Lack of Irish fruit in supermarkets

reg114

Just curious why most of the fruit available in mainstream supermarkets is not Irish. I'm referring particularly to fruit bought out of season, currently I can buy strawberries from Belgium, raspberries from the Netherlands etc .. Why is there nowhere in ireland that is producing this fruit out of season like Belgium or the Netherlands ? I notice blueberries originate from peru and south africa. Why are we not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ?

Donald Trump

reg114 wrote: »

Just curious why most of the fruit available in mainstream supermarkets is not Irish. I'm referring particularly to fruit bought out of season, currently I can buy strawberries from Belgium, raspberries from the Netherlands etc .. Why is there nowhere in ireland that is producing this fruit out of season like Belgium or the Netherlands ? I notice blueberries originate from peru and south africa. Why are we not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ?

Supermarkets prefer to leverage their existing supply chains and buy foreign.
Historically, Ireland exports a lot of beef. Those trucks weren't coming back with an empty load so they would bring back fruit and veg. So that started the issue back in the day.

But now the multinationals are just too big. You can grow it in Ireland if you so wish. But it's not much use to you unless you can sell it. farmers markets, side of the road, blah blah blah - grand if you are a hobbyist

You can get some - the likes of Keelings grow and supply a fair bit btw. But they are on near enough industrial scale as you might see if you drive around the back of Dublin airport

Say my name

reg114 wrote: »

Just curious why most of the fruit available in mainstream supermarkets is not Irish. I'm referring particularly to fruit bought out of season, currently I can buy strawberries from Belgium, raspberries from the Netherlands etc .. Why is there nowhere in ireland that is producing this fruit out of season like Belgium or the Netherlands ? I notice blueberries originate from peru and south africa. Why are we not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ?

There was a wexford grower had strawberries just ten days ago.
I'm not sure where they went?

I'd say it's to do with Dutch and Belgian growers having the infrastructure of glasshouses set up and access to cheap north sea gas. I think they may now be switching to biogas from A.D. plants?
Again not here either.

And those Dutch companies are the leading importers of produce from all over the world. So it's just easier from a supermarket's point of view to deal with the Dutch companies when they can guarrentee a year round supply.

grassroot1

Softfruit grown at this time of year is not very climate friendly.

MickeyShtyles

reg114 wrote: »

Just curious why most of the fruit available in mainstream supermarkets is not Irish. I'm referring particularly to fruit bought out of season, currently I can buy strawberries from Belgium, raspberries from the Netherlands etc .. Why is there nowhere in ireland that is producing this fruit out of season like Belgium or the Netherlands ? I notice blueberries originate from peru and south africa. Why are we not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ?

Ya can’t compare ourselves to the likes of the Dutch in terms of growing berries, straws in particular.
Dutch berries at the moment are going for crazy money due to the weather they are having at present.

_Brian

The big factor here is that the retail multinationals are more focused on profit than selling irish produce.


They use imported produce to squeeze down prices of irish suppliers..


I could spens a million €€ setting up to grow this fruit out of season for them. They would then tell me what they will pay me for the produce irrespective of the cost of production, they will use the availability of imported goods as leverage and happily import stuff and leave me sitting with tons of perishable goods going rotten.




There have been plenty of stories of growers having fields of produce ready to be shafted by retailers wanting to run a below cost sale with their produce.

Harry Palmr

North county Dublin has been shedding fruit and veg growers for years.

The big boys just aren't interested in the scale of thier output and the growers here cannot bear the cost of being loss leaders to suit supermarkets marketing policies.

No one in thier right mind would invest the amount needed to get a slice of the pie.

ganmo

reg114 wrote: »

Just curious why most of the fruit available in mainstream supermarkets is not Irish. I'm referring particularly to fruit bought out of season, currently I can buy strawberries from Belgium, raspberries from the Netherlands etc .. Why is there nowhere in ireland that is producing this fruit out of season like Belgium or the Netherlands ? I notice blueberries originate from peru and south africa. Why are we not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ?

Em why buy out of season fruit?

reg114

Donald Trump wrote: »

Supermarkets prefer to leverage their existing supply chains and buy foreign.
Historically, Ireland exports a lot of beef. Those trucks weren't coming back with an empty load so they would bring back fruit and veg. So that started the issue back in the day.

