Marks & Spencer Percy Pig recipe change sparks outrage

Percy Pig fans are not happy with Marks & Spencer over the newest development of the sweet treat.
M&S customers are not happy with the latest development with Percy Pigs (Picture: Shutterstock)M&S customers are not happy with the latest development with Percy Pigs (Picture: Shutterstock)
M&S customers are not happy with the latest development with Percy Pigs (Picture: Shutterstock)

M&S has changed the recipe of the well loved Percy Pigs, much to the anger of its customers.

What’s happened?

Percy Pig sweets originally contained gelatine, an animal product made from bones. The recipe redevelopment saw the gelatine removed from the ingredients list, now making them suitable for vegetarians.

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Some customers claim that the sweets now taste different, despite M&S claiming that the flavour is exactly the same.

Taking to social media, users asked why M&S felt the need to change the recipe since a vegetarian version of Percy Pigs were already available.

One wrote, “They have an awful texture and chemical aftertaste.”

Another likened the taste to “washing up liquid”.

Agreeing with the social media disappointment, another tweet branded the products “inedible”.

Does anyone like them?

While some M&S patrons are disappointed with the brand, others have come out in defence of the decision.

One user tweeted, “If you are genuinely gutted and outraged about #Percypig sweets, then I figure you probably have a great life but no access to world news #FirstWorldProblems”

Unimpressed with the reality of gelatine, another said, “It always struck me as odd that anyone would want gelatin in a sweet/pudding anyway it is weird boiled off cuts of an animal”

Someone else wondered, “When you look into what actually goes into gelatine, I am baffled why anyone would passionately campaign for it to be in Percy Pigs!”

Why did M&S change the recipe?

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In response to one unhappy customer on twitter, M&S wrote, “For the last eight years we have been working to help our favourite pig move away from using pork gelatine.”

In the tweets the supermarket stated that the move to make Percy Pigs vegetarian friendly had been in response to consumer demand.

“After a lot of hard work we’ve finally perfected a 100 per cent vegetarian Percy – something our customers have been asking us for, for a while,” M&S explained.

“With gelatine phased out, Percy can be enjoyed by even more people whilst reducing the carbon footprint from making them.”

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