The Australian ‘Banana’ Tragedy - National Miscellaneous

The Australian ‘Banana’ Tragedy
by birdie Saturday, Mar 14 2009, 11:20pm
national / miscellaneous / commentary

Supermarket chains cited high transport/fuel costs to justify HUGE leaps in food prices across the board BUT the price of oil is now $45/barrel -- the days of $150/barrel are long gone but have prices been adjusted down, not on your bloody life, Aussie!

Shoppers and housewives groan at the price of staple greens – prices LEAPT from $3.5 to $8-9 per kilo, beans and broccoli included. There is clearly something very wrong with the food industry and the piss-weak dysfunctional, incompetent or corrupt government regulator!

A recent television report covered the cost of one vegetable item to market, the ‘Jap’ or ‘Kent’ pumpkin, which growers are forced to sell to supermarket chains for 25 cents/kilo. Supermarkets then apply some ‘magic’ plastic wrapping and sell the product to the public for $2.58 to $3.98/kilo; an outrageous, profiteering, mark-up!

The story of supermarket EXPLOITATION of growers and the public finds expression in the latest profit figures for Woolworths (see link). Woolies officials were beaming with Shylock pride to announce an $8 billion profit in the last half, this figure in a global economic crisis when profits across the board are in steep decline begs a full investigation! Exploited shoppers and growers have no doubts as to the source of those profits BUT still no regulators in sight. It is simply impossible to arrive at these profits without exploiting growers and the public!

Useless REGULATORS, Federal and State politicians notwithstanding, there comes a time when the notoriously complacent Oz public takes direct action! Growers/farmers and the public are currently arranging for direct supply at roughly double the profit for producers and approximately HALF the cost of supermarket prices to the public – everybody, except the bloodsucking supermarket chains, win -- fantastic!

Furthermore, the majority of produce supplied is Bio-Dynamic/Organic, which means no pesticides or chemical fertilisers used by growers, but most welcomed by consumers it means the RETURN of NUTRITION and food FLAVOUR – no more cardboard-tasting supermarket bananas and other produce fit for pigs but sold for a King’s ransom!

If wholesome food outlets to the public can be established by common folk in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney they can be arranged almost anywhere in Oz. We would appreciate ongoing advice directly from those involved – the FORUM is probably the best medium for that information!

I just imbibed a sample of bio-dynamic apple juice and every cell in my body relished the aroma, taste and VIBRANCY/VITALITY of the product – the organic cherry juice is also out of this world, no additives whatsoever! Here’s to the return of GOOD FOOD at FAIR prices to Aussie tables!