I happily buy my fruit, vegetables and meat from Woolworths.
There, I said it.
By doing this, I am criticised for not supporting Australian farmers. Some people have told me my support for supermarkets is inconsistent with my ability to represent or work for Australian farmers.
But supermarkets are the only place in our cities and suburbs where on a daily basis you can wander in and celebrate the diversity and abundance of Australian grown produce. Where else in the city do our farmers get such a high profile?
Yes market power is concentrated; it’s not the only example in our economy but it’s a potent one.
But supermarkets are supplied by Australian farmers. Are they not?
And isn’t the majority of foreign fruit and veg on our supermarket shelves there to satisfy consumer demand for reliable all year supply?
Is there a kind of food snobbery appearing in this country where people who choose to buy their food at supermarkets are somehow considered uneducated, unhealthy or un-Australian?
Worse, is there a kind of food snobbery appearing in this country where it is assumed that those farmers supplying supermarkets are not growing quality produce?
I will declare that two projects I work on are part sponsored by Woolworths. On both occasions, we approached them for support and they agreed and wrote us a (much appreciated!) cheque.
I don’t see anything wrong with this. They are supporting projects that promote their suppliers, farmers. Without their suppliers there is no supermarket.
And further to that. I’ve heard disappointment that Woolworths are a major sponsor of the Australian Year of the Farmer. I can tell you the Year wouldn’t have got off the ground without their significant (and I mean LARGE) contribution of cash and kind. Again, the organisers asked Woolworths for their support and they gave it. It was not a cynical PR exercise by Woolworths to corrupt the food system (as someone told me it was).
Woolworths may look like they have a higher profile in promoting agriculture at the moment, but that’s simply because what we might term our traditional sponsors seem to be taking a backward step. Often they can’t (drought, internal rules, Australian dollar, priorities don’t align or it’s a low priority) but more often than not, they just won’t.
At dinner recently the question of whether we’d take money from Coles was raised. I personally said an unequivocal “yes” (although I do not speak on behalf of any existing projects or clients of course!) because there is always a shortage of money for projects in agriculture and let’s face it, Coles could do with some opportunities to engage positively with our industry!
But I wouldn’t have to say yes to Coles if agricultural businesses and agencies were more proactive in supporting their own industry initiatives. (Though I probably still would!)
I love our program sponsors and note it’s the same organisations and companies who put up the cash every single year. I wish I could cut them a break by increasing the pool of funding partners. Then they could invest in additional projects and we could grow our industries.
Supermarkets are not the enemy. They’re part of the agricultural supply chain and have a role to play in promoting Australian farming.
We need to work with them.
There are those in agriculture who say that supermarkets are positioning themselves to influence how farming is promoted to consumers.
And to them I say - whose fault will that be?
