Do you mind buying bruised/mishapen/ripe food or is the BBC being sanctimonious?

[belledechocolatefluffybunny]

I have no problem buying food that's not perfect, I am miffed that the BBC has spent money producing this programme. Do you lot only want perfect food?

Waitrose did have a misshapes line in their F&V. Tesco and Sainsbury's both say "comes in all shapes and sizes" or similar in their cheapy blue stripe range of veg. But in general they are responding to both the vast majority who do insist on perfect veg and their own convenience for pricing and packing.

Greengrocers however have no such buying power and still provide amusingly shaped root vegetables.

So why is the BBC making programmes moaning??

Dunno. They do like a bit of an old moan though I've found. They are quite right that the amount of food waste and the purchasing power of supermarkets are both big issues. But suggesting that the average consumer is actually going to do something about it is mad, what would they do? Not buy apples and then email Tescos to tell them why?

Actually, I do do that but I don't expect anyone else to because it's not normal and will make you twitcy.

Havent read all posts but wacthing ths weird programme last night I was struck with 2 thoughts.

1. Quite a lot of the food that was claimed to be 'going to waste' was ctually going to be fed to animals, sold on the continent,taken to farmers Markets or composted. I dont think this is waste. Its re-use.

1. Reusuing alot of waste food to feed 100 over fed guests at an overstuffed baquet, with champagne, waiters, etc etc, how much did this cost? No waste there then?

Oh and point 3

I've watched those chefs cooking on telly in their kitchens on Hells Kitchen or masterchef or whatever adn if it isn't perfect for the custome what do they do? Fling it in the bloody bin

HYPOCRITS

It was really preachy. The bit at the beginning when the narrator said "The way to avoid all this food waste is to eat what we buy" was a real 'no shit Sherlock' moment. That and the advice to make a list and only buy what you need (really, I'd never thought of that! [insert sarcastic smiley here])

This programme made DH so cross that, for the first time every, he emailed the BBC to complain. He pointed out the amount of food that's chucked in the bin in the average series of Masterchef just because someone has put the dressing in the wrong place during the restaurant tasks. I think the phrase 'downright hypocritical' was used!

Agree with everyone else.

They do sell the strange shapes and sizes - that's the value/basic/smartprice ranges in a nutshell, isnt' it?

And what is the difference between the stand to sell "eat today" food that they were all shouting about, and the "reduced for quick sale" shelves that already exist?

z - brilliant line!

TBH, if you are intelligent you know there is wastage going on and frankly it should be put to better use - charities etc, I used to volunteer at a homeless shelter and I vividly remember Boots and M & S donating their sandwiches if "out of date" on that day. Would be good if that could be done nationwide - or the eat it today (how many of us go to the supermarket to the going out of date corner and grab for the freezer?) at a reduced price.

What annoys me is that the supermarkets tell us that perfect is because of eu regs - bollocks if you have ever been abroad to a supermarket, infact I have never seen anything perfect there! It is the supermarkets (all of them M and S included!!!) who put all the decisions in place and lots of farmers are literally held to ransom by the bas*ards. And they also will ask farmers to grow something for them and then break contracts with them so they are left with piles of produce that can't be sold anywhere! Interesting that Tesco/Sainsbury's/asda didn't turn up!

Tesco and Sainsbury never turn up for those sort of things. They didn't when Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall was doing his chicken thing or when Jamie Oliver did his pig programme. The Co-op seem to attend quite consistantly though.

Yay for the co-op!

The UK has a problem with anything that looks odd, it's stupid.

So was the champagne free? Where can I get some??

I wouldn't expect to see any of the big boys because they know they are the arses that cause all of the waste.

(I don't like the big supermarkets - many moons ago I used to do work with them and the buyers used to send out lists of xmas presents that were "acceptable" to be recieved from their suppliers - oh and a bit like some wedding lists they had things such as mont blanc pens and holidays just grabby and nasty the whole situation and backs farmers and food producers into a corner. And yes i know a fair fews years ago but...........)

If its a bargain price and fresh - it makes sense.

On the other hand I used ot get deliveries form one of tose veg box firms which was mishapen and often well past its best and more pricey than M&S.

Supermarkets often cannot give away food to charities because of the laws concerning transport and the responsibility of keeping the food at safe temps. That's why Pret a Manger bought all those refridgerated vans in London years ago, to do it themselves.

Veg boxschemes regularly buy entire crops when the superarkets have mis-judged demand and left a famer with tonnes of unwanted food, often packed to the supermarket's spec, at the farmer's expense. Supermarkets don't pay for the crop when this happens - they just pull out.They're worth sticking with and worth you picking a scheme that has been recommended personally.

The supermarkets all have refrigerated vans though, if they can deliver food to people's homes then they can deliver to a homeless shelter or a refuge!

Would they charge them a fiver a go I wonder?

Haa, Ocado charge £10 a month for as many deliveries as you want.

Ocado won't do me. Though Oddly Waitrose say they will (in-store advert with my postcode on) and I thouht Ocado was Waitrose.

If Waitrose will do me then no more fiver-a-go from Tesco, oh no. Posh nosh for me and the little choock.

Some of the Ocado delivery drivers are very good looking so it's a shame they won't 'do you' I have no experience of Waitrose as they don't deliver here, are they any good though? Know what they are doing? Deliver the goods?

As a recently single parent in a v gossipy Devon village, I am currently booking the late slot for Tesco to deliver on a Friday night, making the poor boy bring it into the kitchen and hoping it stirs up a few old wans . My friends are currently sourcing see-through nighties and marabou slippers for me to add to the mix.

It's worth a fiver for the scandal alone.

You're a bit of a minx dear!

Ooh Tippy - found this for you in your conquest of the youff from tesco's might help you out!

Naughty!!

Just the ticket. Though I am sad it wasn't one of the ones modelled by the mad granny.
Ta muchly.