Thoraiya DyerWoolworths: Goodies or Baddies?
April 30th 2008 01:39
Most of us have an instant opinion on whether the Woolworths supermarket chain is a Goodie or a Baddie.
Ask Australian farmers and they’ll tell you they’re getting ripped off by multinational corporations.
Says Rosemary from Queensland in this ( Really Long Link ) article from last Sunday’s Courier Mail on rising food costs,
“Supermarkets take note, ripping off the Australian farmers by bringing in cheaper food from overseas is going to hurt our country and our people in the long run.
For heaven's sake guys, take your eyes off your profits for just a moment and look at the future and the big picture.
Do you really want Australian farmers to give up their livehoods, and Australia to be reliant on food coming in from overseas, going cap in hand to countries who could very well hold us to ransom over food - just as we are held to ransom now over insanely priced oil and fuel?”
The article itself offers this gloomy prediction:
“CASH-STRAPPED families face further pain at the supermarket checkout, with experts warning of price rises up to 50 per cent on food staples before the end of the year as a world food shortage hits home.
Fruit and vegetables are expected to be the worst hit, while bread, milk, cheese and meat will be close behind.
The grim outlook comes as Australian Bureau of Statistics figures last week showed rising food prices had pushed inflation to 4.2 per cent for the year to March – its highest level in 16 years.”
“We do not grow most of our own food anymore due to imports by Coles and Woolies home brands. That is why farmers are walking away from their farms. How much longer are we going to let multinationals control the market?” says Tony from Wynnum, in a response to the same article.
Ask the owners of small businesses such as local grocers or butchers that have been forced to close down, and they won’t have much good to say about large supermarket chains, either.
In an article from Lismore’s Northern Star newspaper, residents fighting a new Woolies in town argue that,
“As a society we need to get more local, we need to promote and support local businesses and producers. We need to get back to a simpler way of life and take climate change seriously.”
“One of her biggest concerns is the issue of food miles, or how far food has to travel before it reaches the consumer.
‘Pumpkins that have been grown up the road may travel to Sydney and back up again,’ she said, blaming Woolworths’ inflexible centralised buying system.”
That does seem pretty stupid. Not that I buy pumpkins. Except for carving into Jack-O-Lanterns on Halloween. There’s something weird about their mushy, orange, boiled flesh that makes my nose wrinkle and my nostrils flare.
Anyway.
Ask the University of New England how much organic produce is available in supermarkets and you’ll turn up research like this:
“In Australia, the retail value of organic food production was estimated at A$250 million, with farm-gate value at around A$90 million and exports at around A$40 million, in 2002. The current share of organic sales in total food sales in Australia is about 1%. The growth rate in organic production was forecast to continue at 10–30% per annum. Despite the positive outlook, there are consumer concerns about product recognition and product integrity.”
The response is this:
“Reg Clairs: There is a demand for organically grown or 'clean' foods, those without pesticide residues. In our Queensland stores we sometimes had an organic section. But they need a consistent source of supply. We will try to provide that, as well as gluten-free and other special products. Remember of course that our non-expanding shelves cannot provide for everyone.”
Ask me if I want to buy Woolworths petrol at 4c a litre cheaper using my shopping docket, and I will stubbornly pay more at a different servo because I don’t want to be controlled by a loyalty program like every other consumer sheep in the suburb.
But I’ve really been struck by the recent television ads for fresh fruit and vegetables, many of them clearly targeting children.
When was the last time Coles, Franklins, Bi-Lo or Aldi shelled out the money to place prime-time ads showing kiddies how to build a rocket-shaped fruit kebab?
And then tricked them into eating yoghurt by mentioning the milky way and black holes?
I know it’s part of the “Fresh Food People” marketing campaign, but still… there’s no way anyone else, the Government included, can seriously compete with the overwhelming tide of junk food ads that are helping turn toddlers into waddling porkers with a short, diabetic life ahead of them.
With the South Australian government considering a ban on junk food advertising in children’s programs, it turns out there is an estimated $200 million at stake.
In a February story, the ABC reported, “Australian Association of National Advertisers executive director Colin Segalov says bans on junk food advertising to children are unnecessary and ultimately ineffective.
