Coronavirus (COVID-19) Panic Buying?

[lovetravellingoz]

Indeed, I get the impression Aussies are too busy emptying supermarket shelves to go on holiday!
cheers skip

Not at the supermarkets I frequent. And at Costco, when don't shoppers here have full trollies?

I think it is more that hand sanitiser has a run on.

 

[Pushka]

IKEA in Adelaide is deserted!

 

[Julesmac]

Some very creative masks about, I am going to buy myself a few to wear for best as a P3 respirator is not zactly a fashion statement….

I'm unsure if AFF'ers in other states to Vic have seen some of our prize examples of stupid people around. However one DYKWIA is sick of covid as she's "done every street in Briiighton' - and I've just seen a little shop advertising online a mask with that printed on. Brilliant marketing and full marks to Be Marsupial in Elwood

 

[Denali]

I'm unsure if AFF'ers in other states to Vic have seen some of our prize examples of stupid people around. However one DYKWIA is sick of covid as she's "done every street in Briiighton' - and I've just seen a little shop advertising online a mask with that printed on. Brilliant marketing and full marks to Be Marsupial in Elwood

By memory shes the daughter of a poker machine billionaire and her son started a snarky instagram with her swilling JW Blue and making bougie comments.

 

[Hvr]

IKEA in Adelaide is deserted!

Or they've hidden the bodies so well they'll never be found.

 

[Denali]

Or they've hidden the bodies so well they'll never be found.

They found the bedding section and just gave up on life and had a lie down. Ikea is ridiculous and I only do online delivery now (before C19 happened)

 

[jakeseven7]

IKEA in Adelaide is deserted!

Good! mass produced fast fashion foreign rubbish

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

I only buy 3 frozen vegetables -McCain baby peas ( pkt says GROWN in NZ !) salad edamame beans ( China !! )
and potato gems - ( 96% Aust )

 

[Denali]

I need someone to talk me off the ledge.... Im looking up Chest Freezers. I dont even want to hoard but it would be nice to know I have enough to not have to shop beef & chicken ect for a couple of months.

 

[I love to travel]

I need someone to talk me off the ledge.... Im looking up Chest Freezers. I dont even want to hoard but it would be nice to know I have enough to not have to shop beef & chicken ect for a couple of months.

Not sure where you live but if you would like to be talked off the ledge ask yourself this. Did you starve during the last panic buying episode?

 

[p--and--t]

At last count, as of August 2020 that I know of there are 11 different 'Grown in Australia' brands of frozen broccoli florets available - a win for the consumer. Hopefully there are some more.

We seem to be having two different conversations in one.

I have detailed this in the previous posts - but here goes one last time...

In 2013/14 there were NO frozen broccoli packets/brands sold in Sydney for Birds Eye, McCain, Woolworths Home Brand, Coles Home Brand, Aldi brands etc that was 'Made in Australia'. Not one 'name' nor 'white' label brand, zero.

I started a campaign to get the 3 major chains to stock 'Made in Australia from Australian Grown. Both at the consumer level & throughout the financial markets (one of the positives of managing Super for a wide variety of groups). For example when at the regular 6 monthly meeting with Industry Fund XYZ, I'd drop a comment along the lines - 'What do you guys think about there no longer being any Australian grown & processed frozen broccoli in Coles or Woolies these days? It all comes from China.'

Yes, I had been mentioning water contamination as an investment theme to them for a number of years....

The pressure got to Woolies first & they caved. They were the first to re-introduce 'Grown in Australia' frozen broccoli as a 'homebrand' or 'white label' product again. Coles & Aldi followed suit not long after. Who knows perhaps one well-known union may have mentioned unavoidable delays starting to happen randomly at 4 distribution centres - these things are known to happen (not with one logisitics company though, but that's a story that you'll never hear about). Amazing what can get a union offside/onside.

Read Blanche d'Alpuget's book (1982 version) Robert J. Hawke: A biography for example. VERY revealing chapter on the 'Murdoch sauna, Fairfax pool room, Murdoch tennis court' - name attached to location likely to be wrong, it was 1984 that I read it but both media groups just seem to take it in terms to defame the then head of the ACTU every 15-18 months, Hawke would sue that publisher (Murdoch or Fairfax) and the day before it was due to go to court there'd be a confidential settlement which just happens to be tax free. Another coincidence - while Hawke was head of ACTU there was not one strike at either Fairfax or Murdoch in any area. Not one. All spelt out by Blanche in copious detail. I got my use of 'coincidence' from that book and a very poor mark for that assigment, 'Political conflict in Australia'. Seems the marker did not appreciate my assertion that political & other 'donations' have more to do with outcomes in Australia than community benefit. I later found out that he was an election campaign advisor for the ALP. Oops - learnt an important lesson about due diligence - so much easier in the internet world.

Did you know that industry funds are now the largest owner of Australian shares (listed companies) these days, followed in 2nd or 3rd place by for-profit super funds?

So today, there are a range of 'white label' "Grown in Australia" frozen vegetables available in addition to broccoli which came on the scene in the months following - such as green beans, peas etc.

Those products did not exist until after 2013/14.

I believe you see them today even in Tassie....

None of those 'white label' "Grown in Australia" existed before then - not one.

