Supermarket Secrets revealed?

competitionscafe

Could be interesting viewing?

Dispatches: Channel 4. Supermarket Secrets.

Prog 1: Channel 4. Thursday 28 July, 9pm

Prog 2: Channel 4. Monday 1 August, 8pm

How and what we eat has radically changed over the past few decades with the all-consuming rise of the supermarket. But what price are we paying for the homogenised, cheap and convenient food that supermarkets specialise in? In a two-part programme, journalist Jane Moore investigates how supermarkets have affected the food on our plates and reveals the tell-tale signs that the food we buy may not have been grown in the way we think.

Using a combination of undercover filming and scientific analysis, Supermarket Secrets investigates whether the food on supermarket shelves is really as good as it looks, whether prices are as good as they seem and what happens behind the scenes in the production of supermarket food.

This year Britain's shoppers are expected to spend around £70billion on food. 56% of this total expenditure will take place in supermarkets. These films ask how supermarkets manage to push prices down and profits up. Are farmers and growers being pressured to produce food in a manner that leads to it being less nutritious than in the past? And what of the conditions that livestock is reared in today?

The first of the two programme features secret filming which uncovers the horrific conditions inside a chicken broiler house preparing chickens for a company which supplies all the major supermarkets. One study carried out by a professor from Cambridge University revealed that 82% of chickens bought in supermarkets had hockburns – a tell-tale sign of poor animal welfare caused by sitting in litter. Jane Moore shows how to examine chickens for hockburns.

The programme also examines why chickens nowadays have more fat and less protein and why it is vitally important to read the ingredients lists on healthy option meals. Also, top chef Raymond Blanc puts some supermarket 'ready meals' to the taste test.

Programme two meets the organic potato farmer who feeds much of his crop to his cows because, he says, the supermarkets deem his produce to be insufficiently cosmetically pleasing. The film also hears from a toxicologist about the levels of pesticide residues in supermarket fresh produce; reveals how dairy cattle are now factory farmed and why packaged fruit and vegetables from your local supermarket may be more expensive that you think – and not as good for you.

With contributions from leading experts including Joanna Blythman, Professor Tim Lang, Dr Vyvyan Howard and Felicity Lawrence.

http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/S/supermarket_secrets/index.html
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Useful links list from Channel 4:

British Nutrition Foundation
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp?siteId=43&sectionId=s
Promotes the nutritional wellbeing of society through the impartial interpretation and effective dissemination of scientifically based nutritional knowledge and advice.

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF)
https://www.ciwf.org.uk/
CIWF’s aim is to achieve the end of factory farming systems and all other practices, technologies and trades which impose suffering on farmed animals. They work to achieve this aim by hard-hitting campaigning, public education and vigorous political lobbying.

End Factory Farming
https://www.factoryfarming.org.uk/whatis.html
The lowdown on the abuse of animals in factory farming. Sign the pledge and receive an information pack.

Food for Life
https://www.soilassociation.org/foodforlife
The Food for Life project run by the Soil Association launched the public debate on the quality of school meals. It's full of information covering nutritional standards, supply chains and staffing. Essential for anyone interested in making positive change including schools, councils, parents, cooks and caterers. Visit the website for more about the new action pack, curriculum packs, workshops, helpline and farm visit programs.

Eat Well, Be Well
https://www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/
understandlabels/
Food labels can be very confusing with all their different terms and symbols. This interactive site helps you work out what they mean.

Food Standards Agency
https://www.eatwell.gov.uk
Government agency with lots of useful information on how to eat a more healthy diet and how to go veggie.

Jamie's School Dinners
https://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/J/
jamies_school_dinners/
Jamie Oliver's campaign to ban the junk and get nutritious, fresh food back in schools.

National Association of Farmers Markets
https://www.farmersmarkets.net
A farmers' market is one in which farmers, growers or producers from a defined local area come in person to sell their own produce so you can ask questions and be confident of the origins of the food. The website has information and a list of markets across the country.

Soil Association
https://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf?Open
The Soil Association is the UK's leading campaigning and certification organisation for organic food and farming. Find out about organic standards, where to shop locally for organic produce or where you can visit an organic farm.

Vegetarians International Voice for Animals – Viva!
https://www.viva.org.uk
Information about factory farming, nutrition and becoming vegetarian or vegan.

Vegetarian Society
https://www.vegsoc.org/
An educational charity promoting understanding and respect for vegetarian lifestyles. On their website you can find advice and information about becoming and being a vegetarian, recipe ideas, competitions plus check out their Nutrition Information Sheet.

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BWZN93

Already looking forward to this one!! I hope half the country watches too - its about time the supermarkets had a slap from the buying public, and should provide healthy food - its not as if food is that cheap to buy anyway, the only profits made from it goes straight into the supermarkets back pockets.

If I was a millionaire, I would start up a not for profit supermarket and source good UK suppliers that got paid fairly for good quality that was not intensively reared or grown, that the public could buy for just a little more than cost price to pay for staff and stuff, and there would be no excess packaging or fancy lights and displays, more ye olde farm shoppe than sainsburys. All produce would be as local as possible to minimise transport and delays, and would obviously in season. Some products simply wouldnt be viable though as they dont grow here, but im sure I could think of a way around this.

