MILKING THE MARKET
*UPDATE, July 18, 2012… The National Farmers Federation of Australia is calling for legislation to protect primary producers as proposed in Britain, where the Government is to introduce an independent adjudicator to regulate supermarket-supplier relations.
Suppliers say our two big supermarkets Coles and Woolworths are increasingly abusing their market power, hurting hundreds of suppliers and sending many to the wall.
The supermarkets have hit back, saying they are acting for consumers to bring down prices and that their dealings with suppliers are reasonable.
“Since the supermarket giants provoked concern from regional Australia by drastically cutting milk prices (see story below), the relationship with suppliers has become increasingly sour,” reports ABC News.
“Consumer watchdog Choice has long argued the major players have a unique and unprecedented level of control and concentration.”
“We potentially have the most concentrated supermarket sector in the developed world – close to 71 per cent controlled by two major players,” Choice spokesman Matt Levy said.
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That cheap milk you are buying is cheap for a reason.
Today, according to Fairfax , documents reveal that up to 16 percent of the fresh milk we drink is made of “permeate” – a watery, greenish waste left over from the production of cheese.
It’s all about winning the supermarket “milk wars” and making milk as cheap as possible. But what are consumers really buying?
“Internal documents from Australia’s biggest supplier, National Foods – which makes Pura, Big M, Dairy Farmers and supplies both Woolworths and Coles brand milk – reveal its milk now contains up to 16.43 percent permeate.
“One document, labelled ‘permeate cost savings’, reveals up to $22,960 can be saved by adding 16 percent permeate to the production of 350,000 litres of whole milk. This shaves almost 16 percent of the cost off the price of production, and does not have to be disclosed on the label,” says Fairfax.
Independent producers say consumers are being misled. The milk they are buying is not pure.
When Helen Razer saw how cheap milk had become, she smelled a rat… if not cheese. Here’s how she took matters into her own hands…
In the end, it was milk that soured my long and loving relationship with the nation’s biggest supermarkets.
When cash-cows Coles and Woolworths offered a litre of milk for a dollar, something just didn’t smell right. Sure, the price was almost irresistible but the fog of betrayal didn’t feel so fresh.
It didn’t take an agribusiness-geek to see that there was something wrong with this supply chain. Somewhere, someone was almost certainly copping a loss to make this discount happen and, as it turned out, it wasn’t the shopping colossus.
Dairy farmers would bear the cost of this gimmick, the supermarkets would continue to take their rake and I would save a buck or two a week.
Don’t get me wrong, I love saving a buck or two a week.
Frugality is in my DNA and I am rarely happier than when force-feeding you leftovers. Once, I stretched a chook to seven meals; four of them more-or-less edible. But, the chook-in-question was ethically grown and supplied. Sure, it probably wasn’t tickled to death but it did have a reasonable life. And, it provided a reasonable living to the people who produced it.
It’s this concern that has driven some of us from familiar aisles and into an uncertain shopping future. If news that the Coles and Woolworths parent companies, Wesfarmers and Woolworths Limited respectively, own the lion’s share of the nation’s pokies is not enough to deter us, stories about the jobs that have been lost to the stores’ private label wars might just do it.
In a nation where manufacturing jobs are rarer than amorous pandas, it just seems mean of the duopoly to market at the expense of jobs at Heinz or Cussons.
I began to find the spectacle of home-brand at eye-level quite vulgar.
If 50 cents from every Australian food dollar goes to the Goliaths, then I determined that all of my food dollars would go elsewhere.
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68 Responses to this article
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Kev April 17, 2012
Great story Helen. As an avid bulk buy bargain hunter, possibly the only thing I feel I miss living away from the big smoke is I have never experienced Costco. Guess I’ll wait for the Latrobe Valley branch to open if I live that long. Meanwhile, no mention of Aldi?
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Marian Macdonald April 17, 2012
From a dairy farmer and a mum who does her grocery shopping on a tight though ethical budget, thank you, Helen. At the end of the day, I think you’re doing the right thing for all the “little people” in the supply chain, whether that’s me the farmer or you, the shopper. Allowing the big two to control more and more of our shopping can’t be good for any of us in the long term.
As far as milk is concerned, though, you can keep shopping at the big two with a clear conscience, so long as you steer clear of the private label stuff. When it comes to cheese and butter, choose Devondale – it’s made by Australia’s last big 100% farmer-owned co-operative, Murray Goulburn. All (and only)the farmers who supply milk for Devondale are co-op members.
