According to a story on the BBC News website today the milk Tesco sells branded as “local” has travelled over 150 miles from where it was produced. The supermarket claims that shoppers who buy Localchoice milk are “helping to support their local farming community”, but the Heart of England version it sells in Hereford is actually produced in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire!
In it’s defence Tesco said: “There is no legal definition of local.” Well, perhaps there should be!
4 responses so far ↓
Phelim // July 5, 2007 at 6:17 am |
Ahem, 87.5 miles from your base down in Devon to get up here near Bristol. Not sure where you’re packing now so it’s probably less distance, but hey, there’s no legal definition of local.
Just nit-picking, I’ve frequently recommended your service to others outside our delivery area, but careful on what you critisise.
jacqueline // July 10, 2007 at 10:26 am |
What does the spokesperson for Tesco mean when he/she says there is no definition of “local”? If I say a friend lives locally, I mean in the same town. If I see a sign in a greengrocer’s reading “local produce” I assume the produce is from farms within a 20 mile radius. Back to the subject of milk, I am now going to find a supplier of LOCAL milk, which in our case is Dorset milk. Sorry Tesco. you’re the losers.
jenny // July 10, 2007 at 11:36 am |
This is just one of those clever tricks of marketing that we all have to look out for, it seems such a shame that with so many products and services we need to read between the lines and the labels to find the truth. The more attention that is drawn to these things, the better.
Big Blue Rob // July 10, 2007 at 11:54 am |
If you watch adverts carefully you will see that many marketing bods have been looking at parts of the business that the public know little about and making out that these are new things that make it all better.
Perhaps Riverford should do the same?
“Why pay to have your veg washed before you buy it. Unlike others our veg comes with authentic Devon mud!”