Madelaine with chooks and daughter in their organic farm pasture, at Madelaines Eggs
No Surprise

It was no surprise to hear on Four Corners this week that food we buy from the big supermarkets isn’t always what it says it is or where it says it comes from.

It was no surprise that cans of “Australian-grown” tomatoes are possibly being picked by Uyghur slave labour on farms in China, that cage free eggs seemed to have been switched with caged eggs and sugar syrup may have been passed off as honey.

How does it happen that people who work for big supermarkets, who live in our community, who went to the same schools as we did, who played sports, grew up reading the same stories, who were raised in the land of the fair go, can make decision after decision that continue to shock us?

I can’t imagine there’s a big supermarket executive writing up a to-do list on a whiteboard that goes something along the lines of;

But I can imagine there are people at the big supermarkets who are so terrified about declining market share, who live in dread of missing their KPI’s, of losing their jobs or bonuses, that they would find themselves trying to square a decision to source tomatoes farmed by slaves or switch fake caged-free eggs or dress up sugar syrup as honey and tell themselves if they don’t, their competitors will.

It goes to reason that if the principal purpose of our two dominant grocery retailers is protecting their market share then should we ever be surprised when workers, suppliers and customers are thrown under the bus?

This mould is set, die cast, all hardwired, baked in and the cat, sadly, cannot change its spots no matter how many codes of conduct are written.

All week at Fair Food customer service Kelly and Aisha have been answering enquiries from people asking about food fraud and how they can be sure the groceries they buy from us are what they say they are.

If you’ve never had time to read CERES’ constitution our principal purpose for being is to protect and enhance the natural environment…. by enabling community-based learning and action to create environmentally beneficial, socially just, economically sustainable, culturally enriching and spiritually nurturing ways of living together.
 
It’s a mouthful I know but it means our mould is also set, our die cast, everything’s hardwired, baked in and there’s no changing of spots.

No share price to bolster, no dividends to pay out, no bonuses to protect. 

No one meets their KPI’s by stealing workers’ wages, driving farmer’s prices down or deceiving customers.

We exist to connect local and organic growers and makers with people who want to eat food that’s grown or made with care for the land, its animals and for each other. 

Across the year Fair Food packs and delivers food sourced from more than 200 small organic farmers and ethical food businesses.

If you want to do some due diligence drop into Joe’s Garden in Coburg and talk to farmer Rachel about her tomatoes or have a Melbourne Farmer’s Market chat with Floyd from Cocoa Rhapsody about his Dominican cacao or head to Bee Sustainable on Lygon St to find out first hand from Robert where his honey comes from or maybe run into Madelaine at her Belinda farmgate for a yak about chickens. 

Keep warm and have a great week.

Chris

Mixed Victorian tomatoes