What Is It With The 20% Increases On Food?

[Dromedary 166]

2 hours ago, carosio said:

Bottle of Oasis soft drink Iceland £1.35, Home Bargains 59p

Carton of skimmed milk Aldi. Lidl 65p, Morrisons still 59p, some of their "basics" canned stuff cheaper too.

Iceland is another expensive food store that's why they can now offer a 10% discount to those over 65. 

[ECCOnoob 1,041]

3 hours ago, Dromedary said:

Iceland is another expensive food store that's why they can now offer a 10% discount to those over 65. 

I don't believe it's that simple. They are taking a hit on the over 65 discount because it's a good marketing gimmick. Just the same as many other retailers are pushing hard on the "blue light discounts" or "loyalty cards vouchers" etc. It's all costs out of a marketing budget as a PR tool.

 

There are far wider reasons why stores like Iceland or more expensive generally.   Firstly, a big contributor to the price on the shelf is the buying power of the company. Iceland is certainly nowhere near as big in number of stores or scale compared to the big four like Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons and that means it will not have the ability to drive down the wholesale price or hardball suppliers compared to its rivals.

 

Also, it's store format is very different so it will have less ability for storage and distribution compared to the massive warehouses that other supermarkets have.

 

Let's also not forget, that when Iceland was formed many years ago, it had an entirely different business model. It was supposed to be a specialist frozen food centre which, like Bejam, for many years were operating alongside supermarkets who had a bigger focus on general groceries and dry goods. As time has moved on, the supermarkets have expanded their frozen range to not only rival places like Iceland, but complete you overtake it. Iceland itself has suddenly had to diversify and start catching up in a difficult market.

 

Finally, there is a locations, unlike many of its supermarket rivals who focus on big huge out of town warehouses with lots of parking, many Iceland locations are within Suburbs or town centres or malls. Less space, Less parking and often higher rent.

 

Its pretty much the same reason why the big brand supermarkets who also have small subsidary stores in town centre locations often have different prices to those prices in the superstore out of town.

 

It's not always so black and white.

[trastrick 866]

Maybe a little off topic but a serious question.

 

After chasing a cockroach around my room this morning, I had a flashback to Heeley, circa 1946.

 

Did anyone ever hear of cockroaches and locusts being sold in the U.K., like figs and dates, during the war?

 

Folks used to call them that when I was a kid.

 

And apparently they are eaten around the world, still.

Edited June 17, 2022 by trastrick

[Anna B 1,414]

1 hour ago, trastrick said:

Maybe a little off topic but a serious question.

 

After chasing a cockroach around my room this morning, I had a flashback to Heeley, circa 1946.

 

Did anyone ever hear of cockroaches and locusts being sold in the U.K., like figs and dates, during the war?

 

Folks used to call them that when I was a kid.

 

And apparently they are eaten around the world, still.

Yes, insects are eaten all over the world as a generous source of protein, especially locusts. 

 

We will be eating them here soon. Have you not noticed how we are being softened up to accept the idea? Often mentioned in cookery and food programmes.

Edited June 17, 2022 by Anna B

[El Cid 219]

2 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Yes, insects are eaten all over the world as a generous source of protein, especially locusts. 

There was a time when there would be insects dead on your windscreen after a trip to the coast.

There isn't so many of them these days, a delicacy 🤣🤣

[Padders 2,863]

1 minute ago, El Cid said:

There was a time when there would be insects dead on your windscreen after a trip to the coast.

There isn't so many of them these days, a delicacy 🤣🤣

I'm on a diet,

Having a mashed fly for dinner.

[Anna B 1,414]

6 minutes ago, El Cid said:

There was a time when there would be insects dead on your windscreen after a trip to the coast.

There isn't so many of them these days, a delicacy 🤣🤣

Apparently the insect population has dropped by 50% in Britain Padders, (don't know if it's the same the world over.) 

Insects are an essential part off the ecosystem so we should be worried,

[Guest sibon]

1 hour ago, trastrick said:

Maybe a little off topic but a serious question.

 

After chasing a cockroach around my room this morning, I had a flashback to Heeley, circa 1946.

 

Did anyone ever hear of cockroaches and locusts being sold in the U.K., like figs and dates, during the war?

 

Folks used to call them that when I was a kid.

 

And apparently they are eaten around the world, still.

I’ve eaten locusts before. Well, locust actually, because I didn’t fancy a second one.

 

You can still get them though. These sound lovely;

 

https://eatcrawlers.co.nz/products/limited-chilli-chocolate-locusts

 

[El Cid 219]

29 minutes ago, sibon said:

I’ve eaten locusts before. Well, locust actually, because I didn’t fancy a second one.

You can still get them though. These sound lovely;

 

https://eatcrawlers.co.nz/products/limited-chilli-chocolate-locusts

 

They must be like Weetabix, very filling and you cannot eat three?

With rocketing inflation, it does highlight that there is free food available if people are actually poor. Free insects, will people now utilise their gardens and grow their own.

Some council's have planted community orchards.

[Anna B 1,414]

45 minutes ago, El Cid said:

They must be like Weetabix, very filling and you cannot eat three?

With rocketing inflation, it does highlight that there is free food available if people are actually poor. Free insects, will people now utilise their gardens and grow their own.

Some council's have planted community orchards.

Community orchards are a good idea. As for eating insects, I can't even eat sea insects like prawns and lobsters. However if insects were harvested and processed, say into powder, which can be added to fortify food, I suppose that would be alright - just don't tell me.... 

[trastrick 866]

3 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Community orchards are a good idea. As for eating insects, I can't even eat sea insects like prawns and lobsters. However if insects were harvested and processed, say into powder, which can be added to fortify food, I suppose that would be alright - just don't tell me.... 

Cockles and whelks were still a hot item in Skegness, the last time I was there. Very expensive too.

 

And France has it's "escagot". They're not cheap!

 

Used to love the English wild mushrooms.  A nice greasy bacon and mushroom sandwich on fresh bread for breakfast.

 

Miss that!

[Chekhov 488]

All totally predictable (since March 2020 in fact) :

 

UK interest rates raised to 1.25% by Bank of England

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61801362

Inflation - the rate at which prices rise - is currently at a 40-year high of 9%, and the Bank warned it could surpass 11% later this year.

 

Many of us have been saying we would do very well to stop inflation going over 10%, and that was before Ukraine.

The official (massaged) rate may go as high as 15%, I am not saying it will, but it's a definite possibility as the actual rate for most people will already be around that level.

Very worrying.