"We are very sympathetic to the concerns expressed by the Minister, but would have to say that ad bans haven't worked anywhere in the world and we can't see why they would work any better than that in South Australia," he said.”
What a defeatist attitude!
If you’ve seen the documentary “SuperSize Me,” you’ve probably been just as shocked as me by all the sneaky methods McDonalds has used to brainwash kiddies into associating burgers and fries with fun. These include friendly characters starring in Saturday morning cartoons, Happy Meals, playgrounds - and relentless, ingenious advertising campaigns.
Where is the competition?
Nobody’s out there building Fun Vegetable Land to compete with a birthday party at Maccas or Pizza Hut.
So far, nobody’s been able to invent an exciting fruity clown and his yoghurty nemesis capable of competing with Ronald and Hamburgler.
Boring old Subway sandwiches certainly don’t come with a free toy from the latest blockbuster kids movie.
But the advertising… who better to mount an attack on McDonalds than the Fresh Food People?
Who else has the money, the contacts, the SHEER POWER??!!
GO, WOOLIES, GO!!!
And there’s a few things I’ve found out about the company today that I didn’t know.
I didn’t know they were an Australian company. Sure, they are a multinational, if you count New Zealand…but, of course, I prefer to think of it as the West Island.
As someone who has also noticed Thai tinned fruit and US walnuts with the Woolies brand, I would never have guessed that “more than 97% of the fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and seafood we sell comes from Australia. We are absolutely committed to domestic sourcing.”
True, that 97% is not any kind of reflection of the Woolworths brand, which is mostly processed food and therefore not counted as “fresh”. It would be interesting to know the stats for the brand alone.
*Sends Woolworths an email to find out*
(Not that Yoplait ever replied, so I won’t get my hopes up).
Having Australian fresh produce does NOT excuse the pumpkin debacle, or the local businesses forced to close down.
But every time I see that kid on TV making a celery stick man, I can’t help but quietly cheer them on. If you go to their kids’ website, freshfoodkids.com.au, they have recipes for exciting avocado sailing boats and watermelon smiley faces.
I can’t think of a better rainy day activity, and I start to wonder if it might not be so painful to buy Woolworths petrol, after all.
What do you think? In your book, are Woolworths stores goodies or baddies?
Ask Australian farmers and they’ll tell you they’re getting ripped off by multinational corporations.
Says Rosemary from Queensland in this ( Really Long Link ) article from last Sunday’s Courier Mail on rising food costs,
“Supermarkets take note, ripping off the Australian farmers by bringing in cheaper food from overseas is going to hurt our country and our people in the long run.
For heaven's sake guys, take your eyes off your profits for just a moment and look at the future and the big picture.
Do you really want Australian farmers to give up their livehoods, and Australia to be reliant on food coming in from overseas, going cap in hand to countries who could very well hold us to ransom over food - just as we are held to ransom now over insanely priced oil and fuel?”
The article itself offers this gloomy prediction:
“CASH-STRAPPED families face further pain at the supermarket checkout, with experts warning of price rises up to 50 per cent on food staples before the end of the year as a world food shortage hits home.
Fruit and vegetables are expected to be the worst hit, while bread, milk, cheese and meat will be close behind.
The grim outlook comes as Australian Bureau of Statistics figures last week showed rising food prices had pushed inflation to 4.2 per cent for the year to March – its highest level in 16 years.”
“We do not grow most of our own food anymore due to imports by Coles and Woolies home brands. That is why farmers are walking away from their farms. How much longer are we going to let multinationals control the market?” says Tony from Wynnum, in a response to the same article.
Ask the owners of small businesses such as local grocers or butchers that have been forced to close down, and they won’t have much good to say about large supermarket chains, either.
In an article from Lismore’s Northern Star newspaper, residents fighting a new Woolies in town argue that,
“As a society we need to get more local, we need to promote and support local businesses and producers. We need to get back to a simpler way of life and take climate change seriously.”
“One of her biggest concerns is the issue of food miles, or how far food has to travel before it reaches the consumer.
‘Pumpkins that have been grown up the road may travel to Sydney and back up again,’ she said, blaming Woolworths’ inflexible centralised buying system.”