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neeter April 17, 2012
profound thanks for the article Helen, great to hear from you!
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Kev. I’m QUITE obsessed with CostCo and actually look forward to my quarterly visits. As for omitting mention of ALDI: this entire shift in shopping has had very unexpected and far-ranging consequences for my household and ALDI just doesn’t really fit in to my new larder. I have really been drawn increasingly to buy from small business where possible (CostCo being the obvious bulk buy exception) because (a) it seems like a good thing to do with my money and (b) I have begun to really, really fear supermarkets. They seem to impact on my shopping habits that have everything to do with on-the-spot impulse and nothing to do with what I know the household needs. Also re ALDI, I really think they sell a lot of crap. (The cheese is an exception. Good Grana Padano).
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Marian! No problem! For some reason or another, I just became so upset that the sweat of producers, and the lives of animals, seemed to be disrespected in the major chains. I DON’T want to shop at over-priced health food stores with the promise of “fair Trade” all over them. I think we can make significant changes in our shopping ethics within budget and within reason. Also, thanks for the pro-tip on Devondale!
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Marian Macdonald April 17, 2012
Yes, it’s hard for me to understand that the whole process of tending the soil and our girls then getting such a perishable high protein food packed with vitamins to everyone while still fresh is worth less than going out and bottling water. Does not compute and is quite disheartening.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Yes! Marian! Yes! WHAT MARIAN SAID ^
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damian wise April 17, 2012
This is a whole can of worms and it is not restricted to the food categories in the supers. ( Thus, buying toiletries and washing powder etc. from the chemist can be a cheaper and more equitable alternative ) . Anyway, consider the plight of the small new innovative producer who makes something nice to eat. How do they find places to retail their product so consumers can find it? how to get exposure and shelf space at the supermarkets…..They ( usually ) have to buy it and they have to sell at prices so low that a small company cannot remain viable. ( Follow the plight of the Tasmanian dairy farmers screwed over by national foods to supply at prices that make many totally unviable ) Ultimately the supers say that they are providing cheaper prices, but what happens is that multinationals buy up the local brands, successful foods and get into bed with the supers so that new products dont get a look in. Buying cheaper and not being prepared to shop at alternative locations has lead to a steady loss of variety, a loss of jobs, a loss of profits staying in Australia and a reliance on a smaller and smaller genetic pool for our food supplies. Not a good long term strategy!!
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Sue April 17, 2012
You enlaughen me, Helen. And inspire me too – I still drop into Woolies far too often, and feel rather guilty for it.
I also have dropped into the farmers market and geez, you can slap down some big bucks there pretty easy, can’t you? Feels good, though
Thanks Marian for that heads-up about Devondale. I didn’t know that.
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catecat April 17, 2012
There is a point where ethics and common sense take over. Getting increasingly disgusted at the way Australian farming communities getting screwed by Colesworths, we switched to farmers markets and Aussie Farmers Direct. Not sure about commercial plugs in Hoopla, but Aussie Farmers directly supports local farming, rural communities and creates employment, Decent gunk free milk, home delivered – the milko is back!
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Paul April 17, 2012
I love you for writing this! My partner and I feel exactly the same way about giving our money to Coles and Woolies. We actually don’t mind Aldi for the staple stuff (and yes, they have great cheese) but we get most of our produce from the fresh food markets. When we do have to go to either of the big two, we would never ever buy their home brand stuff. My partner moved here from the US 9 years ago and when people ask him what he misses from the US, his first response is Costco. I saw the benefits of it when I lived over there and then when we left Melbourne we stocked up on a lot of stuff from Costco. Hoping it lasts until they open up here in Brisbane!
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Oh, goodness, Wendy. :’(
Damien. Yes. Looking at the nature of what one shoves in one’s gob or anywhere else is akin to opening a can of worms. Space doesn’t really allow me to describe all of the changes that followed this one simple decision.
I.e. I now only eat meat from a farm I know to treat its animals humanely. CAN YOU BELIEVE?! This makes me sound like the world’s biggest foodie tosser but it all happened through seeking a butcher whose supply chain was short; so short in this case that he was also the farmer. (Shout out to Ashburton Meats in Melbourne).
