Are Supermarkets getting too GREEDY

[kazwencol]

HI, i just joined this site today and after reading about a topic on supermarkets, i decided to have my say on the subject. Everything has just got so expensive. that i have found it alot cheaper to shop in the asian shops. when you but say fruit from a supermarket it is always under ripe and eventually never ripens and then ends up in the bin. Which i hate as i do not like to waste food. The other day i went to a asian shop to get 2 lamb chops and 1 red pepper and ( wait for it ) the chops cost 66p and they had all the fat trimmed off also. the red pepper was 30p. I know that mums dont have much time on there hands but shopping around realy does pay off.Markets are much cheaper too than supermarkets. I think the supermarkets make a huge profit out of us....

It's as if 'the great god progress' has to be propitiated at all costs; bugger the environment and the producers.Athough thank god EVERYONE still goes to the markets.

I envy you in France ppea with markets and a good choice of fresh food. The supermarket 'disease' had to eventually spread to France although I'm sure that it will take some time for them to be overcome by the ready meal culture that we have here.
We (not me) truly have never wanted to be Europeans and have allowed ourselves instead to be infuenced by the USA which theoretically does not add up. For one thing they are more distant and secondly are of a completely different mind set. I've never been able to understand why this has happened and that we haven't integrated more into the European way of life and indulged in their culture of good, fresh food.
I feel so sorry that things have gone so far with the supermarkets being so all controlling. Nothing can turn things around now.
I hope I don't sound glum - I'm not. I preach to anybody kind enough to listen to me and if I collect a few converts on the way I'm even happier!! my slogan being -'Don't buy fresh food in a supermarket!'

Hope you watched the programme tonight on BBC1 about the cost of cheap food. Really nothing new to me but hopefully woke a few dullards out there.

The price of milk - why???? so cheap it ridiculas especially when you actually list the amount of dairy foods you consume. Why not add another 20p?

I get so histerical when I see a farmers saying goodbye to his cattle herd. Some bloodlines have been there for generations. Sadly, I recently had to say goodbye to my pedigree beef stock but that was also due to a nasty court case for my father-in-law russian brides divorse payoff! Another arse of the british law!

Hi Bacon - good to see you on here again. I thought last night's programme was a complete waste of an hour. No in depth journalism there!! Nothing we hadn't heard before except I was amazed at the truly rampant expansion of supermarkets still planned.Some twerp in the nesspaper this morning says that it's mainly middle class people who complain about proliferation of supermarkets and that they've been really good for cheap food. That may be so but this is not worth it if all other concerns are cast aside - wrecking peoples' livelihoods, scarring the countryside, hormones and chemicals being used willy nilly etc. etc.

Yes Fifi i totally agree with you about the influence of the U.S.A. think of the land mass they've got compared to Britain. I blame a certain strident 'milk snatcher' for it.

I saw the programme last night bacon what i thought really sickening was the childish 'keep out the competition' attitude of the S.M's and lack of regard for the environment.

I'm off elsewhere for a few days so would like to wish you all a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS and ALL THE BEST FOR 2011.

Same to you Fifi and everyone Hope you get where you want to be with no probs! Our DDs have had to get the boat 'cos their plane was cancelled.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you who appreciate good food. We may be a bit short of cash this year but, the one thing that we'll probably still spend the same on is food. That's ofcourse not taking into account the price rises which will obviously happen!. So yes 'high minded me' suggests that we should think more about the food we eat and especially where it comes from. I'm a campaigner who is trying to right the wrongs of the supermarkets - especially on the fresh food front. Government seems to do very little towards this.
We want cheap food but do we want cheap food at the expense of the people who earn a living producing it? Would you mind paying a little more to ensure quality and to ensure that the producer gets a fair price? Buy British as much as you can.
The supermarkets have alot to answer for in the way that they negotiate the price they will pay the producer. Regulation is the name of the game and we should fight for it!

