Parsnip shocker

[Rhiannon]

This genuinely is appalling.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34647454

[2Corrie]

That should be illegal

[Nearly Sane]

What phlegmbuckets we are!

[Nearly Sane]

Difficult to make it illegal. Rather might legislate to have such rejections impounded and used by state.

[Red Giant]

Reminds me of a TV documentary ages ago.  The man from Tesco was talking about what the customer demands.  Then the shopper says "That's rubbish.  I don't demand anything.  I just look at what's on the shelf, and if I don't like the look of it, I just don't buy it."

[Udayana]

 http://www.unep.org/wed/2013/quickfacts/

 Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted.

[Bubbles]

It all needs to be redirected to the food banks and handed out to people in need.

IMO anyway.

[floo]

That is disgusting, people in this world are starving!

[OH MY WORLD!]

And somebody was calling American society sick. Good grief!

[Udayana]

Why is it that the discount supermarkets like Aldi or Lidl or alternatively the the co-ops don't set up deals with the farmers to buy ordinary veg - the farmers could demand more from Tesco and Waitrose for the "perfect" looking ones, but supply normal veg to everyone else? Or just take them to market?

It all looks like a scheme to fix prices ... for all I know.

[Rhiannon]

A lot of it could go into frozen or pre- prepared foods.

I knew some salad farmers a while back who had their salad crops rejected by Waitrose. It nearly bankrupted them. To be fair I've noticed Tesco selling less than perfect root veg in its 'value' range this year.

[Harrowby Hall]

This genuinely is appalling.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34647454

Indeed.

However, what really disquiets me about this article is that the supermarket concerned for rejection of this produce is not identified.

My observation of parsnips - in Tesco and Morrisons, the supermarkets I use most - is that perfection of shape is not an important factor in produce reaching the shelf.

So, which is the company that is reported to have rejected so much of the farmer's output? And why does he appear to be prepared to accept that judgement? Can he not find an alternative purchaser? Is he tied into a contract that forbids him from selling rejected produce to another purchaser?

[Walt Zingmatilder]

This genuinely is appalling.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34647454

Indeed.

However, what really disquiets me about this article is that the supermarket concerned for rejection of this produce is not identified.

My observation of parsnips - in Tesco and Morrisons, the supermarkets I use most - is that perfection of shape is not an important factor in produce reaching the shelf.

So, which is the company that is reported to have rejected so much of the farmer's output? And why does he appear to be prepared to accept that judgement? Can he not find an alternative purchaser? Is he tied into a contract that forbids him from selling rejected produce to another purchaser?

This is why we need a kind of Attlee style socialism to set up boards and nationalisation to bring some sort of control into these matters. Nanny needs to intervene a bit since the market has gone a bit naughty.

We could then follow it up with a bit of Butskellism.

[Hope]

This is why we need a kind of Attlee style socialism to set up boards and nationalisation to bring some sort of control into these matters. Nanny needs to intervene a bit since the market has gone a bit naughty.

We could then follow it up with a bit of Butskellism.

Notsure whether this is a case in point, but the EU has set out some truly strange rulings re. colours, shapes and even sizes of fruit and veg.

[jeremyp]

[However, what really disquiets me about this article is that the supermarket concerned for rejection of this produce is not identified.

They all do it.

So, which is the company that is reported to have rejected so much of the farmer's output? And why does he appear to be prepared to accept that judgement? Can he not find an alternative purchaser? Is he tied into a contract that forbids him from selling rejected produce to another purchaser?

I imagine that farmers operate on very tight margins. If the supermarket rejects a lorry load of your veg, it needs to be transported to wherever else you are going to sell them. That costs money.

Not only that, the supermarkets are the only customers that take veg in such large quantities. Where else are you going to sell an enormous truckload of produce. You might say "schools and hospitals" but I think, if you look into it, they probably already have a source for all the vegetables that they need.

If you think about it, this wastage is a symptom of the fact that we are overproducing. If people wanted to buy all those rejected vegetables, they would be on the shelves.

[Sriram]

Why can't they have separate stores to sell these 'lesser' veggies at lower prices... or even distribute them free?!  I am sure lots of poor people could do with some help. They could even transport the veggies to other EU countries where the influx of migrants is more.   

 

[Leonard James]

Why can't they have separate stores to sell these 'lesser' veggies at lower prices... or even distribute them free?!  I am sure lots of poor people could do with some help. They could even transport the veggies to other EU countries where the influx of migrants is more.

You are forgetting the basis of the capitalist system :- Mammon rules!

[Udayana]

... But even Mammon needs to be restrained when he is having tantrum or a fit!

[Leonard James]

... But even Mammon needs to be restrained when he is having tantrum or a fit!

Good luck with that, mate! 

[Gonnagle]

Dear Leonard,

Your mention of Mammon got me Googling.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/25/worshipping-money-new-faith-sweeping-england



Gonnagle.

[Leonard James]

Dear Leonard,

Your mention of Mammon got me Googling.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/25/worshipping-money-new-faith-sweeping-england



Gonnagle.

All we have to combat the monster is our social instinct, but I fear it will never supplant the selfish one.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Leonard,

Is social instinct the same as herd instinct?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/social+instinct

Gonnagle.

[Leonard James]

Dear Leonard,

Is social instinct the same as herd instinct?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/social+instinct

Gonnagle.

Not in my book. The social instinct puts the good of the group before the selfish instinct, although it tends to get overridden when the chips are down. 

[Rhiannon]

[However, what really disquiets me about this article is that the supermarket concerned for rejection of this produce is not identified.

They all do it.

So, which is the company that is reported to have rejected so much of the farmer's output? And why does he appear to be prepared to accept that judgement? Can he not find an alternative purchaser? Is he tied into a contract that forbids him from selling rejected produce to another purchaser?

I imagine that farmers operate on very tight margins. If the supermarket rejects a lorry load of your veg, it needs to be transported to wherever else you are going to sell them. That costs money.

Not only that, the supermarkets are the only customers that take veg in such large quantities. Where else are you going to sell an enormous truckload of produce. You might say "schools and hospitals" but I think, if you look into it, they probably already have a source for all the vegetables that they need.

If you think about it, this wastage is a symptom of the fact that we are overproducing. If people wanted to buy all those rejected vegetables, they would be on the shelves.

Supermarkets deliberately sign contracts meaning we overproduce. This means they can play farmers against each other and manipulate prices in their favour.

[Udayana]

HFW's programme was just on, and was it right-on or what!

Morrisons was the supermarket causing the parsnip waste in this case, and may be the cause, directly or not, of the Hammond's business shutting down.

Actually, I'm beginning to understand that, essentially, this country is packed with waste-criminals, lard-arsed, greedy and brainless. Drastic action needs to be taken. People have more money than sense.

Slash tax-credits, scrap the "living wage", pile on the taxes on businesses, rigorously enforce every regulation and tax principle.  Boycott the supermarkets and American companies. Check all dustbins, impose drastic punishment for those not recycling properly or just wasting essentials.

We should have a committee checking all contracts and declaring all those that are unfair or anti-social, null and void. Set up the guillotines whilst we are at it.
 
5p plastic bag charge? -- puuuhhh!!!