AND I joined the effing Diggers’ seed bank because I learned about the importance of open-pollinated plants.
Just the merest bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing! -
Belinda April 17, 2012
Thanks Helen. In a world where we feel increasingly powerless to fight big corporations, thinking about where we spend our dollars is a powerful strategy. As Michael Pollan once said, big business is actually scared of consumers because if we act together we have a lot of power. I use my power by shopping at farmers markets to buy from the people who produce the food (the food’s also fresher), by avoiding Coles and Woolworths (I also found on a comparison shop that they were also more expensive than my local IGA), by shopping at ALDi for bulk items (and try their great organic milk, butter), by shopping at local specialty stores (butchers, bakeries, fruit and veg shops), and by having a modest veg garden. I also like to get to know the people who grow and sell the food that my family eats. Remember, ultimately we have the power to change the buying and selling practices of big corporations like Coles and Woolworths by exercising our choice to not shop there or to only buy brand name goods.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
catecat, I have purchased with this mob too! The milko WEARS SHORTS!
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Meggsie April 17, 2012
Thanks for confirming what I thought. I will continue to buy Paul’s milk as I have always done.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Hey Belinda! Yes. That Pollan chap! I was force-fed The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Daylesford chef and local produce activist Alla Wolf-Tasker and I’ve been feeling guilty about everything since. Making these small shifts leads into such interesting territory. And, it gets easier and cheaper.
@ Sue “enlaughen”. Excellent improvification of the language! ROFL -
Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Paul! I will think of you and your partner on my next quarterly trip as I pass the enormous bottles of Tide! xx
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Yo MC Harmer. Where is the Farmer’s Market song? Link please!
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Rachel April 17, 2012
There is a great app aimed at products we find on Aussie shelves… It’s super easy and straight forward…, Shop Ethical!!! Check it out!!!
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Hey Rach. When I get over my inability to pay for an app, I might just look at that one!
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Marian Macdonald April 17, 2012
Helen and Wendy – fancy spending some time on the farm? Might be interesting to get your take on a weekend with a difference.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Where is your farm, MM? I might be up for it, I reckon.
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Marian Macdonald April 17, 2012
Gippsland. About 3 hours south-east of Melb CBD.
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TheSparrow April 17, 2012
A few months ago I decided to stop shopping at Woolies (I don’t have a convenient Coles, but if I had I would have stopped shopping there also). I now buy supermarket staples from Aldi or IGA, fruit and veg from an Italian market style store (hello Trims) , fish from the fish monger and meat from the butcher. My reasons for this were much like Helen’s, I just could stand this ruthless, rip off corporation getting all my grocery money any longer.
But here’s the thing – I am actually saving around $100 a week by shopping this way, which is a totally un-looked for, but very welcome benefit. I think I had been hoodwinked into thinking buying all goods from a large supermarket chain had to cheaper than going to 4 different, smaller stores. But it just isn’t true! And we are also enjoying much better quality food – especially the fruit and fish.
It may be that I am buying less overall, by not being tempted to buy stuff we don’t need from the shelves of Woolies, but I have had no complaints from the family.
Has anyone else found this?
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royce April 17, 2012
So… permeate is made from milk…
It is a byproduct of other milk products….
It is added to a small percent to supermarket milk…
A component of milk… is added to milk… Why is that bad?
Cheaper milk may well be made with lesser quality product. Are you sure that the dearer branded milks are not the same???
We DO need to know what is in foods. This is however a very complex area. Ethical farmers are producing the ‘no name’ milk along with the ‘named’ milk.
NO milk is sold as it comes from the udder. It is ALL processed and split into components and treated and then packaged.
Having said that, it is nice to plug a tomato straight from the bush and munch on it … as I am doing now.
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royce April 17, 2012
I meant “pluck”.. but did plug it in my mouth.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
TheSparrow YES I AM SAVING MONEY. I’d sort of convinced myself that there was nothing cheaper than the duopoly. Which is odd, as I’d never really given any other form of shopping a go. After some teething problems and a few stupid big spends at the farmer’s market – and, a few entirely ridiculous purchases of bulk-buy sweets at Costco – I have it honed to the point where it costs less. Meat and veg in particular are cheaper outside the duopoly. And, it’s cheaper NOT going to a supermarket every week. I just buy less crap when I am not tempted by the crap.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Royce, I think it IS an issue when we have largely come to suppose and expect that whole-milk is something that provides nutrients. It’s like popping head-cheese in mince-meat. Just not on.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Royce, how are you still harvesting tomatoes?! This is only my second year of growing so I’m a noob. All mine dried up mid March. How do I extend the growing cycle (Temperate zone). ??