That does seem pretty stupid. Not that I buy pumpkins. Except for carving into Jack-O-Lanterns on Halloween. There’s something weird about their mushy, orange, boiled flesh that makes my nose wrinkle and my nostrils flare.
Anyway.
Ask the University of New England how much organic produce is available in supermarkets and you’ll turn up research like this:
“In Australia, the retail value of organic food production was estimated at A$250 million, with farm-gate value at around A$90 million and exports at around A$40 million, in 2002. The current share of organic sales in total food sales in Australia is about 1%. The growth rate in organic production was forecast to continue at 10–30% per annum. Despite the positive outlook, there are consumer concerns about product recognition and product integrity.”
The response is this:
“Reg Clairs: There is a demand for organically grown or 'clean' foods, those without pesticide residues. In our Queensland stores we sometimes had an organic section. But they need a consistent source of supply. We will try to provide that, as well as gluten-free and other special products. Remember of course that our non-expanding shelves cannot provide for everyone.”
Ask me if I want to buy Woolworths petrol at 4c a litre cheaper using my shopping docket, and I will stubbornly pay more at a different servo because I don’t want to be controlled by a loyalty program like every other consumer sheep in the suburb.
But I’ve really been struck by the recent television ads for fresh fruit and vegetables, many of them clearly targeting children.
When was the last time Coles, Franklins, Bi-Lo or Aldi shelled out the money to place prime-time ads showing kiddies how to build a rocket-shaped fruit kebab?
And then tricked them into eating yoghurt by mentioning the milky way and black holes?
I know it’s part of the “Fresh Food People” marketing campaign, but still… there’s no way anyone else, the Government included, can seriously compete with the overwhelming tide of junk food ads that are helping turn toddlers into waddling porkers with a short, diabetic life ahead of them.
With the South Australian government considering a ban on junk food advertising in children’s programs, it turns out there is an estimated $200 million at stake.
In a February story, the ABC reported, “Australian Association of National Advertisers executive director Colin Segalov says bans on junk food advertising to children are unnecessary and ultimately ineffective.
"We are very sympathetic to the concerns expressed by the Minister, but would have to say that ad bans haven't worked anywhere in the world and we can't see why they would work any better than that in South Australia," he said.”
What a defeatist attitude!
If you’ve seen the documentary “SuperSize Me,” you’ve probably been just as shocked as me by all the sneaky methods McDonalds has used to brainwash kiddies into associating burgers and fries with fun. These include friendly characters starring in Saturday morning cartoons, Happy Meals, playgrounds - and relentless, ingenious advertising campaigns.
Where is the competition?
Nobody’s out there building Fun Vegetable Land to compete with a birthday party at Maccas or Pizza Hut.
So far, nobody’s been able to invent an exciting fruity clown and his yoghurty nemesis capable of competing with Ronald and Hamburgler.
Boring old Subway sandwiches certainly don’t come with a free toy from the latest blockbuster kids movie.
But the advertising… who better to mount an attack on McDonalds than the Fresh Food People?
Who else has the money, the contacts, the SHEER POWER??!!
GO, WOOLIES, GO!!!
And there’s a few things I’ve found out about the company today that I didn’t know.
I didn’t know they were an Australian company. Sure, they are a multinational, if you count New Zealand…but, of course, I prefer to think of it as the West Island.
As someone who has also noticed Thai tinned fruit and US walnuts with the Woolies brand, I would never have guessed that “more than 97% of the fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and seafood we sell comes from Australia. We are absolutely committed to domestic sourcing.”
True, that 97% is not any kind of reflection of the Woolworths brand, which is mostly processed food and therefore not counted as “fresh”. It would be interesting to know the stats for the brand alone.
*Sends Woolworths an email to find out*
(Not that Yoplait ever replied, so I won’t get my hopes up).
Having Australian fresh produce does NOT excuse the pumpkin debacle, or the local businesses forced to close down.
But every time I see that kid on TV making a celery stick man, I can’t help but quietly cheer them on. If you go to their kids’ website, freshfoodkids.com.au, they have recipes for exciting avocado sailing boats and watermelon smiley faces.
I can’t think of a better rainy day activity, and I start to wonder if it might not be so painful to buy Woolworths petrol, after all.
What do you think? In your book, are Woolworths stores goodies or baddies?
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