But now the multinationals are just too big. You can grow it in Ireland if you so wish. But it's not much use to you unless you can sell it. farmers markets, side of the road, blah blah blah - grand if you are a hobbyist

You can get some - the likes of Keelings grow and supply a fair bit btw. But they are on near enough industrial scale as you might see if you drive around the back of Dublin airport

Ironically Keelings strawberries right now, (certainly in the last few weeks anyway) have Netherlands as country of origin.

reg114

ganmo wrote: »

Em why buy out of season fruit?

What fruit native to ireland would be in season in the third week of November ?

grassroot1

Apples or pears

reg114

grassroot1 wrote: »

Softfruit grown at this time of year is not very climate friendly.

I would agree and go further suggesting any fruit imported isnt climate friendly.

The status quo where huge retailers are throwing their financial might around to eliminate local producers cant last. Importing comes with a huge carbon footprint cost. As the effects of climate change become more evident , carbon taxes on imported goods will inevitably see them become more expensive which can only help local producers re-enter the market surely.

reg114

grassroot1 wrote: »

Apples or pears

Now Im not talking about the bags of Irish apples and pears that were frozen (storage stock as is indicated on the linked bordbia table) during the summer and are now being released on to the market to maintain supply. I know tesco and the other big retailers do this en masse, hence in the middle of winter you will find copious amounts of irish apples and pears in shops.

I dont believe any native fruit grows during winter in Ireland , please correct me if Im wrong.

https://www.bordbia.ie/lifestyle/information/fruit-vegetables/best-in-season-calendar/

AlanG

It's unfortunately all about the economics of specialisation. Ireland focuses on beef and therefore wee cant produce enough potatoes for ourselves yet alone soft fruit.
This is government policy and really nothing to do with farmers - they generally maximise return for their labour and capital which means beef for most people as a result of government structures.

Danzy

Fruit grower in Ireland has to contend with colder weather, even with greenhouses.

The big one:
Where as a Dutch grower has 100 million people within a 3 to 4 hour drive.

Here you only have few million within 3 hours.

9n top of that the large scale th He Dutch etc can leverage due to such a market right on top of the means, it pays to hire planes to fly food out.

_Brian

in Ireland we need to eat out of season fruits, it’s a public health issue and outweighs amd potential climate issue.

That’s the key, some social actions will have a measurable climate effect and what is key is balancing what is needed and what isn’t needed.

Having the population eat a wide variety of fruit and veg is a massive positive for society as a whole and so it’s acceptable.

We can’t let the current climate hysteria throw the baby out with the bath water.

Back to the Irish fruit or lack of same, another problem is the population have no interest in quality Irish produce. They want the cheapest possible product and working in a high cost system like ireland we can’t compete with that.

An Irish product that costs 20% more will sit on the shelves, while cheap fruit grown in the sea of plastic in almeria in Spain by slaves will run off the shelves.

Danzy

_Brian wrote: »

in Ireland we need to eat out of season fruits, it’s a public health issue and outweighs amd potential climate issue.

That’s the key, some social actions will have a measurable climate effect and what is key is balancing what is needed and what isn’t needed.

Having the population eat a wide variety of fruit and veg is a massive positive for society as a whole and so it’s acceptable.

We can’t let the current climate hysteria throw the baby out with the bath water.

Back to the Irish fruit or lack of same, another problem is the population have no interest in quality Irish produce. They want the cheapest possible product and working in a high cost system like ireland we can’t compete with that.

An Irish product that costs 20% more will sit on the shelves, while cheap fruit grown in the sea of plastic in almeria in Spain by slaves will run off the shelves.

Like environmental concerns in the EU.

All out the window for Mercousr trade, our beef which is nearly all on permanent pasture, which locks away carbon replaced at a stroke by giving Brazil a green light to burn the Amazon so they can sell beef to us.

alps

Danzy wrote: »

Fruit grower in Ireland has to contend with colder weather, even with greenhouses.

The big one:
Where as a Dutch grower has 100 million people within a 3 to 4 hour drive.

Here you only have few million within 3 hours.

9n top of that the large scale th He Dutch etc can leverage due to such a market right on top of the means, it pays to hire planes to fly food out.

The distance is completely and utterly irrelevant.

Cappaquin estate produces beautiful apples to Super Valu year round. The exact same breed of apple is for sale in Lidl, grown in New Zealand..

The cost of transporting an apple half way round the world wouldn't add 1c to the cost of the apple.

_Brian

Danzy wrote: »

Like environmental concerns in the EU.