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royce April 24, 2012
very poor tomato production this year…. which makes the few that ripen all the more special.
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liza April 17, 2012
While you are on the topic .Check out where the children’s little cheese sticks come from .My hubby visited woolies years ago and was proudly shown how there is so little waste. Any cheese stuck in the machinery was pulled out and turned into those fun cheese sticks. Nice.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
OH, Liza. OH.
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MrsP2011 April 17, 2012
Thanks Helen! Now I know why my cappuccino lovingly made by my son (the expert), has for the past few years been making me feel sick on the tummy. I suspected it was the milk and not the coffee because if I ask him to put less milk or make a short black, I’m fine. And don’t get me started on Coles and Woollies. Their online shopping caper is an absolute joke! We have Coles at The Whitsunday Shopping Centre, Cannonvale and Woolworths at Centro, also Cannonvale – but kms apart. At the moment I am having a battle with Coles over one of their online shopping policies and am about to take that battle to a higher battle ground. Also, I had a 20 something customer care troubleshooter from Coles tell me 2 things recently: 1. By buying Coles cheaper milk it wasn’t hurting the dairy farmer; and 2. That they hadn’t had any communications from Dick Smith about stocking his beetroot and that basically Dick was using that as an excuse to create media interest in his venture. With regard to buying fresh fish from Coles or Woolworths you can only get imported from Africa or Vietnam etc. I will buy fish that is imported from New Zealand but nothing beats fresh fish caught by our own Aussie fishermen which neither Coles nor Woolworths will stock because (their words) “customers were not buying it because it was too expensive”. There is a whole lot wrong with Coles and Woolworths. They just aren’t playing cricket.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Word, MrsP2011. They’re not even in the G any more.
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MrsP2011 April 17, 2012
G?
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Luke April 17, 2012
To be fair a cheese stick never pretended to be anything but a highly processed convienience food.
I think we all expect milk to be a natural, lightly processed, product
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billyjoebob April 17, 2012
Hey Helen, great article!
While costco is awesome, and farmers markets are excellent, there are also several large fresh food markets in Melbourne, that are open several days a week. Preston Market is my local, and there’s a dizzying array of high quality, fresh, cheap food, some of which is also organic and/or free range.
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donna April 17, 2012
I’ve been thinking about quitting Coles and Woollies for a while but this article has made me decide to finally do it. We do most of our shopping at farmers’ markets (not too expensive as we live in the country), local butchers etc, anyway, but toilet paper etc will be bought from Foodland, an SA chain of independent supermarkets. Wine will be purchased from independent wineries or online. So, Caroline Roessler, if you are reading this, we no longer shop at Coles or Woollies
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
MrsP2011 The “MCG”
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Salinet point billyjoebob!!!
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
Donna. Please find me on Twitter or some such and tell me how you’re going.It’s a challenger in the regions, I imagine.
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Helen Razer April 17, 2012
And. Yes. Preston Market is da bomb. I couldn’t quite believe the very decent prices last time I visited.
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Pauline jones April 17, 2012
I refuse to shop at Coles and Safeway , as I hate the way they are trying to take over the world. I won’t buy generics unless supplied from here. I also frequent farmers markets. I just hope in a few years time that we aren’t sorry for all this , when there are no primary producers left, and we will have no choices. And we will all be eating crap.
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Katinka April 17, 2012
It’s interesting what triggers changes in purchasing habits – a while back I was shocked by the way some particular firms were short-changing their workers. I now keep an eye on statements from the Fair Work Ombudsman and personally boycott companies which should know better. I figure if they don’t treat people with decency, they won’t be as scrupulous in their treatment of their clients.
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DT April 17, 2012
Really interesting stuff… thank you for the insights. This article has inspired me to get back to supporting more local business and local suppliers 100%. We often buy our produce fresh from a local market and actually it’s a much nicer grass roots community experience than any cold, crazy busy, mass supermarket retailer visit anyway. Hello farmers!
