did I hear right??

Quasar

SuziQ wrote: »

I read that too-it was quite a long article if I remember correctly.

Tesco and Asda have both made staements that it will be their own profits that take a hit from this reduction not the suppliers-I hope so as the suppliers are probably too scared to lose custom to speak out!

No, I read several books by researchers. Off the top of my head I remember that one was called Fast Food Nations (concentrating mostly on fast food and cheap production), another was called The Food On Our Plates. I don't remember the authors, but they were riveting investigations into the fast food industry, how supermarkets have a stranglehold on suppliers, and how they go to poor countries to source produce. Some of the stories about animal rearing and workers' conditions made my hair stand on end.

And yes, the suppliers have always been held at bay with the threat of losing their livelihoods.

I've always believed it's better to eat less but healthier even if a bit more expensive, and that needn't break one's bank account. However I appreciate this is not within everyone's means.

foreign_correspondent

in my opinion - tescos are such scammers, try to take over local shops by pricing low, then when they have put the out of business they bump the prices up. That, coupled with their well known dodgy practice when it cones to planning applications, makes me very reluctant to trade with them, no matter what they cut their prices to.

Penelope_Penguin

Quasar wrote: »

No, I read several books by researchers. Off the top of my head I remember that one was called Fast Food Nations (concentrating mostly on fast food and cheap production), another was called The Food On Our Plates. I don't remember the authors, but they were riveting investigations into the fast food industry, how supermarkets have a stranglehold on suppliers, and how they go to poor countries to source produce. Some of the stories about animal rearing and workers' conditions made my hair stand on end.

And yes, the suppliers have always been held at bay with the threat of losing their livelihoods.

I've always believed it's better to eat less but healthier even if a bit more expensive, and that needn't break one's bank account. However I appreciate this is not within everyone's means.

Have you read Shopped by Joanna Blythman It puts the supermarkets' hold on the British food market into perspective :rolleyes:

In the end the likes of Tesco have their first responsibility to their shareholders. The food-buying public's interests come secondary to that.

Penny. x

Barneysmom

I'm cycnical enough to doubt this ploy very much.
First of all they've probably got a stockpile on things , flour, butter etc, that people haven't been buying lately, and have to sell.

Another thing is, that when shoppers come in and get a few 'bargains' like 50p butter in their trolley, it makes them happy and relaxed.

And we all know what happens then, we spend more money.

Are the beans/spaghetti/tomatoes on a good offer, or cornflakes?
I doubt if they've gone down any, but we've save a pound on the 'amazing offer' stuff and everything else will be just as high but with brightly coloured flags to make you thing you're getting a bargain.
We'll probably end up buying something we didn't go out to buy, because it was 'on offer.
I sadly doubt we'll save any money on our weekly shop by buying what we usually do.

Quasar

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Have you read Shopped by Joanna Blythman It puts the supermarkets' hold on the British food market into perspective :rolleyes:

In the end the likes of Tesco have their first responsibility to their shareholders. The food-buying public's interests come secondary to that.

Penny. x

Yep Penny, that book too, a while back.

What I find downright immoral is the way big supermarket chains, those with a collective monopoly on the food industry, are calling the shots with farmers, changing the goalposts at the last moment, demanding "contributions" in order to keep the clients.

Unfortunately, when the media (and therefore the public ) get to know about these facts there is a bit of a hulabaloo and hand-wringing, but then some exciting development in, say, Big Brother or other two-day wonder grab the general attention and how our food really gets to the shelves is forgotten. As long as it's cheap, people will buy it.

British meat is excellent, and I think meat farmers should be looked after much better than they are at the moment. Ditto for all other farming produce.

EDITED much later as I noticed a missing word..

studentgirl_2

Here Here I love the way this thread has gone, I would like to say that I have not sucomed to the big boys and brought there so called bargins. Instead I went to my local market for a tone of fruit. (3 gala melons for a quid) so ******** Mr A. also poped by my butcher for meat and a lovley smile hello. Went to the asain supermarket for flour and fresh herbs had a lovley morning out and about, not stuck in the big supermarket with fed up people and cheesey music. I loved it. :j

craftingqueen_2

We have no chance of getting these Asda products,as an Asda is at least 30 miles away from us. We have 3 Tesco to go to instead.

Trow

30 miles - you are so lucky! My nearest Asda is over 200 miles away - same with Mr T - although we will have one in about two weeks time.

At the moment the only supermarket we have is the co-op...

studentgirl_2

Trow where do you live for shopping to be lacking so much choice.

Pitlanepiglet

Might have to take a trip to Asda for a stockpile of butter for the freezer.

My Tesco gripe is that at the Tesco that's the only supermarket within 20 miles of my Dad's house (in the area where we're moving back to in six months) they have way fewer offers and BOGOFs than they have in our Tesco where there is loads of competition. The cost of shopping there is higher than in Bristol where there is lots of competition.