Supermarket Secrets revealed?

VickyA_2

I didn't see the programme, unfortunately. I can understand everyone's concerns about asking a butcher and feeling like a pillock. However, as other people have said, many butchers will be more than happy to tell you about the origin of their meat - and if they're not, then they've got something to hide and they're the pillock because you won't be getting your meat from there.

Our local butcher is a complete gem. I feel like a pillock when I go in there as I always ask for the same thing - I'm surprised that he doesn't see me coming and just prepare my 1lb of mince, 1lb of sausages and 6 eggs! However, now I'll be buying my chicken from him too (OH's mum called at the end of the programme and gave us the gruesome details).

aeuerby

Don't be worried about asking daft questions. I ventured into my loal butcher a couple of weeks ago and it was fine. It had taken me ages to pluck up the courage.

I bought a load of beef, pork loin joint, chicken breasts and bacon chops. It cost around £26 and has lasted about 3 weeks in total.

The pork was out of this world. The last time I did pork it was bought from Asda. It tasted to me like pigs smell on a farm so was put off for a while, but the butchers was perfect, juicy and tasted gorgeous. We polished off the joint which is unheard of with pork in this house.

Going back this morning for a joint of beef rib (hopefully not for £14.99kg!) and I shall be asking this time where the produce comes from. I am afraid no more!!

Debt_Free_Chick

swizzle wrote:

Nearly £10 for a free range chicken, looks like e will be going veggie!!

If you've been used to buying cheap supermarket chicken, then yes, the price difference is noticeable. However, you may well have had chicken "often" - we have it pretty much as a treat.

Over the past few years, we've been brainwashed (by the supermarkets, in particular!) into believing that red meat is bad for you and chicken is better. So most of us have been eating chicken regularly.

I don't subscribe to the red meat is bad, argument. Everything in moderation .... including animal fat. A lot of free range red meat - beef, lamb, pork - and game is cheaper £ per kilo than chicken. Some cuts of ORGANIC red meat are cheaper £ per kilo than organic chicken.

In order to successfully make the change to organic chicken, you will probably need to revolutionise your diet and simply eat less chicken. Whether one has the time, energy and motivation to do so is, naturally, up to each one of us.

Regards

tubagirl

I watched the program last night and I'd already read books on how supermarkets are bad (okay paraphrasing slightly) but never realised how bad until I saw it. I'll be changing my buying habits now.

Loadsabob

I'm not squeamish, and have been veggie for nearly 15 years, but I was really shocked at the sight of those chicks tumbling out of a truck / conveyer belt type thing. How distressing for them. It really put into perspective for me the fact that other creatures are simply treated as objects in intensive farming, as though they weren't alive at all. Not that we didn't all know that anyway. I just hate that greed and the perception that food should be cheap. It stands to reason that such distressed birds aren't going to result in decent meat. I suppose too few people actually taste good meat these days, to be aware of the difference.

I'm delighted that so many OS people are using their butchers, and very pleased that butchers and farm shops / organic producers will probably see a sharp increase in sales as a result of that programme. Though it was up against Ricky Gervais' "Extras" (which I taped)...still, I imagine that those who missed it will have it mentioned to them by friends and colleagues today! We've already had the talk in this office.

Only thing that concerns me is that if people buy organic meat in supermarkets, the producers still wouldn't see an increase in unit price for their product. Though increased volume of sales may support their industry.

competitionscafe

aliasojo wrote:

Wish there was a website that listed butchers in each area who only supply fresh, healthy unadulterated meat. Like tr3mor....I'm concerned about the 'pillock' angle.

There is a list of Real Meat butchers here:
http://www.realmeatco.sageweb.co.uk/services.htm

(Real Meat is not organic but is produced with high standards of animal welfare):
http://www.realmeatco.sageweb.co.uk/aboutus.htm

You can also enter your postcode on bigbarn to find local producers:
http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/

There is also a list of organic meat suppliers in England, Wales and Scotland here: http://www.alotoforganics.co.uk/cats/organic-meat.php

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aliasojo

Good info competitionscafe, thank you.

Jo4

Why is no sites that tell you were you can buy healthier food in N. Ireland? :mad:

squeaky

I'm sure I've seen one somewhere... hmm... I think it showed up (eventually) in Organic Box Schemes Near You.

You could take a look at the thread - it's in our Indexed Collections.

Edit: I found two mentions that might give you a start...

http://thefoody.com/historic/index.html

http://www.organic-supermarket.co.uk/listall.asp?offset=0

hubris

It's also important to realise the other negative effects the Supermarkets have on our lives, and I hope that these will be addressed in part two of the programme.

They encourage the desertion of smaller, local shops, usually run by families. I've seen local shops near me close down because of the newer monolith down the road. Yes, the produce may be cheaper, but it is important to think of the effects. Money made by the supermarkets is centralised, and the local community do not benefit. As local shops close down, the area degenerates, there is less money in the community, and more alienation, which itself leads to greater problems.

Efficiency is also something supermarkets have become masters in. I read somewhere (I think it was Naomi Kleins' 'No logo'), that Wal Mart (who owns asda) started the practice of refusing to give workers full time work. This would minimise the number of paid breaks they had to provide, and as staff were working below a set number of hours a week, they weren't entitled to the benefits (pension, health etc.) that they would get as a full time employee. There are always people in need of jobs, so Wal Mart would just get more employees, but to work shorter shifts. I read in the Times recently that Wal Mart in the US is facing a backlash because workers are paid so little that many of them also claim benefits.

Incidentally, has anyone gone into the fish/meat counter at a supermarket recently and asked for some cooking suggestions? This is something that is lost when they use staff to close the sale rather than provide service. These counters in the supermarket do not represent the true Butchers or Fishmongers who have in depth knowledge of their wares.

Another thing which riles me is the emphasis on pushing down prices. I know that getting the best for your money is the focus of this site, but there has to be some balance. I read recently (in the Independent) about the state of the global cotton Industry. Supermarkets buy from those who provide the cheapest, ostensibly the western producers, who use pesticides (Cotton is a notoriously difficult plant to grow), and who are so heavily subsidised that they undercut producers in the developing world. This issue of unfair subsidies and Fair Trading was raised in the recent Live 8 campaign. It keeps the poor poor, and helps the rich to get richer. I know that this is a difficult one, because many of us depend on the supermarkets for our cheaper clothes.

The recent release of the new Harry Potter book is another one. Supermarkets were selling copies at much below what independent book sellers could. I see such practises as bullying.

In 'Shopped', Blytheman states that supermarkets do place appearance and shelf life above everything else when it comes to fruit and veg, which is why it is tastier to buy fresher stuff from food markets.

Okay okay, I know my post has kind of lost its flow, but it's something I feel strongly about. These corporations have such a hold on our lives that it's scary to think how things will be if they don't change. I agree with one of the earlier posters in that I use this site to save money, which enables me to buy ethically. Books I recommend (or perhaps you should stay away from, if want a simpler, happier life) are:

'No Logo' - Naomi Klein
'Shopped' - Joanna Blytheman
'Fast Food Nation' - Eric Schlosser

You can also find resources on the Internet if you use a search engine.