“Will It Give Me Diabetes?”: UK Woman Unimpressed With SA Woolies Products Leaves SA Defensive

• A UK dietetics student shared her shopping experience at a Cape Town Woolworths store, comparing it to the UK's Marks & Spencer
• The woman seemed confused by the mix of sweet treats and health products, questioning whether she'd get diabetes or become the healthiest person
• South Africans debated in the comments whether she was praising or criticising the store, with many defending Woolies as better than M&S

A UK dietetics student's trip to a Cape Town Woolworths sparked debate about South African food versus British standards. TikTok user @gigi.nutrition, a nutrition graduate studying for her master's in dietetics, shared details of her shopping trip on 26 December 2025 while visiting a store to do a comparison check. The young woman explained that Woolworths in South Africa is supposed to be like Marks & Spencer in the UK. M&S is a major British retail store that's considered more upmarket than regular supermarkets.

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Right away, the first thing the young woman and her friend spotted was a large knife for sale, which made them wonder if they'd get stopped at customs trying to bring it back. They also noticed the massive size of the salmon fillets, something you wouldn't typically see in UK stores.

Then came the confusion. When they reached the cake section with items like koeksisters and gateaux cakes, the dietitian seemed unhappy. She asked whether all the sweet treats would give her diabetes or if the health products would make her the healthiest person on the planet. It was clear she wasn't sure what to make of the different mix of items on Woolies shelves.

Some things impressed her, like finding chocolate eclairs she remembered from UK stores and the wide variety of granola. But other items left her unimpressed. The Asian barbecue chicken pizza got a hard pass, though she admitted the plain pizza bases might work for people who are lactose intolerant.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Mzansi defends Woolies

People had mixed reactions to TikToker @gigi.nutrition's take on South African Woolworths, with many praising the store's products:

@patatengel said:

"It's better than M&S!"

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@giselle_nutrition replied:

"Oh, absolutely."

@samafrica888 argued:

"South African food is superior to US and UK overprocessed foods that don't taste fresh."

@nikita gushed:

"Woolworths ice cream is the best! It is not like normal ice cream, like 50 times better."

@forevernortheastofenglan stated:

"Woolworths is much better than M&S. My opinion."

@viserys_the_brave wondered:

"Come to think of it, I've never seen these types of videos being taken at Makro in Cape Town. Is there no Makro?"

@sashy suggested:

"The plain pizza bases are nice if you want to add your own toppings, like fior di latte, prosciutto, rocket, fig."

@weliveinCapetown clarified:

"Barone is our Mars. Similar but not the same in taste. Snickers is more like our Nosh.🥰"

@nelisa said:

"Plenty of other places to go to for better value for money. Woolies is not all that."

@matty_123 added:

"Woolworths is the best shop ever. It's my favourite shop 👀."

More stories on Woolworths in SA

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• Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town man who tried the "viral" Woolworths chocolate doughnuts.
• A young entrepreneur's food brand became the first black-owned product to land on Woolworths' shelves, inspiring Mzansi.
• A man's blind taste test comparing chocolate mousse from Woolworths and Checkers sparked heated debate about price versus quality.

Source: Briefly News