Supermarket Secrets revealed?

competitionscafe

There are some useful tips and websites listed in these articles:

Do try this at home
How to eat meat and dairy products ethically
http://money.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/story/0,13437,1261638,00.html

A good life
Leo Hickman reports on the progress of his ethical makeover. This week, he reconsiders his consumption of meat and dairy produce.
http://money.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/story/0,13437,1261568,00.html

They are part of a larger 'ethical living' section which is interesting reading:
http://money.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/

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BWZN93

Re the Milk thing, Ive been drinking UHT carton milk for months now, simply as I find it more convenient to have a big quantity of milk in, so I can use it as I please without the fear of it going off, and I find it lasts longer too. Some would call me strange, but I also find it nicer than fresh milk, but I presume that this is because my taste buds have adjusted to it.

Anyway - What do I do? Where the hell does that milk come from??? Ive never seen full cream organic uht carton milk, and now am having a guilt complex after seeing those poor cows on tv, and want to do what I can. When I move, I intend to get a milkman (I miss having that proper bit of cream on the top of the milk we used to get from the milkman in 1986!!) to support local providers (if any exist next month), but until then, does anyone have any recommendations?

Jo xx

N9eav

jw1096 wrote:

Anyway - What do I do? Where the hell does that milk come from??? Ive never seen full cream organic uht carton milk, and now am having a guilt complex after seeing those poor cows on tv, and want to do what I can. When I move, I intend to get a milkman (I miss having that proper bit of cream on the top of the milk we used to get from the milkman in 1986!!) to support local providers (if any exist next month), but until then, does anyone have any recommendations?

Jo xx

I think that you have to weigh up the TV documentary in light of the whole picture. I did not watch it, but I have seen these types of things before. Most cows and milk production is done with strict rules and exceptional hygiene. My bro in laws cows for examply are perfectly happy and healthy and produce 10,000 litres of milk a day for consumption. It is good to expose poor practice, but in my opinion it is uneccesary to frighten people off.

Remeber the goverment minister who said " All eggs have salmonella"? After that people stopped eating eggs, 1000,000s of chicken had to be salughtered and eggs thrown away. Jobs lost and panic accross the nation. The fact was that a very tiny percentage were found to have been infected.

Someone also did a program about how saugages were made...... Again mass panic and loss of jobs, animals and livelihoods. We are now eating the same things again.

It's good to know some of these things, but always look for the other side of the story..........

tr3mor

jw1096 wrote:

Re the Milk thing, Ive been drinking UHT carton milk for months now, simply as I find it more convenient to have a big quantity of milk in, so I can use it as I please without the fear of it going off, and I find it lasts longer too. Some would call me strange, but I also find it nicer than fresh milk, but I presume that this is because my taste buds have adjusted to it.

Anyway - What do I do? Where the hell does that milk come from??? Ive never seen full cream organic uht carton milk, and now am having a guilt complex after seeing those poor cows on tv, and want to do what I can. When I move, I intend to get a milkman (I miss having that proper bit of cream on the top of the milk we used to get from the milkman in 1986!!) to support local providers (if any exist next month), but until then, does anyone have any recommendations?

Jo xx

buy the organic stuff and freeze it, then just use it when you like. not many people think about freezing milk, but it's fine.

anguk

N9eav wrote:

I think that you have to weigh up the TV documentary in light of the whole picture. I did not watch it, but I have seen these types of things before. Most cows and milk production is done with strict rules and exceptional hygiene. My bro in laws cows for examply are perfectly happy and healthy and produce 10,000 litres of milk a day for consumption. It is good to expose poor practice, but in my opinion it is uneccesary to frighten people off.

I agree. I get my milk delivered by a milkman, sadly it's in cartons but the diary doesn't use bottles any more. The milk is a bit more expensive than the supermarket but I like to support local business if I can, if everyone bought from the supermarket my milkman would go out of business and I think he struggles as it is.

