Vegan woman’s Coles mistake prompts calls for supermarket change

Coles shoppers are calling for an aisle change after a vegan made a “disgusting” mistake and blamed the store’s “confusing” stacking system.

Shoppers are calling for change at Coles after a vegan woman revealed she accidentally ate an animal product due to the grocery giant’s confusing product layout.

The shopper was furious a product that was free from gluten and wheat but not animals was placed in a fridge that was otherwise full of vegan products.

Sharing a photo of a Coles’ fridge, you can see a shelf of “I’m Free From” items stacked between two rows of plant-based products.

The post created quite a stir among Twitter users, some agreeing the placement was a clumsy choice and others arguing the woman should have read the box before buying it.

A Coles spokesperson said the complaint was “concerning”, explaining it groups “similar” products together but this is dependant on store size.

Shoppers are calling on Coles to reconsider how it stacks its shelves after a vegan complained she’d accidentally eaten meat stacked between the plant-based products. Picture: Twitter

“We have a growing number of customers choosing to purchase vegan and meat-alternative products and we are working hard to continue to expand that range to meet their demands,” the spokesperson said.

“”Where possible we group similar items together, but this is not always possible due to the different shelf space and layouts in our stores across our network.

We are concerned to hear about this customer’s experience and have referred this issue to the National Grocery Space Department for their consideration.”

On social media, those who agreed with the vegan’s “disgust” called on the supermarket to reassess its stacking system.

“I bought this up with Coles a year ago. I was so close to feeding my vegan partner chicken. It’s not just the placement, the entire design of the box looks just like their other vegan stuff,” one person responded.

“The product separation needs addressing, I’m gluten free and have been confused as to what is vegan vs gluten free in the freezer aisles a few times,” another said.

Someone else agreed, saying the supermarket’s “vegan products are really spread out and dotted all over” and called on Coles to “please organise them into a separate area”.

Coles said how shelves were stacked depended on the store’s size. Picture: Getty

Many told the shopper she should have read the label, and told her she shouldn’t blame Coles for not thoroughly checking the ingredients before consuming the product.

“Maybe pay attention to what you are purchasing? Blaming someone else for your complacency is pretty pathetic,” one wrote.

“Here is a strange thought, try reading your labels when you shop if this is such an issue. If you are foolish enough to buy it without checking that’s on you,” another said.

Someone who wasn’t vegan agreed with the sentiment of the post, stating they didn’t want gluten free food mixed in with vegan food either.

“We don’t want our food near yours either, vegans ruin gluten free food, bad enough we have to eat gluten free, but then to pick up something vegan,” they wrote.

“How about you just learn to read labels. Isn’t it clear that the Free From Gluten chicken isn’t vegan?” another said.

Supermarket responds to complaint

Coles responded to the tweet to explain why the non-vegan item was added to the vegan fridge.

“Thanks for reaching out. As you can appreciate, in some instances it may be necessary to relocate items to create the additional space required to introduce new products and sections into our range,” an employee wrote.

“We attempt to create uniform layouts throughout our supermarkets, however different store sizes and physical limitations mean that this is not always possible.

“Nevertheless, your specific concerns have been noted and referred to the National Grocery Space Department for their information.”