loss leading – Blog Greenearthorganics

The model of loss leading on fresh produce needs to stop, how is it that the cheap ultra processed rubbish food is not cheap, this is food that isn’t even food, why is it that our most valuable food, the real food actually grown in fields is sold at prices that are unsustainable?

During the week I had the honour of talking on a panel at the Climate Carnival on the future of food in Ireland. One of the speakers was the largest broccoli grower in Ireland, and he was very clear in conveying his opinions on supermarkets, and it was a damning verdict. The behaviour of supermarkets over the last 20 years has decimated the horticultural industry in Ireland. There are maybe only 60 growers left in Ireland growing field scale vegetables.

When the skills and infrastructure that provide us with local food are gone they are gone for good (just looked at what happened to the sugar beet industry in Ireland). There are very few people interested in getting into commercial veg growing and why would you? For low returns? For the hard work? For the unpredictability of the climate and then to be pressurised and squeezed by supermarket buyers that hold all the power. That is some thanks for providing our critical nourishment.

The truth of the fact is the supermarkets use fresh produce loss leaders to get shoppers in the door, and there is no escaping the fact that this squeezes the primary producer it always does, always.

Fresh veg for 49c, it is an illusion to think that food can be grown for this. The reality is that whilst these prices may be perceived as good by the consumer the long-term viability of these offerings is absolutely unsustainable, and we will pay in the long run. Not only does this desperate pricing model embed the idea that fresh produce is virtually worthless, but it also reduces the bargaining power farmers have when they come to renegotiate growing contracts in the following year.

If we lose anymore veg growers in Ireland there will be no horticultural industry left. We simply cannot afford to, if you consider food security, it is so important and with the climate in free fall, being able to grow as much food as we can here in Ireland is critical.

Not only do the supermarkets not play fair they also impose quite frankly ridiculous ultra-tight specifications, meaning vegetables must look a certain way and be of a certain size or they are rejected. For the sake of all that is sane, this needs to be stopped immediately. The model of loss leading on fresh produce needs to stop, that is the bottom line. Our most valued commodity, the stuff that sustains our life force, that can be a force for good needs to be protected and celebrated, not beaten down until it is no more.

As always thank you for your support for our farm and the farmers we support

Kenneth

Something that really upsets me is the fact that supermarkets not only sell fresh produce for next to nothing, but they also reject perfectly good produce, leading to increased food waste.

Have you ever seen a head of broccoli like the one in this video that weighs close to a kilogram and looks a bit wonky on a supermarket shelf? You will not, I think. They will never allow something like that for sale. More than likely the broccoli you get in supermarkets will be imported, will always be 400g, probably won’t be that fresh and will be wrapped in plastic and will usually be sprayed with chemicals and be very cheap. Did you know that a broccoli plant is quite big and will produce just one head in its lifespan? It takes quite a bit to bring a broccoli plant to harvest.

During the week I had a conversation with our potato grower, Cameron from Battlemountain Organic Farm. We needed to discuss potato pricing, we had a frank discussion and came to a fair agreement for him and for us, one we were both happy with.

If that conversation had went differently and it could have, then that would have been the end of our relationship and would have caused hardship for his farm. It would not have been fair, and it is certainly not our way. We are growers and we know a little about the costs and the challenges involved in producing and selling fresh organic produce and believe in paying fairly.

Supermarket buyers take a different approach to paying for their produce and this has led to the decimation of the Irish horticultural industry. Only 2% of farms in Ireland now grow vegetables.

The most recent national field vegetable census showed that the number of field vegetable growers fell from 377 in 1999 to 165 in 2014. That is a contraction of 56%.

But supermarkets want it all their own way, there is few countries where fresh produce is as devalued as it is here in Ireland. It really bothers me, obviously it bothers me because it makes it so difficult to stay in business with this backdrop, but it also bothers me because it undermines our food security and has caused untold damage to our indigenous vegetable industry.

Supermarkets demand the cheapest possible price and the most rigorous specifications leading to hardship for growers.

It is a broken food system. The funny thing is it would take very little to fix it, what if for example the specification on broccoli was relaxed to be above a certain weight, and if there was a slight increase in the price of the product and that went back to the grower and not to the supermarket, then that would fix a lot.

Your support keeps us in business and supports not only our own organic farm but many other Irish organic producers too.

Kenneth

I have had enough, have you?

Something that really annoys me…