when promoting a new dish or offer. This picture is a prime example of how underwhelming restaurants can be. The individual ordered a platter of nachos, anticipating it would match the image in the advertisement.

They weren’t aware that the establishment would scarcely use any sauce or meat as toppings. While you might see a positive side that the customer received more nachos than anticipated, the lack of sauce ruins it all.

A wrap with very little filling

We often enjoy buying wraps for breakfast or lunch because they’re quick to eat and satisfying. Unfortunately, one person had a disappointing experience when they discovered their wrap was less than a quarter full. They requested the wrap without an egg.

However, the restaurant didn’t inform them that the egg was the main filling of the wrap. Without it, the wrap appeared incomplete. Only two pieces of bacon were added to the center, and not even half a slice of cheese was included as a substitute for the egg.

The Misleading Chocolate Chip Muffin

When you purchase a chocolate muffin, you’ll likely expect it to be composed of a batter with melted chocolate chips or to have an inner or outer topping. Unfortunately, in this instance, the dessert lacked any of these elements, which is disappointing on several fronts. No one wants to purchase a chocolate chip muffin that’s merely a vanilla one.

What makes it even more annoying and insulting is that the manufacturers included just one chocolate chip inside it. We would have rather they not included any at all. This is because it demonstrates a lack of concern for customer satisfaction and a failure to put in any effort.

An Inferior Cannoli

Cannoli is a sweet Italian dessert made of a fried pastry filled with various ingredients. The item in this picture is a subpar version of cannoli that disrespects the original dish. It appears the filling in this pastry doesn’t fully cover it.

This is disappointing since the dish is usually costly. We empathize with the person who ordered it. If they’ve had cannoli before, they would likely be disappointed. If not, they might have found it somewhat impressive.

The Betrayal of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a significant occasion for many couples worldwide, making it important for everything to go smoothly. Unfortunately, when this guy’s girlfriend was considering a suitable gift, she chose to buy conversation hearts that ended up being less impressive than she had hoped.

The conversation hearts were meant to have romantic messages on them. As you can see, they have no writing. Moreover, some of the hearts are poorly shaped. This is why you shouldn’t buy a gift without first seeing it. At least the guy found the humor in it and shared the image online.

Incorrect Sushi

Sushi (nigiri) is a popular Japanese dish in the US, leading to numerous sushi restaurants across the country. When someone ordered the avocado nigiri, they expected to receive sushi seasoned or filled with avocado sauce.

However, to their surprise, the restaurant served avocados lined up on a leaf instead of sushi. This is considered one of the worst dining experiences. It’s likely that the customer was not pleased when they were served just avocados rather than a complete meal. If we had been there, we wouldn’t have been satisfied either.

Attractive Exterior, Poor Quality Inside

Garlic bread is a favorite side dish with pasta, pizza, and other meals. This is why garlic bread-based snacks are quite popular. However, this packet of garlic bread chips falls short of its packaged promise. You might have expected the snack to mirror the dish itself.

In terms of shape, they do mimic garlic bread. However, their color and taste do not align whatsoever. It would be a stretch to call this snack garlic bread. This image perfectly illustrates how effective packaging can promote the sale of a subpar product.

A Cookie Package With an Incorrect Image

We all know that the images on a snack package often differ slightly from the actual product. However, in this case, the cookie inside the package is completely different from the printed picture. The key difference is that the cookie inside is a chocolate biscuit with two chocolate chips on it.

On the other hand, the packaging shows a vanilla cookie with lots of chocolate chips. It’s difficult to determine where the error lies. Did the packaging company make a mistake when printing, or did the manufacturers package the cookies incorrectly? Either way, it certainly wasn’t a pleasant surprise for someone who bought this snack.

A salad priced at $5

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be expensive, as salads often come with a high price tag. It is also frustrating when you order one and receive just tomatoes with a few onions. The customer ordered a tomato salad for $5. It seems the restaurant didn’t consider carefully before adding this dish to the menu.

This salad is essentially there to exploit customers who opt for healthy food over fast food. After all, you can slice tomatoes at home and eat them at no cost. At the very least, the restaurant did use two different types of tomatoes.

