Woman's 'shameful' discovery at Coles leads to passionate online plea
A shopper has taken aim at Coles for not giving Australian-made produce a fair go, while farmers are doing it tough during the drought.
Kim McLoughlin was shopping for a can of corn kernels on Sunday and instinctively reached for the retailer’s home-branded product – the cheapest option with the attractive price of just 90 cents.
On closer inspection however, she noticed the kernels had been imported from Thailand, a discovery that left Ms McLoughlin dumbfounded given how many Australian growers were currently struggling in drought conditions.
“l thought ‘stuff this’ and started looking for something Australian grown,” she wrote on Facebook.
“I found Edgell corn kernels with a much smaller shelf display. Tucked away and I nearly couldn’t see them. I really had to look for them.”
Her fury grew even more when she realised the Australian product cost just 10 cents more than the imported one.
“I brought the Edgell corn kernels because they are Australian grown and packed in Bathurst, NSW. And what about the price you are asking? Coles branded corn kernels grown in Thailand were 90c. Edgell corn kernels grown in Australia were $1,” she wrote.
“So for 10c extra we could all be helping and supporting our great Aussie farmers.”
In a plea to her family and friends, she encouraged others to follow her lead. More than 110,000 have shared her post, with many also disappointed with a perceived lack of effort by Coles to give Aussie products shelf space.
“Shame on you Coles,” Alex Whalley said.
“You claim to be there for the farmers, yet you charge pathetic amounts for milk and rip the dairy farmers off, and then you ensure that the rest of the farming community also miss out by marketing your foreign made crap over the stuff that would actually have a positive impact on this country.
“Stop thinking about the shareholders and think about the farmers that put food on your shelves.”
“I always try to buy Australian grown,” one woman wrote.
Another said they never bought from Coles or its main competitor Woolworths and opted to buy from local independent grocers and retailers instead.
Coles explains strict labelling practices
A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia that many of its own brand of products were produced in Australia, and those that weren’t were clearly labelled.
“We know our customers place a high priority on purchasing great, locally produced food and groceries.
“Coles takes its Country of Origin labelling responsibilities seriously and customers can easily find the country of origin of our Coles Own Brand products by looking at the ticket or label.
“The majority of Coles Brand products are made or grown in Australia, including 100 per cent of fresh meat and eggs, 96 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables and more than 85 per cent of Coles Own Brand packaged food and drinks.
“Coles is also the only supermarket to offer 100 per cent Australian grown vegetables in all Own Brand frozen vegetable offerings.”
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