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julie April 18, 2012
Food security is about to become a massive issue worldwide and Australia will not be immune. If we do not support out own farmers it won’t be long before there just won’t be fresh food available for anyone to buy- even the bugaboo 4Wdrivers. People in cities need to get real about where their food comes from. If everyone gave the Coles/Woolies duopoly the same smackdown things would change. Do noting and you are a pawn in their game of profits before health.
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Alex April 18, 2012
Yes, I am saving money too. I did this a couple of years ago and haven’t gone back. By buy some things dearer this way and some things cheaper. On balance though, it was a good 20% cheaper.
The only downside is that now I’m fatter. I’m blaming the better quality food.
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Helen Razer April 19, 2012
ALEX! Yes. I have certainly stacked on a few kgs as I ease into the habit of eating produce that I actually seem to enjoy. I guess this is the danger: as we begin to respect our food a little more, we also run the risk of paying homage to it in a over-sized portions! Gotta work on that
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LJ April 19, 2012
Hello ladies,
A couple days before after reading your revelations we had driven past local dairy cows in green pastures wandering their way up to the milking shed. Now a couple days after reading I came across this film and article, see below. OK, it is the USA system, but it is certainly not how we want our system to go, but will these price pressures push it that way? Overall food in USA is cheaper, but I am more and more wondering, but at what cost to the animals and our own health?
It is a distressing video about USA dairy cows; it rivals the indonesian footage. And I hope someone can confirm to us it is not happening here in Aus.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/15/inhumane-treatment-on-dairy-cows.aspx -
LJ April 19, 2012
Oops, sorry about the ladies greeting, hello to gents as well
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dramaqueen75 April 20, 2012
I am really up the creek when it comes to shopping. Our local IGA is awful and overpriced. I loathe Woolies and Coles. I can not shop at Aldi- I feel like I am being treated like an annoyance by the check in staff and can’t stand having my shopping thrown at me while I try to frantically get it back into the trolley.
My local butcher is lovely but terribly expensive.What to do? Is Aussie Farmers really good? I find shopping an ethical and financial nightmare. I have three kids – two are young adults and one is a growing boy man. Food costs a fortune and planning meals and shopping takes up a lot of my (limited) time. Any hints or ideas will be welcome
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Helen Razer April 21, 2012
Hey Drama-Q. I tried to offer a few of my own hints in the piece. The point is, change takes work. It took me several months to finesse it to a point where I was (a) spending less money and (b) spending less time shopping.
We al find our own way. But, if it helps, my strategy has evolved into three basic strands (1) buy things that drive me to the supermarket in bulk. I.e. toothpaste, loo roll, dry goods, washing detergent. I buy these at CostCo but there are other stores where you can do the same. I buy a MASSIVE amount of a single brand. For e.g. I buy the Kirkland bulk laundry detergent annually. (It costs $23) While I might occasionally mourn not trying new brands I think to myself: HELEN DO YOU REALLY GIVE A S*** ABOUT WASHING POWDER VARIETY? (2) I have a vegetable garden. This is an ENORMOUS stress reliever and also a guide to what to have for dinner. Working backwards around seasonal veg rather than meat as the centre of a meal really helps with inspiration and saves huge amount of unnecessary purchases. Now I know the PAIN of food production, I tend to respect all foods more and find I rarely throw things away. (3) Source local fresh produce. Butchers are almost always cheaper than the duopoly. I do hope this helps.-
dramaqueen75 April 21, 2012
It does Helen, thanks
I do buy big buckets of laundry detergent on special from the hardware store – lasts me 3- 5 months (and that is with five of us, so much better value)
Will try and give CostCo etc a go – trying not to sound like a negative Nancy but I don’t have a garage of much storage but am so desperate not to go to the big 2 supermarkets. The whole milk thing has just been the straw that broke the camels back for me!
We have a farmer’s market nearby – it’s time I stopped being lazy on Sunday mornings and got up there to have a look,
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MrsP2011 April 21, 2012
We, oh disenchanted ones, could all give Dick Smith Foods a go. Here’s the link:
http://newsletter.dicksmithfoods.com.au/click/356/67166/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kaWNrc21pdGhmb29kcy5jb20uYXU -
Daisy April 24, 2012
I remember hearing someone intelligent talking about using your shopping dollars as if they were votes. Basically, if you love or like a brand, product or shop then ‘vote’ for them with your money and support their success. This rather small tip has changed my shopping habits for the better.
