The Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is urging consumers to double-check prices at the till after inspections revealed widespread pricing issues at food retailers across the island.

During recent checks, Trading Standards officers visited 31 food retail premises to assess whether customers were being charged the prices advertised and whether special offers were being correctly applied.

More than half of the businesses inspected were issued with advisory enforcement notices because of concerns including price discrepancies between shelf labels and till prices, expired promotional offers still being advertised, and unclear or misleading product labelling.

To date, around a third of the premises have undergone follow-up inspections. All but two were found to have corrected the issues and now meet the required standards.

Tim Glover MHK, chairman of the OFT, said: ‘It is disappointing that so many problems were identified, and our team will continue visits.

‘However, it isn't possible to monitor all retailers at all times, so it’s important that the public contact the OFT when they encounter pricing errors or regularly mispriced goods.’

Under consumer protection legislation, retailers must clearly communicate prices, including VAT where applicable, to avoid misleading practices such as false discounts or hidden fees.

While businesses are not legally obliged to honour prices that are clearly the result of genuine errors, they may face enforcement action if they repeatedly display misleading or incorrect pricing.

The OFT encourages members of the public to report any incorrect prices, confusing special offers, or potentially misleading advertisements. Reports can be submitted anonymously by calling 686500 or by emailing [email protected]

Further guidance for both consumers and businesses is also available through the Office of Fair Trading.