Increased Ice, Reduced Drink

This drink trick is something fast-food chains have been doing forever. They fill less than half the cup with the beverage and fill the rest with ice. Fortunately, we have a tip to help you avoid this trick.

When ordering takeout or delivery, specify that you want no ice or that you’d like the ice on the side. At home, you likely have ice in your freezer, and drinks are usually somewhat cold already.

The Unsatisfying Sweet Treat

Blueberry muffins are tasty and can easily brighten a gloomy day. We believed this until we came across a picture of a blueberry muffin that was mostly just plain. There’s some icing on top, along with the fruit, which makes it look appealing.

However, when the muffin was cut in half, it became evident that there were no blueberries inside. The pastry was also missing cream, which disappointed the purchaser. This is why you should never purchase something just because it looks attractive.

Looks can be very misleading, and this blueberry muffin serves as a perfect example of that.

Deceptive Advertising

Seafood enthusiasts must have been keen to buy this jumbo shrimp tray. However, the brand was engaging in false advertising and failed to deliver on its promise of providing jumbo shrimps. They used the packaging label to deceive people into purchasing the product. The shrimps were cut in the middle, and the pieces were placed at the two far ends.

This allowed the seller to conceal the empty section of the tray with the label. So customers believed they were getting a fair deal on jumbo shrimps, but in reality, they paid more than what they received. It’s disappointing, and we sympathize with the buyers.

Partially Finished Sour Straws

Children and young adults are very fond of sour sticks, which is why they are widely available in stores. However, even this snack is not immune to deceptive food brands. This image perfectly illustrates what we mean. The sticks in this tray were intended to be as long as the entire box.

However, as you can see, they have been shortened and only fill about three-quarters of the packet. This is disappointing because people generally can’t get enough of sour sticks. Furthermore, the child who ended up with this might have been in a bad mood all day.

The Broccoli Package Without Broccoli

We certainly sympathize with the person who chose to use this packet of broccoli for their meal. The reason being, it missed the primary ingredient it was supposed to have. Instead of the actual florets, the producers packed the package with broccoli stems.

Although stems do have some nutrients, they are not suitable for dishes because of their nature. As a result, a brand’s deceitful method spoiled someone’s appetite. This incident serves as another reason to steer clear of buying frozen vegetable packets. They are not only pricey but also carry considerable risks. On the other hand, fresh produce from the market is a more reliable choice.

A Single Blueberry in Exchange for an Entire Packet of Blueberry Granola

It appears that scams are common when it comes to blueberry products, as this is the third such example. If you purchase this blueberry granola, you would expect to find blueberries and granola in relatively equal amounts. However, it seems the manufacturer didn’t realize this, resulting in a flawed snack.

The packet is definitely filled with granola, but as for blueberries, there is just one small piece visible in the picture. According to the individual, the packet contained granola and some flavoring that tasted like blueberry.

The Can with a Hole

This unexpected food blunder surprised us and truly shocked us. Usually, a can of tomato paste is filled completely to the brim. However, this can defied expectations by having a large hole in the center that extended to the bottom of the tin.

If the tomato paste had been filled from the center, the consumer could have used it for a longer time. Unfortunately, they ended up with a piece of tin. The only thing we’re left wondering is how the hole might have been created. If the company did it intentionally, then we hope they are sued for it.

With additional sauce

Burgers are quite tasty when loaded with our preferred sauces. This picture shows a burger missing BBQ sauce, even though the customer specifically requested extra sauce. It’s intriguing because the customer had asked for additional sauce.

Either the employee didn’t pay attention when taking the order, or the kitchen misinterpreted the instructions. Regardless, someone’s favorite meal was spoiled.

The burger appears dry and small. Even the onion rings look smaller than usual. We can only wish you good luck in avoiding such disappointments.

The Chocolate Accident

Are you curious about why this picture seems off? The issue is that the packaging and the actual cookie filling differ greatly. The packaging makes the product seem enticing because of the extra chocolate shown. However, this is misleading. The picture shows that the real cookie has very little filling. It only has a thin line of chocolate cream that isn’t even melted. This is ironic because the cookie is supposed to be different. For example, it’s called Milano Melt, implying the chocolate should be melted.