Also I can’t abide the dismal treatment of producers by these big guys. Due to the milk war the value of milk has been devalued across the board. It’s time to reject the notion that big business profits are priority number one. A healthy economy and healthy food source is surely more important to us all. It’s time to demand business gets a conscience. -
Helen ACBB April 24, 2012
I’m not convinced that IGA is any better than Coles and Woolies – they are supplied by Metcash, which controls almost as big a slab of shops. See http://www.ethical.org.au/issues/?issue=16
They are just about to go into business WITH WOOLWORTHS to open a huge chain of hardware shops to challenge Bunnings (owned by Wesfarmers/Coles). A really useful site is Only Oz that only sells Australian products http://www.onlyoz.com.au You have to add postage of course. It is appalling to see how many brands we think of as Australian are owned by overseas companies. We have no Costco, no Aldi and are only just about to get a farmers market. If I’ve got to shop at one of the big two I make sure I at least buy Aussie made and owned as much as possible and won’t buy the own brands. Growing my own veg, fruit and chook eggs helps.
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Carol Marinelli May 4, 2012
That is so interesting – thank you. I’m not the best cook and thought all the liquid when I browned my meat was my cooking
till I saw a post from a friend who usually shops at butchers and had gone to supermarket and wondered what the watery fluid was. Turned out to be water! I’ve been shopping at the butcher since. -
MelD July 18, 2012
Great article, Helen. It seems that every time I walk into our local Coles there’s less and less choice – sometimes the choice is down to two products, Coles’ own brand ALWAYS being an option. With a product like sugar, there’s Coles and CSR (remember Wittenoom?), so this makes an ethical choice difficult. But probably what angers me more is how much Coles undercuts labelled brands. They sell tinned tomatoes for 80 cents, and the next cheapest is around $1.60. Flour is another product where there’s a massive difference. Cheese – a $2 to $3 difference per kilo. So not only are they wiping other products off the shelves, they’re making it hard for other producers to compete when their product IS stocked. I live in a regional centre, 600kms from the nearest capital city – we have no Aldi or CostCo, and the local IGAs are really overpriced. Fortunately a fruit and veg shop has recently opened, so we’re no longer forced to buy the rubbish Coles and Woolworths stock. We try to grow our own too – it isn’t always a success, but when things work it’s really rewarding, and you can’t beat the taste!
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amy July 18, 2012
Thanks Helen!
I too began a boycott of the Big Two when I heard about the milk, but since I had my baby I have been ordering online from Woollies for the sake of convenience. While doing so, I have made a point of never ever buying Woolworhts own brand stuff but my conscience has still been hurting me.
Happily, he is 7 months now and can sit in a supermarket trolley at last so I am heading back to my local Farmer Jacks again!
No Costco in WA
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Rachael July 18, 2012
Thank you, Helen, I thought I was the only one. My relationship with Coles and Woolworths has sunk to such a deep sense of loathing I seethe whenever I walk in the door. You have inspired me to just STOP!
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Margaret July 18, 2012
Yes, I feel offended by the supermarkets and how they dictate to the consumers. Not spending much time or money there these days
Our farmers need all the support we can give them. We have chooks and a small vegie garden. We subscribe to http://www.aussiefarmers.com.au/products/ for fruit ,veg, dairy and juice. OnlyOz and http://www.toiletpaper.com.au/ …..love the 3 ply.
So our family feel we are doing our best for our country and it’s economy, not to mention ourselves! -
Rhoda July 23, 2012
I buy quite a lot now from Aldi. Took me awhile to check out their products. They’re just as good as the supermarket brands – a lot of it is better. Tinned salmon, organic butter – things like that are much cheaper.
I buy meat from a butcher that sells meat from his own property and it’s a lot cheaper than the supermarkets – better quality too. I feel I get my money’s worth anyway.
And fruit and vegies are much cheaper at markets and way better quality most of the time because they haven’t been sitting in boxes for months. You do have to suss it all out though. Not everyone at a market sells good quality produce.
Have to say I’d spend a lot more by walking into a supermarket though. So I don’t. They lost me when I had to start reading labels and calculating weight per cost. Now you can’t find familiar brands. I hope their ships sink.
Re the milk – the cheap milk is too watery for someone like me brought up on the real thing straight from the udder LOL Take my word for it – it’s pretend milk LOL
