Action Briefing Jun 2003 - Jul 2003
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

DisASDA Area! 10 reasons why supermarkets are bad for consumers, farmers and small businesses

1. Supermarkets rip you off
Supermarkets tout low prices on only on a very limited range of goods. For example, a Friends of the Earth survey in October 2002 revealed that supermarkets are the most expensive place to buy apples. The average price for a kg of Cox’s apples was just £1.02 at market stalls, £1.07 at greengrocers, but at Morrisons or Asda-Walmart they cost £1.27 and at Sainsbury’s as much as £1.44. Sustain’s ‘A Battle In Store’ survey in 2000 found that fruit and vegetables were around 30% cheaper at market stalls than supermarkets.

2. Supermarkets favour imports over local produce
Although a National Opinion Poll Omnibus between 8th and 10th November 2002 revealed that 84% of shoppers want supermarkets to give preference to British produce when in season, the supermarkets appear to do the opposite. A November 2002 Friends of the Earth survey found that at the height of the UK apple season under half of the apples on offer in the big four supermarkets were home-grown.

3. Supermarkets’ bullying tactics can put small farmers out of business
In October 2000, the Competition Commission found that the big supermarkets enter into unfair trading practices with their suppliers. For example, supermarkets pay invoices very late and they pass the costs back to suppliers of changes to transport and packaging, and even of their own mistakes in ordering. Because these practices can hamper supplier’s investment in new products, and makes it hard for smaller businesses to compete, the Competition Commission warned that consumer choice might be affected.

4. Supermarkets are squeezing prices to farmers
Last year the NFU found that for a basket of food costing the consumer £37 the farmers would only have received £11. In October 2000, the Competition Commission found that Tesco, which has the biggest market share, paid the lowest prices.

5. Supermarkets are forcing out local shops
Small independent shops cannot compete with the big chain stores. According to the 2002 Grocer Yearbook, about eight independent shops close every day.

6. Supermarkets do not support the local economy like local shops do
The New Economics Foundation in it’s 2002 report ‘Ghost Town Britain’ found that local shops keep more money circulating in the local economy.

7. When a large supermarket opens there is a net loss of jobs
In 1998, the British Retail Planning Forum found that every time a large supermarket opens on average 276 jobs are lost.

8. Supermarkets import food over huge distances, often by air, resulting in large emissions of carbon dioxide
For example, two kilos of baby carrots from South Africa will travel 9,622 km by plane and result in emissions of 10,969g of climate changing carbon dioxide (source: Sustain, 2001, ‘Eating Oil, Food Supply in a Changing Climate’).

9. Supermarkets transport food large distances around the UK owing to their distribution system
According to the Institute of Grocery Distribution, Sainbury’s vehicles clocked up 15.7 million km last year and Asda-Walmart clocked up a whopping 147.9 million km (source: The Grocer, 4 Jan 2003).

10. Supermarkets waste food by placing difficult conditions on farmers for cosmetic appearance
In a November 2002 Friends of the Earth survey of apple growers it was found that supermarkets frequently reject fruit for being the ‘wrong’ shape, size or colour despite being perfectly edible.

From a Friends of the Earth Press Release, 13th Jan ’03