All out the window for Mercousr trade, our beef which is nearly all on permanent pasture, which locks away carbon replaced at a stroke by giving Brazil a green light to burn the Amazon so they can sell beef to us.

I can only influence what I can influence. The deal is about German cars and not food or environmental issues.

As for Irish cattle, let’s not over sell the pasture thing. Much of irish cattle will be housed for 4 months at least with lots on our own area indoors for six months.

Lime Tree Farm

reg114 wrote: »

Just curious why most of the fruit available in mainstream supermarkets is not Irish. I'm referring particularly to fruit bought out of season, currently I can buy strawberries from Belgium, raspberries from the Netherlands etc .. Why is there nowhere in ireland that is producing this fruit out of season like Belgium or the Netherlands ? I notice blueberries originate from peru and south africa. Why are we not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ?

Why are YOU not growing this fruit year round in ireland like they seem to be able to on the continent ? What is stopping you for taking up the slack ?

gozunda

reg114 wrote: »

Now Im not talking about the bags of Irish apples and pears that were frozen (storage stock as is indicated on the linked bordbia table) during the summer and are now being released on to the market to maintain supply. I know tesco and the other big retailers do this en masse, hence in the middle of winter you will find copious amounts of irish apples and pears in shops. I dont believe any native fruit grows during winter in Ireland , please correct me if Im wrong.
https://www.bordbia.ie/lifestyle/information/fruit-vegetables/best-in-season-calendar/

I'm not sure you realise how the growing seasons works here?

Our climate here dictates much of what can be grown extensively. Our winters are generally cold and wet so no there are no native fruits which will grow without massive amounts of infrastructure in the form of heated glasshouse or polytunnels.

Apple and pear crops are generally harvested in late Autumn - that's when the fruit is ripe and ready to pick.

The fruit is not 'frozen' btw - it is placed in specialised stores to prevent the fruit going off.

Even home grown apples will keep for several months if properly stored.

Fruit coming in from areas like parts of South America and Aftica et - have a much longer growing season and they may be able to produce multiple crops in a year. Our temperate climate does not allow that.

The fruit produced in the Netherlands such as Strawberries are produced indoors under artificial conditions and have a very large carbon footprint. Not a model I would advocate for production .

The rules are, eat fruit in season - at this time of the year in Ireland that is apples, pears etc. 'In season' does not mean you are picking them off the tree btw. If the fruit was picked in late autumn then that fruit is 'in season'

I think its a rather modern and blind mindset to expect to have all types of fruits available all year around regardless of environmental cost or seasonality tbh.

reg114

gozunda wrote: »

I'm not sure you realise how the growing seasons works here?

Our climate here dictates much of what can be grown extensively. Our winters are generally cold and wet so no there are no native fruits which will grow without massive amounts of infrastructure in the form of heated glasshouse or polytunnels.

Apple and pear crops are generally harvested in late Autumn - that's when the fruit is ripe and ready to pick.

The fruit is not 'frozen' btw - it is placed in specialised stores to prevent the fruit going off.

Even home grown apples will keep for several months if properly stored.

Fruit coming in from areas like parts of South America and Aftica et - have a much longer growing season and they may be able to produce multiple crops in a year. Our temperate climate does not allow that.

The fruit produced in the Netherlands such as Strawberries are produced indoors under artificial conditions and have a very large carbon footprint. Note model I would advocate for production .

The rules are, eat fruit in season - at this time of the year in Ireland that is apples, pears etc. 'In season' does not mean you are picking them off the tree btw. If the fruit was picked in late autumn then that fruit is 'in season'

I think its a rather modern and blind mindset to expect to have all types of fruits available all year around regardless of environmental cost or seasonality tbh.

Im not a farmer and have zero knowledge of farming here or abroad , I posed the question initially as a curious consumer who likes eating fruit. Having contacted Tesco it was clarified to me that some apples sold in their stores here in Ireland have been thawed after storage of up to 1 year thus they have indeed been frozen. I approached them only after having seen these reports on consumer affairs programmes on UK tv in recent months. There has been an argument that freezing fruit and thawing after extended periods of time greatly reduces nutritional content which would render the fruit in question nutritionally redundant.

bogman_bass

reg114 wrote: »

I would agree and go further suggesting any fruit imported isnt climate friendly.

The status quo where huge retailers are throwing their financial might around to eliminate local producers cant last. Importing comes with a huge carbon footprint cost. As the effects of climate change become more evident , carbon taxes on imported goods will inevitably see them become more expensive which can only help local producers re-enter the market surely.

