CMA Investigates Pasta Evangelists Over Alleged Fake Five-Star Review Scheme

Pasta Evangelists Limited, the artisan fresh pasta chain, found itself at the center of a consumer protection probe when the UK Competition and Markets Authority opened a formal investigation on 26 March 2026, alleging the company offered customers discounts on future orders in exchange for five-star reviews on delivery apps, without disclosing the arrangement to other shoppers who relied on those ratings.

The CMA's case is filed under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, focusing on whether undisclosed incentives skewed the ratings that millions of pasta lovers use when deciding where to order. "People may not have known how reliable or representative those ratings were," the authority said in its formal case opening statement. No finding has been made, and the CMA has been explicit: "At this initial stage, it should not be assumed that Pasta Evangelists has infringed consumer protection law."

Pasta Evangelists responded directly. "The CMA's enquiry in our case relates specifically to the use of incentivised reviews and how these are disclosed," the company said in a statement. "We are cooperating fully with the CMA as it works to understand the facts and the CMA has itself made clear that no conclusions have been reached."

The probe is one of five the CMA launched simultaneously. Autotrader and Feefo are under investigation over whether Feefo, which moderates reviews for the car marketplace, hid a number of one-star reviews that did not count toward star ratings. Funeral firm Dignity is being investigated over whether it asked staff to write positive reviews about its crematoria services. Just Eat, whose delivery riders carry Pasta Evangelists orders across the UK, is also under scrutiny for how reviews are obtained, moderated and presented on its platform.

CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell put the stakes in plain terms. "Fake reviews strike at the heart of consumer trust," she said. "With household budgets under pressure, people need to know they're getting genuine information," not reviews or star-ratings that have been manipulated to push them toward the wrong choice. Research from Which? found that 89% of people use reviews when researching a product or service, and the CMA estimates online reviews influence billions of pounds of UK spending every year. If the authority finds a breach, it can order companies to change their practices and fine them up to 10% of their annual global sales, without needing to go through the courts, under powers enforced since April.

The initial investigation phase runs from March through September 2026, when the CMA will issue its next case update.

The Pasta Evangelists case is a practical wake-up call for anyone ordering pasta online or booking a place at a pasta-making class. When interrogating delivery-app ratings, look for a sudden cluster of five-star reviews posted within a short window with no corresponding spike in orders, uniformly brief text that praises the experience without naming a specific dish or delivery time, and a complete absence of three- or four-star reviews across dozens of entries. Legitimate ratings pages show a distribution; a wall of identical superlatives warrants real skepticism.

If you believe a review-driven decision left you misled, the CMA's online complaints portal accepts consumer reports directly, and Which? operates a consumer helpline for unfair trading concerns. Screenshot the original reviews, note any promotional discount or code you received around the time you left feedback, and log the date the review appeared relative to when incentives were offered: that sequence of evidence is exactly what regulators need to build a case.

The September update will determine whether this investigation moves toward enforcement action or closes without a finding. Either way, the probe has put every pasta brand with a delivery-app presence on notice that a five-star average is only worth what it honestly represents.