Plus I haven't got a clue where the milk comes from in my supermarket whereas I do know my milkman gets his from a local dairy a couple of miles away. I haven't seen inside the dairy but it looks very modern & hi-tec and I have seen the cows in the field and they look quite healthy to me (obviously I'm no expert but they look nothing like the ones on tv yesterday). If I run out of milk I buy it from the corner shop because they also get it from the same dairy.

Programmes like this are very good, they show us how bad things can be but I agree it's wrong to panic and assume that all producers are the same. The best we can do is be more aware and ask more questions so we can make an informed choice.

Loadsabob

N9eav wrote:

UNRIPE, They are not peaches. A potato is always ripe, one just lets the tubers get larger the longer they are in the ground. The small sweet new CORNISH potatoes are the best in the world, just try some. Unfortunately the supply network means they do travel halfway around teh country and come back again. Tesco a long time ago used to source locally, but those days are gone.. Trouble is Cornwall is so nice and mild climate wise, we can harvest our potatoes months before the rest of the UK, so that's why CORNISH spuds are in the shops first.
Try some with a lashings of Cornish butter and a nice juicy steak
:beer:

N9eav was talking about produce generally - you're right about potatoes. Just had the best, freshest Cornish New Potatoes, from a bucket in my garden. YUM! Tesco are leaving my vocabulary...I mean it, I've had it with them!

Loadsabob

The biggest shock I had from last night's programme (because a lot of it I knew already) was the fact that the producers subsidise the BOGOF offers of the big four supermarkets. Call me naive, but I had assumed the supermarkets subsidised these offers, or that they were "promotions", ie: designed to get people to try things they will then start buying regularly. No, it seems the producers actually fund these offers! One fruit grower said a BOGOF (raspberries?) offer had cost him £50,000!!!! (I THINK I'm correct there, I'm writing through a hazy of rage).

I'm fuming. Tesco have had SO many offers on their organic veg lately, and I thought this was a good thing, a drive to encourage people to try it. Turns out they may just be crippling organic producers all the more.

I was also sick at the thought of 1/3 of produce being discraded for being imperfect. I know, we all knew that already, but just thinking about it made me so angry.

And the other thing I took away from that programme is that we, in this country, are the idiot consumers of Europe. I've heard people here say that the ridiculous things about straight cucumbers and square strawberries etc, is all about the EU. Well, the rest of Europe either ignores the stupid guidelines, or they are a myth. Because the footage from a Spanish supermarket showed a great deal of wonky produce (tomatoes, peppers) being snapped up by shoppers for its taste and quality. Also, the produce was seasonal, likely to vary through the year. They said that Spanish shoppers won't buy produce out of season, because they buy for the taste (what a concept!)

Of course, these are generalisations. But the Spanish produce that the Spanish won't buy because it's bland and tasteless...is what they export to us. Good on them, we're stupid enough to import it and buy it!!!

I despair! I'm off to work on a meal planner for a fornight that won't involve setting foot in Tesco. I'm sick to death of them, their greed and stupidity. And mine, for buying into it even a tiny bit.

I thought last night's programme was a little flimsy, trying to fit too much in. Couldn't help feeling they had spent too long on chicken last week. Nonetheless, I was really happy to see this programme reaching a mainstream audience, and hopefully making people think a little about what they buy.

r.mac_2

loadsabob

I too was disgusted to find that producers were taking the hit for the BOGOF's that I take advantage off. I have recently found my local greengrocers and have been amazed at the quality, price, selection and service they provide. The have more local produce than the supermarkets near me. It tastes better as it's selected on quality of product, not cosmetic appearance. The owners are friendly and helpful and make suggestions for substitutes and recipes etc. It is also cheaper and as I can buy my veg loose, I don't end up with 1 lb of potatoes when I really only want 250g etc. I also try and re-use old chopping bags and have a veg bag, which is a shopper that cam free with a magazine!

I know that I am lucky to have this near me - I can pop in on my way home from work as it is no further away than tescos. I would strongly urge people to investigate what is near them.

I have also been looking at butchers in the area. I haven't yet found one I'm completely happy with. My short term solution is to look at going a little further afield to the farmers market. As I don't use much meat anyway, I should be able to offset the increased cost.