It depends. Transport isn’t that big a factor in the overall production.
Tomatoes grown outside in South Africa actually have a smaller carbon footprint than out of season ta mayors grown heat in a glasshouse

enricoh

reg114 wrote: »

I would agree and go further suggesting any fruit imported isnt climate friendly.

The status quo where huge retailers are throwing their financial might around to eliminate local producers cant last. Importing comes with a huge carbon footprint cost. As the effects of climate change become more evident , carbon taxes on imported goods will inevitably see them become more expensive which can only help local producers re-enter the market surely.

The carbon footprint thing might end up as a salvation for fruit n vedge growers here.
I know a few lads that supply fruit n vedge to the big retailers n i dont envy them.
When the retailers say jump, you say how high!

gozunda

reg114 wrote: »

Im not a farmer and have zero knowledge of farming here or abroad , I posed the question initially as a curious consumer who likes eating fruit. Having contacted Tesco it was clarified to me that some apples sold in their stores here in Ireland have been thawed after storage of up to 1 year thus they have indeed been frozen. I approached them only after having seen these reports on consumer affairs programmes on UK tv in recent months. There has been an argument that freezing fruit and thawing after extended periods of time greatly reduces nutritional content which would render the fruit in question nutritionally redundant.

Thats fair enough. Seasonality is related to our climate and unless we go down the route of investing heavily in covered and heated growing that is unlikley to change. As another poster explained - counties like the Netherlands are at the hub of an European rail and road marketing and distribution network for fresh produce. They also to import large amounts of fruit from around the globe and redistribute this to other countries.

No idea about Tescos suppliers in the UK. The apples grown here which I am aware of are not frozen for sure. Here cold storage and atmospheric controls are used to ensure the apples are maintained at the correct temperatures and levels of CO² which maintains the fruits freshness. These systems are described as 'refrigerated' but that simply means that low (but not freezing) temperatures are maintained to ensure the fruit does not spoil.

Keelings who supply Irish grown apples use this type of cold / refrigerated storage technique to store their apples.

See
https://keelings.ie/keelings-apples/

Donald Trump

reg114 wrote: »

Ironically Keelings strawberries right now, (certainly in the last few weeks anyway) have Netherlands as country of origin.

It's nearly December.

_Brian

The freezing or extreme chilling of fruit is why you often see fruit from such places that looks ok but once home it quickly deteriorates.
Seeing condensation inside bags is a key indicator that fruit or veg is just out of a chiller.

reg114

Donald Trump wrote: »

It's nearly December.

Indeed it is. I find it odd that Keelings would import a punnet of strawberries in winter from Europe only for it to be sold next to Tesco bought strawberries imported also from europe, but 50 cents cheaper than the Keelings variety. Keelings unique selling point is its irishness, importing dutch strawberries and slapping a Keelings label on them, sightly undermines their USP.

Ultimately i would like to see a sustainable environmentally friendly model of home produce being given the priority over mass produced cheaper imports. This is one of the downsides of free trade agreements and being an EU member I suppose.

wrangler

reg114 wrote: »

Indeed it is. I find it odd that Keelings would import a punnet of strawberries in winter from Europe only for it to be sold next to Tesco bought strawberries imported also from europe, but 50 cents cheaper than the Keelings variety. Keelings unique selling point is its irishness, importing dutch strawberries and slapping a Keelings label on them, sightly undermines their USP.

Ultimately i would like to see a sustainable environmentally friendly model of home produce being given the priority over mass produced cheaper imports. This is one of the downsides of free trade agreements and being an EU member I suppose.

Very few give a damn about climate change, if people cared they'd eat fruit and veg in season and buy Irish as well. we eat our own vegetables in our house right through the year as they're in season so it can be done,
a person looking for strawberries in Ireland in December doesn't care about the environment, A huge number of growers have been put out of business by supermarkets and consumers which is why there is few fruit and veg growers left
I have no family so don't worry too much about the end of the world in fifty years, I just put that in incase you think I'm a vegan, I just don't care, not worried

Harry Palmr

reg114 wrote: »

Ultimately i would like to see a sustainable environmentally friendly model of home produce being given the priority over mass produced cheaper imports. This is one of the downsides of free trade agreements and being an EU member I suppose.

