Monthly Archives: February 2009

Clarissa Dickson Wright joins the Tories (in calling for honest food labelling)

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: February 20, 2009

Clarissa Dickson Wright rifles through some food packaging and discusses the problem of vague and misleading labelling with Tory spokesmen. All part of the Tories new Honest Food campaign: meat labelled ‘British’ should be born and bred in Britain

Posted in food in politics, food on film | Tagged British, food from where?, food from where?, origin, provenance, tories | 2 Comments

Tories call for honest food

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: February 16, 2009

The Conservative Party launches a campaign for honest food, demanding that food labelled “British” should be born and bred in Britain. It’s hard to argue with but sadly often not the case in Britain today.

Posted in food from where?, food in politics, food matters | Tagged British, food from the farm, food from where?, food from where?, food industry, meat, origins, provenance | Leave a comment

Mysterious sheds at the heart of our food supply

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: February 12, 2009

We barely notice them but these giant sheds have played a pivotal role in the journey of our food since the major retailers started taking greater control of the food supply chain in the 1970s. Most of the food we eat will have passed through a regional distribution centre (RDC) on its way to our plates. Almost all supermarket food (80% of the food we eat at home), and much sold by independent retailers too, is supplied via RDCs: trucked in from the producers, packhouses and manufacturers; briefly stored (warehouse time and space is money); then trucked out again on the supermarkets’ dedicated fleets.

Posted in features, food on the move | Tagged distribution, food in the shops, logistics, supermarkets | 2 Comments

Is Tesco just a retailer?

By Nick Saltmarsh | Published: February 5, 2009

During the Competition Commission’s lengthy inquiry into the grocery market in 2006 to 2008, the media was b u z z i n g with questions about the supermarkets’ alleged practice of landbanking (holding or controlling land for future development or to impede the entry of competitors to the local market). It all went rather [...]

Posted in food in the shops | Tagged food in the shops, food in the shops, property, supermarkets, Tesco | 4 Comments