Airrrrrr great! X-ray images show how consumers buying anything from Frosties to Skittles are being 'grossly misled' because up to half of packaging contains just AIR

Twelve of the food packets tested contained an average of 40 percent air

 Offenders included Kellogg's Frosties breakfast cereal, Skittles sweets, Knorr  microwave pasta and Nivea cosmetics 

 'We cannot imagine why packaging...without air should not be possible,' said  Armin Valet, of the Hamburg consumer organisation

A consumer watchdog in Germany has slammed food companies who fill their packaging with air and 'grossly mislead' customers.

One of the 12 food packs which was tested and found to contain large amounts of air was Kellogg's Frosties, which have long been marketed with adverts in which Tony the Tiger shouts: 'They'rrrrre grrrreat.'  

The complaint was made by the consumer centre in the city of Hamburg, which used the help of Germany's official measurement authority to scan different packages of food and cosmetics.

In tests it found while some food like crisps need air in the packaging to keep them from spoiling, there were a lot of other products where the producers 'cheated' the customers by playing with the packaging.

Twelve of the food packs which were investigated contained on average 40 percent air. 

The best scoring product had 29 percent air, while the record holder of all the researched products contained a whopping 49 percent of air in the packaging.

Armin Valet, who works for the Hamburg consumer organisation, said: 'We cannot imagine why packaging risotto rice, falafel flour and muesli without air should not be possible, when it is possible when packaging normal flour which is normally sold without air.'

Mr Valet said he noticed double bottoms and thick packaging on three cosmetic products, all designed to make products seem bigger from the outside.

He said many consumers felt deceived by such tricks and want smaller packaging for environmental reasons.

Mr Valet said: 'The X-rays from the measurement authority impressively show how consumers are deceived.'

There are no specifications in the pre-packaging regulation as to how much air in packs is actually permissible and numerous exceptions leave plenty of room for tricks.

Mr Valet said: 'Unfortunately, the sluggish legal requirements prepare the way for the manufacturers.'

He said more consumers than ever are demanding concrete legal regulations which require producers to ensure packages are completely filled and they can only deviate from that rule if there are technically justified exceptions.

The consumer centre in Hamburg will examine whether the tested packs comply with the legal requirements set by German law.

Mr Valet said: 'It has to change' and pointed out that data from one environmental organisation suggests Germans cause the most packaging waste in all of Europe.