“Is It True?”: Cape Town Woman Discovers Woolies Doughnuts Made in Spain, Pic Gets Tongues Wagging

• A Cape Town Reddit user shared a photo of a Woolworths double chocolate tea muffin that clearly stated "MADE IN SPAIN"
• The R18.99 product surprised many South Africans who assumed Woolworths items were locally made using premium ingredients
• Over 150 people reacted to the post, with some defending the imported bakery items

A surprising discovery about Woolworths bakery items has left Cape Town shoppers questioning where their favourite treats actually come from.

Reddit user @Gwen7441 shared a photo on the r/capetown page on 26 July, showing a Woolworths single double chocolate tea muffin with "MADE IN SPAIN" clearly printed on the packaging.

The post quickly went viral, receiving over 150 reactions and 120 comments from shocked South Africans with the caption:

"Please tell me it's an error and that such hasn't been made in Spain," the user expressed disbelief that a product sold at Woolworths would be imported rather than locally produced.

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The R18.99 muffin packaging revealed all the standard information, including ingredients, allergens (glucose, wheat, cow's milk, egg, soya, and tree nuts), and the note that it was specially manufactured for Woolworths Head Office, 93 Long Market Street, Cape Town, South Africa. However, the bold "MADE IN SPAIN" text caught many customers off guard.

Many shoppers had assumed that Woolworths products were made in South Africa using premium local ingredients, particularly given the store's reputation for quality and its marketing around free-range products. The discovery has led to questions about how baked goods can be manufactured in Spain but sold fresh in South African stores.

Reddit users react to Spanish muffins

The discovery sparked interesting discussions among Cape Town residents:

@okaywhattho explained:

"When you're selling enough donuts to fill a plane at R19 a pop, a lot of whacky things begin to make economic sense."

@courageouspeaches clarified:

"They're imported frozen, just like all the bakery items you see in Woolies - baguettes, croissants, danishes. Probably from a supplier like Delice de France."

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@Ok_Acadia_1525 defended:

"Is that the one with a gooey chocolate centre? If it is, it's worth every cent!!! Woolies is world class."

@Malaktown shared:

"Not Woolies in SA but kinda similar: I used to live in Ireland and at Dunnes I once saw a small bag of onions with the following tag: Origin = New Zealand; packaged = China."

@Gwen7441 responded:

"It's the first doughnut I ever bought and it really wasn't a discussion about price… I just can't believe that it has been made in Spain…"

@calypsosa admitted:

"Dunno about the Spain but it's one of the best doughnuts you can buy."

@Thorwawaypissedoff concluded:

"Listen it's a ridiculous price for a doughnut, and I'll happily keep paying it because these things are DELICIOUS!"

How imported food products reach SA

According to the Import Export License, South Africa's regulatory standards for food labelling are maintained by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). All imported food products must meet strict labelling requirements, including clearly stating the country of origin.

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The regulations require products to display either "Product of [country]" if all ingredients are from that country, or "Produced in [country]" if ingredients come from different countries than where manufacturing took place. All labels must be in English and include manufacturer details, expiration dates, batch numbers, and ingredient lists in descending order of mass.

For imported frozen bakery items, products are typically manufactured overseas, frozen, and then shipped to South Africa, where they're distributed to stores and baked or thawed for sale.

View the Reddit post here:

Other stories about Woolworths

• Briefly News recently reported on Woolworths' biltong cake that got mixed reviews from South Africa, but the unusual combination had meat lovers questioning whether it actually worked.
• Woolworths bag prices left Mzansi divided after shoppers saw the hefty price tags, though the debate about whether the fashionable accessories were worth the investment revealed surprising opinions.
• A woman's R7k monthly grocery haul from multiple stores sparked debate about shopping choices, but her decision to shop at expensive retailers had viewers questioning her priorities.

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Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News