The Polystyrene Hack

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

However, we doubt that after reading this article you would still want to purchase one of these products. There’s one positive aspect in all of this, though. At least the buyer got to enjoy some Jolly Ranchers rather than nothing.

The Chocolate Wafer Roll Without Chocolate

Here is another example of excessive packaging that has misled many people over the years. The wafer roll on the packet appears to be overflowing with melted chocolate. However, in reality, it is dry and does not contain as much. In fact, the actual wafer rolls have some hollow space through the middle.

This is why relying on a photograph is never a good idea when it comes to buying products. They are only used for advertising and do not reflect the quality or quantity of the item. We sincerely hope that this type of deception ends in the coming years.

The Most Terrible Birthday Ever

Birthdays are meant to be filled with happiness and laughter since they are a reason to celebrate. However, the child at this party wasn’t pleased because he received a styrofoam cake. It may take a moment to notice, but the empty white block in the picture was intended to be a cake, not just a stand.

When the cake was delivered, the family was delighted with its size and decoration. It seemed appealing enough from the outside to fool everyone. That’s why we always recommend people order from trustworthy and genuine sources by checking reviews and getting referrals.

The Production Error

Candy is wonderful when it’s in its ideal form. However, everything is wrong with the one in this image. It hasn’t been produced correctly, and it’s obvious. The two strips should be joined so both colors are eaten together.

Yet, there was a manufacturing error, and the two strips are separate. Surprisingly, this snack brand is pretty well-known, which is why it’s hard to believe they’d make such a basic mistake. We also question whether the candy is truly one foot long as described on the package.

The Slice of Cake That’s Too Expensive

Cheesecakes are tasty and generally pricier than regular cakes. However, this slice has taken food pricing to a new level. It’s priced at $10, which is rather expensive for just one piece of cake. Moreover, the slice is quite small.

Usually, slices of cake are large triangles that fill most of the space in this kind of plastic packaging. The person who bought this dessert either got tricked or really craved it.

Otherwise, no one would have spent $10 on such a slim slice of cheesecake. Let’s hope it tasted fantastic to justify the high cost.

Onions Disguised as Fish

If you glance at the picture just once, it seems flawless and you might argue that it’s not deceptive. However, that’s a misconception because this package, which supposedly has fish, is mainly filled with onions. This is a packet of frozen fish available in many grocery stores.

The buyer assumed they were getting plenty of fish since the box appeared full. But upon opening it, they discovered that the stuffing was mostly onions rather than fish. The seafood was limited to the thin outer layers wrapped around the vegetable.

Pancakes Without a Proper Name

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

The establishment merely placed an Oreo cookie on top of the pancake and considered it sufficient. This act should result in the restaurant being banned for misleading customers because this image is not representative of cookies and cream pancakes. Furthermore, the box is too small for the dish and also needs improvement.

The Unfresh Meal

Schools must demonstrate responsibility and respect toward their students, which is why we were appalled to see this student’s lunch being nearly inedible. To make matters worse, the child had to pay $3.25 for this pizza.

We sincerely hope the child refused to eat the slice. It appears too stale to be fresh, posing a health risk for the students. Anyone who ate this pizza likely ended up in the hospital with food poisoning. Let’s hope the school management gives more attention to their cafeteria.

An Affordable Way to Make Chicken Strips

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

After cutting the patty, the restaurant names it chicken strips. We believe serving this dish to customers is a crime because a patty can’t do justice to the classic crispy fried chicken strips. What’s worse is that it costs more than typical patty dishes. Therefore, this scam surely disappointed the customer.

Cheese Fries Missing the Essential Component

We always thought fries couldn’t go wrong, but this restaurant proved us wrong with the worst cheese fries we’ve ever encountered. It looks like they just put a slice of cheese over the fries and microwaved it to melt.

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

Stadium Food Fraud

Stadiums prohibit people from bringing in outside food to increase their sales of expensive meals. Anyone who has visited even once understands that stadium food can be one of the biggest rip-offs. This burger serves as perfect evidence of that claim.

It cost the individual $10 and had no sauce. There was just one tomato, and the patty wasn’t big enough to cover the entire bun. Overall, this burger is neither attractive nor satisfying, which is disappointing given its $10 price tag. This exemplifies why you shouldn’t rely on stadiums for quality offerings.