The True Cost of Cheap Food?

competitionscafe

Interesting article and blog post/discussion in today's paper. It is also the subject of a Channel 4 programme next week. It does mainly refer to value meat products (pies, sausages) and prepared products (apple pie) rather than individual ingredient value products or value fruit and veg "where the value ranges score well".

"Top stores call them 'budget food lines'. I say they are a disgrace Sales of supermarkets' 'value' products have soared in the recession. But, as Jay Rayner has discovered, the quality is dire. Here he asks why highly profitable supermarkets force the poor to buy and eat such low-grade food"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/18/budget-food-supermarkets

"The cost of cheap food Does value range food really have to be as bad as it is? "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jan/18/heston-blumenthal-jay-rayner-supermarket-value-budget

TV programme, Thursday 22nd Jan @ 8pm, Channel 4:
http://www.radiotimes.com/ListingsServlet?event=10&channelId=132&programmeId=91432539&jspLocation=/jsp/prog_details_fullpage.jsp

Turtle

Interesting article, thanks. I will try and remember to watch the programme.

Addiscomber

"As the cost of raw ingredients is only a quarter of the finished product's retail price,"

I found this shocking. I know food producers talk about "added value", and I have said on here before that it isn't value for the consumer, but I had no idea that the ingredient cost was such a low proportion. I have just finished reading "Eat your heart out - Why the food business is bad for the planet and bad for your health" by Felicity Lawrence. That has also shocked me. Am I glad that my mother taught me to cook.

betterlife

have just set it, sounds very interesting thanks

SailorSam

I have'nt read those links yet, but i think supermarkets encourage customers to eat the worse foods, probably because they make more money out of them.
I think you find less discounts,BOGOF offers on fresh produce that you use to cook yourself than you do with the junk foods.

ceridwen

Thats true Sailor Sam - I rarely find the chance to get any savings on my food - and it doesnt help that its even rarer for discounts on organic food:cool:

I'd be interested in watching this programme - it would only confirm my acute suspicions about processed food anyways I guess - but still 'twould be interesting.

Could some kind person post a link to it to watch it after the event purlease.....:D

laineyc_2

I plan to watch it tonight. I don't buy my meat or veg from the supermarket.

Pazu

I haven't time to read the links yet so not really fair to comment. We only buy unprocessd value food from the supermarket and we're vege so no animal products. My dad was a farm labourer and he always said there was no such thing as cheap food.In his day he thought it was the animals and the workers who paid the price, now it is obviously the consumer as well.

Hawthorn

Supermarkets have something called loss leaders. These are the cheap items, that people go into the store for. They either make very little profit, or as the name suggests, actually make a loss on it. People go into buy it, and come out with the more expensive products in their basket too.

With things as they are financially, I'm betting they've seen a huge fall in profit, as people get wise and are purchasing more of these loss leaders, and failing to add the expensive luxury goods too.

Hence why the price of the value goods is shooting through the roof, whilst the quality is probably dropping even further.

On another site I visit, it was mentioned that goods bought on offer, are often worse quality than the ones bought at full price. IIRC, the discussion was about the tinned pies you get. They were compared, and the ones that were bought on a BOGOF had less 'meat' chunks, and more gravy than the ones bought at full price.

You don't have to eat badly on a budget, but sacrifices have to be made. Ready prepared food is a no no.

We need to start educating our children now, about cooking from basic ingredients - we are a fast food nation, for the most part.

thriftlady_2

Sorry, off topic but what does IIRC stand for?

Penelope_Penguin

thriftlady wrote: »

Sorry, off topic but what does IIRC stand for?

If I remember correctly