Hello Fifi i was just looking for the thread with no luck!!IMO Waitrose is the best of a bad lot in that with the Leaf mark etc. they SEEM to care more.

Come on Mumsnetters - let's have your views on Supermarkets. Are you just happy to buy food without asking any questions or having an interest in where it comes from??

They don't care Fifi have you seen the thread on chicken i'll probably cause a row but i don't care!!

Hi I'de like to join in the chatter if I may. I live in rural Rutland where dairy farms are closing thick and fast, and after doing some digging I discover the reson and am shocked to the core! More and more is now being imported from as far a field as Poland! It is then delevered to massive processing plants who have to filter it up to 10 times! in order for it to pass our safety regulations, they are then able to put the red tractor on it as though it is british milk! Is getting it from a milk man even safe?
I have recently been avoiding supermarkets I had taken to using Aldi as their fruit and Veg prices can't be beaten but surely that makes me as bad as everyone else! Today I am off to the market......
I have also requested to join th FB group.

I also read with interest the conversation about "the milk-snatcher" who was from round here and brought up in a grocers shop....

HELLO GUYS, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL !!!

I am back and with my new computer now so there will be no stopping me now.
I am afraid that Rip-Off-Britain did not get back to me at all.TYPICAL
Anyway i am glad to see that you have all been busy with this thread and we even have some new ones who have joined this tread too. Lovely to have you on board. I only wish i had some good news for you but I'm sorry i don't as know one is listening to us but we will endeavour to make someone listen.
Anyway bye for now folks and talk soon,KAZ

KAZ it's good to have you back! Thanks for the good wishes. Also good to hear from you broughthimround..

..about yr local famous politician i blame her for a lot of our problems; deregulating the banks (everyone has forgotten that that lot did that). I haven't.

Also selling council houses (contributing to the terrible property bubble and homelessness) encouraging 'freedom of choice' for schools therefore a mushrooming of cars.

Sorry for going on but you could probably add quite a few more. I can only post 3 or so lines on here i don't know why!!

Welcome back Kaz - pleased you've got your new computer - wondered how we would contact you if you didn't return.
Before I start on my blurb I have to add to ppea's comments. Another thing she did was to privatise school meals and stop cookery classes in schools. This is why there's not much interest in food and the cooking of it any more. I happened to be head cook at the local comprehensive at the time and the food that I had to dish up (organised by the private company) was disgusting. These company's won't operate in schools unless they make a good profit and so the majority of food was of poor quality and certainly not what growing kids should be eating.

The latest new on our petition is this.
I happened to watch PM's questions at the beginning of December and cought one from Daniel Kawcynski MP who asked the PM about had there been any progress i apointing an ombudsman to regulate the buying practices of the supermarkets and the major processing companies. The PM didn't say anything concrete on this. I've written to 'Dan' via email - no reply so might have to put go by 'snail mail' Thought I'd inquire as to how far things have got.
Have also found out that No10 is not carrying on with the petition site as before but are actually going to put bills before parliament if their are enough signatures on the petition. 100,000 will ensure a government debate!!?? We'll have to work hard won't we?

I sent the bit before rather sharpish because AOL who I'm with keep cutting me off and then I have to start all over again.
Welcome to you 'broughthimroundtotheidea' It's good to have a new contributer. I know that ppea read the talk about Waitrose. There were interesing comments on there. More disgruntled supermarket shoppers

Ppea - haven't seem the thread on chicken but am just going to have a look

Have added my tat to the chicken debate - love stirring!!

yeah me as well!!they're getting they're getting their knickers in a twist!!

Loved your 'stirry upping' about the chicken!! and yes they did get their knickers in a twist.
I see our friend Hughfearnwhitt is 'doing' fish tonight. I am thinking that it could be worth writing to him and seeing if we get any response. As I've a quietish day today I will also try 'DAN the MP' to see if things have gone any further with ensuring a good deal for farmers and producers.