Milk was another one I hadn't really thought about. I only drink about a pint a week. therefore I think I will try and afford organic from now on.

Thanks for starting the thread - I have been interested to read of others experiences and tips.

calleyw

I have not seen these programmes but I don't have a Telly that could be why

I agree with what other posters have said. These expose the bad sides of the farmer, the food chain etc. Why because it makes good telly. And then as another poster said causes mass panic in not buying the said items.

There are good farmers, good producers etc out there. But people want CHEAP food. It is very hard when on a budget. I feed two people for £100 a month. We don't eat a lot of meat. And use BOGOF to help make the money go a little further.

I have known for years that BOGOF's are paid for by the producers and not the supermarkets. But they have such power that a medium to small producer could lose a supermarket contract and then they go out of business.

If you read /watch etc and say you are not going to eat X and Y and do X and Y ever again. You would sit in the corner of the room and hold your breathe as everything is bad for you.

I think what they should film is what goes on inside a supermarket on a day to day Like not rotating stock on shelves etc. I have done night shift shelf stacking very interesting and a big eye opener and very hard work.

Also having princples e.g fair trade and organic food is fine if you can afford. But not all of us can.

Yours

Calley

lipidicman

Loadsabob wrote:

The biggest shock I had from last night's programme (because a lot of it I knew already) was the fact that the producers subsidise the BOGOF offers of the big four supermarkets. Call me naive, but I had assumed the supermarkets subsidised these offers, or that they were "promotions", ie: designed to get people to try things they will then start buying regularly. No, it seems the producers actually fund these offers! One fruit grower said a BOGOF (raspberries?) offer had cost him £50,000!!!! (I THINK I'm correct there, I'm writing through a hazy of rage).

I thought everyone knew this. If they didn't they should listen to the Archer's and follow the plight of Tom's Organic Sausage Business. However the suppliers can have great relationships with the supermarkets. I think the supplier even said how much they had helped him expand and modernise. In any case for it to have cost him £50k, think of the money that is being made

Loadsabob wrote:

I thought last night's programme was a little flimsy, trying to fit too much in...

As twee as the Archer's is it has more journalistic integrity than Ms Moore. My heart sank when I saw that she was behind this programme. I haven't read the whole thread, but is no-one seeing through her incomplete arguments?

The test on the pesticide residues in the fruit were BELOW the limits. The criticism was that they were more than in the processed food. But is this a fair comparison? The oranges were unwashed (AFAIK) and were chopped and tested UNPEELED. Who eats their oranges like this? A very poor comparison.

Also, she bleeted on about produce being moved around the country by the supermarkets. However she was quite happy to hop in the car to buy and transport a few bags of fruit and veg. Now, let me think. A truck, fully loaded going to a shop where you an get everything, or lots of short journeys in a car to get the same stuff. Fine if you are going to walk there! Also did anyone else spot that the Greengrocers was on a main road and all that lovely fresh produce would have been covered in petrol exhaust fumes and diesel particulates. At least there are regulations for pesticides. The problem was that Jane Moore was comparing the supermarkets to some sort of rose-tinted view of how things used to be.

I was most aghast at the arguments on the school lunch. So, the peeled chopped carrots cost more than the fresh ones, REALLY? Small prepacked cheese the same? No stop now, you are shattering my illusions. I can read price labels you know, and the supermarkets helpfully give you a price per kilo. Squash has sugar in it? More than coke? Guess what, so does pure fruit juice. Kids need a bit of sugar, and some fat. There is a new problem being called 'Muesli Belt Syndrome' where children are getting malnourished as their parents force them to eat their adult low fat, low protein diets. Madness

And there are better tasting strawberries in the world than the ones we find in the supermarket? I am sure there are. Come on, lets get some perspective. If more people can afford to eat things like strawberries then our national diet would be much improved. Jane Moore could have highlighted the fact that so much unhealthy food is promoted - BOGOFs on fruit is fine by me.

This programme was very weak, it had no coherent argument to make and the quality of the investigation was way below what I expect from channel 4. At some points I was expecting Trevor McDonald to pop up at any moment: this programme had ITV written all over it!