Ahh - Getting a UK producer a fair price for excess stock to be exported, then sourcing a foreign supplier for a fair price to get import stock (all would be under specific agreements, such as growing quality, and price, and conditions and staff wages etc) - like, a trade - British Asparagus for Spanish Oranges or something.

Oh - another thing - I would give away free composters and recycling bins that would be funded by councils (im sure I could persuade!!) and then have paper bags and cardboard boxes for packaging, which can be recycled, used for a customers own uses, or if brought back to the shop and re-used - small discounts, and if brought back to the shop recycling facility - also discounts, and would be recycled by us using a cardboard compressor (which Aldi and Lidl have - and they get a refund for every tonne of cardboard sent back, so I would get a similar agreement which would fund lower shop prices, staff wage rises, and other schemes of community benefit which I will dream up later)

I think - If I were a millionaire, I would do everything I could to take big supermarkets business, giving a fair deal for consumers, staff, and producers. I would also have a job (yey) that I actually would feel passionate about.

Anyway, im going to bed, I wish I could win the lottery or something. Id be such a thorn in the side of the fat cats, and Id love it.

Im going to dream of happy farmers and santa claus tonight (been reading xmas thread again, getting all excited for chrimbo...)

Jo xx

bargainqueen_2

jw I wish you were up for election because after this post I would sure as hell vote for you! What a brilliant thought and picture you have painted, couldn't be said any better!

N9eav

My Bro in law produces crops for supermarkets. They can be a little picky, wanting specific varieties and sizes for specific dates. But he says they do buy the lot and he does not have to waste time trying to find a wholesale buyer.


If you see Cornish new potatoes, Cornish Cauli or savoys, I can tell you they will be fantastic.

The only problem with 'fly on the wall' documentaries is that they only film what they want to show you to make their point.

LearningToSave.

ahhhhh we are looking forward to watching this too!! but also a little nervous about what we may find out!!!

gritts

On the subject of chicken hockburns and supermarkets I found lots of info on the RSPCA site. Including.....

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCACampaigns/Consumers/Higherwelfarechickensurvey&articleid=1099596636948


We chose to go free range/organic. Our money saving aides the purchase of (more expensive) better produce.

nabowla

Definitely sounds like something to watch.

I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of the fresh food I'm buying at the supermarket - especially the fruit & veg. I really don't want to buy bagged salads due to the pesticide issue but I can't afford the organic stuff that's sold in the supermarkets. There isn't a farmer's market locally and the fruit & veg shop is extortionately expensive. I did look briefly at ordering a weekly organic fruit & veg box via the internet but I live in block of flats and work full-time so home delivery is impossible. I feel as though I've got no choice - I've just got to put up with whatever I can get in the supermarket. It'll be interesting to see how the programmes address the lack of choice that many people face.

calleyw

jw1096 wrote:

Oh - another thing - I would give away free composters and recycling bins that would be funded by councils (im sure I could persuade!!)

South Glos council use to give composters away for free. As we had one got it from our local recycling centre.

Then they came around and did a delivery of them. Even to the upstairs flats. Not sure where they where going to put them.

I assume that other local councils do it to.

I have just paid for 2 X composters at £5 each as my local council do not do them for free. But some how I now have four :rolleyes: So not sure what is going on there.

Yours

Calley

Debt_Free_Chick

N9eav wrote:

My Bro in law produces crops for supermarkets. They can be a little picky, wanting specific varieties and sizes for specific dates. But he says they do buy the lot and he does not have to waste time trying to find a wholesale buyer.


If you see Cornish new potatoes, Cornish Cauli or savoys, I can tell you they will be fantastic.

Are they organic or can he use chemicals to control their appearance?

This is my main gripe. Cosmetically perfect food demanded by the supermarkets leaves growers with little choice but to resort to methods that control the fruit and veggies appearance .... taste is secondary

The only problem with 'fly on the wall' documentaries is that they only film what they want to show you to make their point.

Ditto the Supermarkets

needmoney

jw I'd vote for you too. I am more concerned about what we are getting too and think it's time for a big return to older methods, what's wrong with fruit and veg growing the way they want to but bursting with flavour. I haven't been able to say that about anything for years, except the little bit of veg I once grew.

Rage_in_Eden

VOTE VOTE VOTE FOR JW....... SHE'S THE GIRL WITH ALL THE PLANS.......

I will NOT be watching this supermarket programme (even thought I think it's a darn good idea - not sure we can swear here so hence the "darn") - for the simple reason that anything like this freaks me out and I will go to my kitchen and throw everything out - even though most of it is from local little shops or off the local market/farmer's market.......

the same thing happened when the first aired "How Clean is Your House" - I had a very bad kidney infection which I was confined to bed with and OH came upstairs in the commercial break as he heard movement and found me minus my dressing gown bleaching the toilet!!!! with a temperature...... i sat watching it clutching a cushion and I never had to do that watching Dr Who as a child!!!