Supermarket Cartels Treating Customers With Contempt

I remember making butter with the children at playgroup. They absolutely loved making their own butter and they had it spread on something for their break, can't remember if it was a bun or scone but they were very happy eating their butter.

Happy days.

I don't think many people cook from scratch nowadays. I'm vitamin deficient but it's because I can't
eat the right foods due to health issues.

Having read Chris van Tullikan's book "Ultra-Processed People", I came across a very good example of wanton profiteering as in when food manufacturers apply to have one of their particular food stuffs zero rated for VAT. If successful they don't pass on the saving to the consumer as the retail price is not reduced.

I’m with easy and karma.

I’m not the best cook, but, yesterday, I made a giant fish pie and a similar sized cottage pie with carrots, parsnip and turnip in the mashed potato topping. When cooked, each has cut into 4 servings and been stored in the freezer. I’m sure I’ve got 8 meals for very little expense and not much effort.

Well, if food prices go much higher, unfortunately I shall be losing a bit of weight soon..

The last time I made butter was 70 years ago in primary school

“Cows produce less milk and cream in winter eating silage etc than when they are outside in the warmer months eating grass.”

Not true, cows these days are fed a very controlled balanced diet in winter, fat content is usually at least as high as grazing diet.

Cream and butter prices are controlled by global supply, they are commodities UK Wholesale Butter prices increased over 50% in 2024 hence butter prices higher.

😁
Of course, of course .......

a very controlled balanced diet in winter
Which of course costs more money.
Milk production can decrease in winter.

Cream and butter prices are controlled by global supply

Prices have risen here, decreased in other parts of the world.

karmalady

The price hike was necessary. Supermarkets are not charities and farmers need to be paid as do the butter makers

Make your own

If farmers need to be paid then why don't the supermarkets pay them instead of their shareholders?

Then they'd be out of business and their staff out of work.

Lets knock on the head the idea that food in this country is expensive.

To begin with we spend a smaller and smaller proportion of total income. In 1957 we spent nearly a a third of our income on food, now it is nearer 10%. [www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42735294]].

Looking at prices, we have some of the cheapest food in the world ahdb.org.uk/news/ahdb.org.uk/news/consumer-insight-how-much-money-are-uk-consumers-spending-on-food-since-the-cost-of-living-crisis So to suggest that food is getting expensive is a joke.

For the poor there will always be a problem, but that is an income problem not a price problme. But for the rest of us, perhaps if we spent less on clothes and 'experiences', or whatever our big leisure or home extraavagence is and were prepared t spend a alrger proportion of our income on food. The one item, like housing that directly afects aour health and well-being, we might get better quality food in our shops.

Allira

I have made it on occasion.
Once accidentally!

That reminds me of hovering over the children yelling STOP as they ‘helped’ with Sunday lunch by whipping the cream! 😮😩

Yes, it's that critical moment between stiffly whipped cream and butter 😁

MOnica. It’s good to hear someone talking reality about food prices now and years ago
It is also commented on that if basic foods are dressed up the profit is increased

By the way, whaat is the evidence for a supermarket Cartel? ,

A cartel is a group of independent businesses that agree to limit competition and increase prices to improve profits. They are illegal in this country. Any evidence you have that supermarkets in thiss country have formed a cartel should be reported to the police.

Thank you MOnica for bringing up the fact food took a third of the home budget in the 50s, For me in the 60s it took a lot of juggling also on low wages.

In my 1964 school Housecraft book we had to plan meals for the week and price it up. For 8ozs butter was 1s 8p.

I do buy milk from the supermarket but I buy the one that says it pays the farmers more, I feel better for doing so but I know there is no guarantee they receive the extra payment.

To begin with we spend a smaller and smaller proportion of total income. In 1957 we spent nearly a a third of our income on food, now it is nearer 10%.
I think statistics in France show it overall at a third currently. It was 36.3% last summer. But then their food is superior quality, I'm not complaining.

I have heard young people who travel back to their relations regularly, eg India, Pakistani, Arab nations say that it’s no wonder people don’t eat more fresh fruit as what’s on offer is often inferior and tasteless by comparison.
I do agree with that and don’t bother with those easy-peel all purpose orange fruits any more and opt for more expensive oranges. Pears are often like bullets too same with nectarines and peaches.
But still we are lucky people to get them even if they do take weeks to ripen.

I agree with M0nica's post.

If you look at the map in the link, the UK, Canada and North America spend the lowest proportion of household income on food in the world.

ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-consumer-expenditure-spent-on-food
March 2024

Granmarderby10

I have heard young people who travel back to their relations regularly, eg India, Pakistani, Arab nations say that it’s no wonder people don’t eat more fresh fruit as what’s on offer is often inferior and tasteless by comparison.
I do agree with that and don’t bother with those easy-peel all purpose orange fruits any more and opt for more expensive oranges. Pears are often like bullets too same with nectarines and peaches.
But still we are lucky people to get them even if they do take weeks to ripen.

I've bought more expensive nectarines from a well-known supermarket and they have been variable from juicy and delicious to dreadful.
I've bought them in Lidl too, which were cheaper and they have been consistently good.

Yes, we are lucky and take so much for granted.

Re comparative food costs, I often find food in France considerably more expensive - was once 😱 at the price of free range chicken breasts, not to mention a €4 cauliflower, and those were both a few years ago now.

But of course housing is usually rather less expensive, particularly in the area of fairly rural Burgundy we usually visit.

Plus a sister who was visiting from across the pond for Christmas, invariably remarks on how much cheaper good quality food (e.g. from M&S) is here. She does OTOH live in Cape Cod, a relatively expensive/wealthy area.

Granmarderby10

I have heard young people who travel back to their relations regularly, eg India, Pakistani, Arab nations say that it’s no wonder people don’t eat more fresh fruit as what’s on offer is often inferior and tasteless by comparison.
I do agree with that and don’t bother with those easy-peel all purpose orange fruits any more and opt for more expensive oranges. Pears are often like bullets too same with nectarines and peaches.
But still we are lucky people to get them even if they do take weeks to ripen.

If we ate and preserved more seasonable fruit in the UK it wouldn’t rack up the air miles and taste better, the climate in Asia lends itself to a longer season for fresh fruit.
Same thing is true of vegetables.

Witzend. This morning I bought a chicken breast in the market (not bio) 18.95 kilo. I believe it has increased in price by 2 euros since September.
I shall fry with onions and add mushrooms, cream and mustard, divide into three and freeze two.
Keep in mind, when converting into £s as sterling is very strong at the moment, so it will seem cheap in the UK.

sterling is very strong at the moment
Yes. I pop across to France regularly and am amazed at how the pound has been creeping up and up. We're coming over in 2 weeks' time and an exchange rate of 1.22 is looking hopeful for plenty of shopping!
I guess it's the political uncertainty in France and Germany, and the fiscal constraints at the moment playing a part.

escaped

^sterling is very strong at the moment^
Yes. I pop across to France regularly and am amazed at how the pound has been creeping up and up. We're coming over in 2 weeks' time and an exchange rate of 1.22 is looking hopeful for plenty of shopping!
I guess it's the political uncertainty in France and Germany, and the fiscal constraints at the moment playing a part.

Sterling isn’t strong it’s just the Euro is even weaker, many of our imports are priced in dollars, since the election exchange rate has fallen from 1.34 to 1.24 to dollar.

Our food is cheap by comparison to most other countries many of which add VAT to food prices. What puts the price of the shopping basket up is convenience foods, free range, organic, or other premium choices all of which cost more to produce.