Supermarkets encouraging waste/obesity?

[Globules]

I wanted a coffee and a pastry this morning.

I went in Co-op to get them.

It was cheaper to get a coffee, pastry and sandwich than it was to just get a coffee and pastry, due to the meal deal offer.

£4.35 for 2 items
£3.50 for 3 items.

I know this isn't just a Co-op issue.
I love a good deal.
But it's frustrating that supermarkets encourage wasteful consumerism in this way.

Its the person buying them that has the problem. Its not the shop encouraging obesity.

How is wasteful? It’s cheaper for the customer. They don’t have to eat to it, they could save it for another time or give it to their kid or someone at work. Free choice isn’t it. Not something that upsets me.

They're not forcing you to buy it. You could give the bit that you don't want to someone else if you want to get the bang for your buck.

I get you. I went in Greggs for a couple of cookies today. They said it's buy 2 get two free but I didn't need four so declined, but another day I would have taken four as it feels like it's not the best use/value for money to turn it down. They never offer this on the fruit pots or salad do they.

They're not encouraging either wastefulness or obesity. They are just selling. Buy or don't buy, it's up to you.
I don't like this tendency for adults to not take personal responsibility. It's always someone else's fault.

Agree op.

They are encouraging waste/ obesity for profit.

Agree with pp it’s never offers in salad or fruit.

Yes, but you don't have to buy. I don't understand how it's their fault for doing promotions?

I wonder if they’d let you pay for the meal deal then leave the sandwich behind. You’d get it cheaper then at least.

The supermarket's raison d'etre is to maximise profit, we should not be surprised that this is the driving force behind everything it does.

We have an awful situation in deprived areas, of children who are both obese and suffering from malnutrition. This is because poor quality food is cheap, exemplified by these kinds of offers.

Well it is a lunch /meal deal isnt it and value for money do you think a sandwich and a cake is over eating?

Our co op offers fruit on its meal deals it is in "the deal"

Yes but they're never in a 2 for 1 for buy two get two free type deal. I wasn't talking about meal deals.

Yes, ours does too.

Oooh. Now that's worth trying...

I wasn't talking about meal deals I was talking about offers in Greggs like buy two get two free.

A bit pointless though. Why wouldn’t you just give it to someone who needed food rather than leave it to a multimillion pound company to sell again.

I have a problem because I want to pay the cheaper price offered for the 2 items I want?

Ok then 🤦‍♀️

Definitely this.

I thought the thread was about adding a sandwich to the cake and coffee , therefore a meal deal. I mean there is probably a load of calories in machine coffee and a Danish pastry the op just thought a sandwich was too far!

Anyway I probably shouldn't have commented some mumsnetters are absolutely batshit over food !

I do think supermarkets and food outlets should take responsibility too. And not just consider profit.

RDA for free sugar is 30g a day. But so much food contains vast quantities of sugar in one item.

I know you’ll alll jump on me but for example a McDonald’s strawberry lemonade is 40g!

Either don't buy it at all or buy it and keep one of the items for later or give it to someone else.
I don't see what the problem is here.

They also offer salads , pasta pots and sushi as the main option instead of a sandwich - I’m sure you could find someone prepared to take it off your hands

It’d be great if they offered you to pay for the sandwich say then they could donate it to homeless throughout the day.