It's probably more carbon friendly to import a containers worth of fruit from Spain or The Netherlands than grow them here - they have the infrastructure and the knowledge pumping out a few more crates costs almost nothing and the ship was sailing in our direction anyway.

_Brian

Harry Palmr wrote: »

It's probably more carbon friendly to import a containers worth of fruit from Spain or The Netherlands than grow them here - they have the infrastructure and the knowledge pumping out a few more crates costs almost nothing and the ship was sailing in our direction anyway.

Any produce coming from the sea of plastic in Spain is desperately damaging stuff. Between pollution and slavery it’s a disgrace it’s allowed happen in an EU country.

Chisler2

reg114 wrote: »

Now Im not talking about the bags of Irish apples and pears that were frozen (storage stock as is indicated on the linked bordbia table) during the summer and are now being released on to the market to maintain supply. I know tesco and the other big retailers do this en masse, hence in the middle of winter you will find copious amounts of irish apples and pears in shops.

I dont believe any native fruit grows during winter in Ireland , please correct me if Im wrong.

https://www.bordbia.ie/lifestyle/information/fruit-vegetables/best-in-season-calendar/

Autumn was late this year. I do not produce fruit for sale but have several old Irish apple-trees in the garden and a heavy crop this year........as has everyone else with apple-trees west of the Shannon. There are at least 22 different Irish-grown (some Heritage) varieties in Mayo. HOWEVER even the small family greengrocers continue to sell only Pink Lady and Bramleys in oyster-trays covered with plastic grown in Holland or Spain.......no "local" apples for sale apart from a couple of varieties at the odd farmers' market stall once a week. Year on year I "gift" my crop to friends and neighbours.

_Brian

I remember in the 90’s there would be guys at the egg market in Cavan town from Armagh with boxes of apples.

We used to buy a box, wipe them off and wrap individually in newspaper, they kept perfect in a cool dry shed and we’d have tasty apples all winter. Much cheaper than the shops

I Drive through Armagh now in the autumn and many of the orchards are gone or the apples rotting into the ground. Cheap imported apples destroyed the business.

magicbastarder

From what I've read, the carbon footprint of growing food dwarfs the carbon footprint from transporting it - that if CO2 is your concern, you're far better advised to worry about how it was produced, not where it was produced.
I.e. if you did buy an Irish grown strawberry in December, it's almost certainly more environmentally unfriendly than one grown in Spain, even if the Irish one was grown down the road from you.

Waffletraktor

magicbastarder wrote: »

From what I've read, the carbon footprint of growing food dwarfs the carbon footprint from transporting it - that if CO2 is your concern, you're far better advised to worry about how it was produced, not where it was produced.
I.e. if you did buy an Irish grown strawberry in December, it's almost certainly more environmentally unfriendly than one grown in Spain, even if the Irish one was grown down the road from you.

Are spanish greenhouses or poly tunnels more environmentally friendly to build then?

Waffletraktor

Harry Palmr wrote: »

It's probably more carbon friendly to import a containers worth of fruit from Spain or The Netherlands than grow them here - they have the infrastructure and the knowledge pumping out a few more crates costs almost nothing and the ship was sailing in our direction anyway.

Most perishables are on fridge trucks that come up across France and the Uk land bridge though. Usually meat out and backload fruit.

_Brian

Hard facts are were a high cost production region and a poor climate for growing fruit.

We will never compete on price with the nasty stuff being produced in Almeria in Spain where more than a third of the EU fruit is grown.

Are consumers willing to spend 30-50% more for fruit or veg to support Irish jobs and the Irish economy??

No they are not.

magicbastarder

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Are spanish greenhouses or poly tunnels more environmentally friendly to build then?

they're more environmentally friendly to heat.

_Brian

magicbastarder wrote: »

they're more environmentally friendly to heat.

But their standards of operation are just horrific both in terms of pollutions and employment issues.

Society has to stop viewing every issue in monochrome.

A product has many aspects to be considered before purchasing. If we just look at it for the current trendy issue in the media it’s not a proper evaluation of the product.

This is the problem with extremist vegans or extremist climate action groups. They view everything from their narrow perspective and ignore everything else. It’s a stupid way to live.

Same problem with buying food based on price and price only.

magicbastarder

_Brian wrote: »

But their standards of operation are just horrific both in terms of pollutions and employment issues.

i'm not addressing the other issues involved, was just addressing the 'local is better because of CO2' paradigm. i'm certainly not saying the issue is that cut and dried.

