Supermarkets - report

I’m not particularly politically astute. I like food. I like to cook. I indulge in recipe books. Because of all this, I shop for food. Therefore I feel I can pass comment on the latest report on Supermarkets published by the Competition Commission.

The report has concluded that it considers supermarkets have done a reasonable job for consumers, although it does have some concerns over areas such as land holdings, treatment of suppliers and dominance of local markets.

Terribly and shamelessly I do not care too much for politics. Or rather I actually do, I just don’t like to make a meal of it all (please excuse the very much intended pun).

The report is wrong. Supermarkets are shit. I could and should end my comment here; but I will not.

If I was to ask how much a tin of beans cost, inevitably the pre-answer response would be “brand or supermarket?” Here lies the first issue: Why do supermarket beans cost less than brand beans? Taste? Quality? I asked my mother, who is an expert in all things frugal and she reliably informed it was due to packaging: “it’s the same product but with a cheaper label”. I trust most things my mother tells me: if I wake up with any kind of pain in my body I know it’s likely due to having “slept on it funny” and I will always remove my outdoor coat when inside so as to “appreciate it when you go outside”. My mother knows what she’s talking about. But I think she may have got it wrong with supermarket own brands. Sorry Mum.

It’s not down to packaging. It’s down to volume sales. Its simple mathematics: sell 100 branded tins of beans at 57 pence or 500 value/basics/etc own brand tins of beans at 26 pence. Obviously much more profit in the high volume selling own brand beans, and in all fairness, probably not too much noticeable difference in taste to your average baked bean eater.

I opened this comment declaring I’m not politically astute, and maybe I should be if I am to open comment on such things, but at this juncture I wish not to get drawn into the politics of slave labour or such. So if I may, I’ll just stick with food. What if we applied the baked bean concept to meat? Just this weekend I could have picked up two chickens on a buy one get one free offer for just £5.00. That’s just £2.50 each. I’m seriously considering keeping chickens here at North Lodge. Sensibly I’ve done my home work, and I’ve learned that I can not buy live, clucking, happy chickens for £2.50 each. But in my local Tesco’s I can: killed, plucked and beautifully packaged complete with cooking instructions. Something ‘aint quite right.

And this is where my problem lies: Supermarkets are setting unrealistically cheap prices for produce through intensive farming which we as consumers are beginning to accept as a standard. Farm shops are NOT expensive. Organic food is NOT expensive. It is realistically priced. Please do not be misled by supermarket pricing. Supermarkets like to promote the fact they are offering organic, ethically produced food but they do it at a price, with the produce confined to the expensive Organic Shelf. Organic food does not have to be an expensive luxury. Visit your local farm shop. Seek out your smaller, local producer. You might actually be surprised how much you get for your money; not only in quality but also in quantity. Even if you do not give a toss about organics or food miles or any of that green shit, just try out your local farm shop anyway; you’ll without doubt get better produce, you might actually just save yourself some money and the best thing is you will put a stop to your local supermarket taking you for a twat.