Buford T. Justice XIX

magicbastarder wrote: »

From what I've read, the carbon footprint of growing food dwarfs the carbon footprint from transporting it - that if CO2 is your concern, you're far better advised to worry about how it was produced, not where it was produced.
I.e. if you did buy an Irish grown strawberry in December, it's almost certainly more environmentally unfriendly than one grown in Spain, even if the Irish one was grown down the road from you.

Just on the carbon footprint of food, you realise they are speaking only in terms of gross output of CO2 equivalent?

And that the basic ingredient of all food crops is the CO2 being absorbed and converted into the cell structures of the plants being grown?

And there is no credit being given, none at all, for that absorption of CO2 in food, that the only side of discussion is the gross output only?

And just to put the sources of emissions in perspective,
https://twitter.com/thisfarmlife/status/1195249945831510017

magicbastarder

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

And there is no credit being given, none at all, for that absorption of CO2 in food, that the only side of discussion is the gross output only?

but if we're talking about an identical weight strawberry, the CO2 contained explicitly in the strawberry is pretty much the same for one grown in spain or in ireland? in terms of that direct comparison between food grown in ireland and food grown abroad.

anyway, surely the CO2 in the strawberry is returned to the atmosphere in short order? we're not storing it in our bodies, unless we're getting fatter.

yosemitesam1

_Brian wrote: »

But their standards of operation are just horrific both in terms of pollutions and employment issues.

Society has to stop viewing every issue in monochrome.

A product has many aspects to be considered before purchasing. If we just look at it for the current trendy issue in the media it’s not a proper evaluation of the product.

This is the problem with extremist vegans or extremist climate action groups. They view everything from their narrow perspective and ignore everything else. It’s a stupid way to live.

Same problem with buying food based on price and price only.

Heating a glasshouse here through the winter or keeping an apple in a fridge for six months adds a lot to their footprint. An apple from new Zealand has a lower carbon footprint than an Irish apple when the new Zealand one is in season and Irish out of season. The opposite happens when the Irish one is in season and NZ apple out of season

_Brian

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Heating a glasshouse here through the winter or keeping an apple in a fridge for six months adds a lot to their footprint. An apple from new Zealand has a lower carbon footprint than an Irish apple when the new Zealand one is in season and Irish out of season. The opposite happens when the Irish one is in season and NZ apple out of season

I’d rather fruit with a larger carbon footprint but grown here where traceability and good practice are paramount than fruit grown by slaves.

magicbastarder

i've driven through some of the towns in southern spain where a large amount of fruit and veg is grown. not towns you'd stop in to wander around.

Waffletraktor

magicbastarder wrote: »

they're more environmentally friendly to heat.

And how do they cool them? They do need to be kept below 30c to keep plants growing and not heat stressed.

Lano Lynn

_Brian wrote: »

Any produce coming from the sea of plastic in Spain is desperately damaging stuff. Between pollution and slavery it’s a disgrace it’s allowed happen in an EU country.

wouldn't u think the supermarkets would insist on a kind of spanish bordo bia certification to make sure that sort of thing doesn't happen 'coz the consumer demands it etc bullsh1t:mad:

Birdnuts

Its amazing how much fruit like Raspberries,Apples, Pears etc. one can grow even in a small garden - I think more and more people are waking up to this as a sustainable alternative(for a large part of the year) to the bland imported stuff you get in most surpermarkets

Harry Palmr

Best thing to do is not eat food out of season.

Winter tomatoes are pretty awful, I never eat soft fruits unless it's when harvesting so can't pass judgement on the taste.

Donald Trump

reg114 wrote: »

Indeed it is. I find it odd that Keelings would import a punnet of strawberries in winter from Europe only for it to be sold next to Tesco bought strawberries imported also from europe, but 50 cents cheaper than the Keelings variety. .

Do you also find it equally as odd that you will have a packet of Kellogs cornflakes being sold next to a packet of Tesco own-brand cornflakes but for double the price.........even though it is often the case that those two boxes are coming out of the same production line and just packed into different packaging?

And yet people buy the more expensive branded version......

wrangler

Donald Trump wrote: »

Do you also find it equally as odd that you will have a packet of Kellogs cornflakes being sold next to a packet of Tesco own-brand cornflakes but for double the price.........even though it is often the case that those two boxes are coming out of the same production line and just packed into different packaging?

And yet people buy the more expensive branded version......

I know that some of the own brand bread is absolute rubbish