NOW the new question....

Woolworths have launched a new frozen broccoli product, 'Certified Organic Broccoli Florets' 450g emblazoned with 'ACO Certified Organic'.
View attachment 224035

They must be good for you - it has 5 stars! However the health rating is a generic rating for any broccoli, the product is & has not been individually tested for contaminants by Woolworths nor any Australian Govt nor industry body.

Where are they packed? Where were they grown?

View attachment 224036

Pays NOT to forget your glasses with you when you go shopping

Australia - No.

NZ - No.

How about Belgium = YES.

Where grown? W H O . K N O W S!

View attachment 224037

Packed in Belgium from multiple origins. Just the origins are not mentioned. Ring up Woolies and ask what countries?

I suspect one of those 'origins' is China - anyone willing to bet against that? China has been increasing its exports of F&V to Belgium in the last 5 years. Belgium now imports F&V more from China than from the UK.

Guess where many of the frozen berries sold in Australian supermarkets are now "packed in from multiple origins"? Have a look next time you're in Coles or Woolies.

No it is not Australia.

BTW - as you know Belgium is not a big country yet it is the world's largest exporter of frozen vegetables...

Guess who's 2nd largest?


Searchable List of Frozen Vegetables Exporting Countries in 2019

Rank	Exporter	Exported Frozen Vegetables (US$)
1.	Belgium	$1,197,729,000
2.	China	$1,170,493,000
3.	Spain	$718,841,000
4.	Mexico	$495,578,000

Belgium's land area is about 1/8th that of NZ or the UK.

Fun fact - China is the world's 4th largest exporter (by value) of food. Yet a large number of their own citizens try to buy non-Chinese produced food.

I gave up on the frozen broccoli last closure when it sold out. The quality was pretty rank anyway (stalks) and in most SA stores there is only one brand available. Fresh broccoli was widely available so i just buy a big bunch and parboil and freeze myself in individual packets. Much nicer. And local.

Same when some frozen berries became a bit scarce at start of lock-down. How in some packets - sourced from different origins on defrosting disinterested into a watery mess, when others didn't . The Aussie ones were never a problem.

 

[p--and--t]

I need someone to talk me off the ledge.... Im looking up Chest Freezers. I dont even want to hoard but it would be nice to know I have enough to not have to shop beef & chicken ect for a couple of months.

We bought a small freezer front opening with 3 drawers at the beginning of the last lockdown. Not so much for hoarding, but reduced the number of times needing to go out to shop and enabled us to benefit from specials more because we could buy more cheaply and store rather be at the whim of price fluctuation.

Was one of the best purchase decisions we made for a long time.

 

[Denali]

Not sure where you live but if you would like to be talked off the ledge ask yourself this. Did you starve during the last panic buying episode?

Im Italian, we never starve as I can feed an army at short notice (and we gave friends food/supplies during Panic 1.0) but I didnt like Coles/Woolies cancelling deliveries and having to go to the shops - I didnt like going to the shops before all of this

 

[AisleSeat]

I need someone to talk me off the ledge.... Im looking up Chest Freezers. I dont even want to hoard but it would be nice to know I have enough to not have to shop beef & chicken ect for a couple of months.

Our chest freezer has been a good investment. 142L for a family of four. Pandemic aside, its nice having the extra space for big cuts of meat, ice cream, cookie dough and bags of perogis.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

An upright freezer is much better IMO than a chest freezer. You always have stuff work its way to the bottom - -and hard to reach ! Also had a neighbour with one that was hell to defrost !!

 

[Denali]

Our chest freezer has been a good investment. 142L for a family of four. Pandemic aside, its nice having the extra space for big cuts of meat, ice cream, cookie dough and bags of perogis.

Our kitchen is small (old house) so its not like we have a big fridge to begin with but my brother's family would buy half a cow and not have to meat shop for months - I like the idea of that.

 

[Pushka]

We bought a small freezer front opening with 3 drawers at the beginning of the last lockdown. Not so much for hoarding, but reduced the number of times needing to go out to shop and enabled us to benefit from specials more because we could buy more cheaply and store rather be at the whim of price fluctuation.

Was one of the best purchase decisions we made for a long time.

View attachment 224049

We ended up purchasing an extra fridge as freezers all gone. Filled it with long term items. We've worked our way through it and it is currently off but it has been great knowing that i have all this prepared food when Im too lazy to cook.

 

[Pushka]

I need someone to talk me off the ledge.... Im looking up Chest Freezers. I dont even want to hoard but it would be nice to know I have enough to not have to shop beef & chicken ect for a couple of months.

Jeez. After looking at @p-and-t 's purchase i just joined you on the ledge

 

[VPS]

The only frozen stuff I buy is a bag of Birdseye peas and corn and thats about 2 or 3 times per year. I just dont trust the frozen stuff plus I have a small freezer.

I did buy a packet of Woolies bake at home bread style baguettes for $2 and was shocked that it came from France. Coles is made in Australia but looks like absolute rubbish in comparison.

Coles got into a lot of trouble for that because they were saying baked in store and all Aussie goodness but failed to mention that the product was from France.

 

[VPS]

I grew up on a farm and we always had freezers because we killed our own sheep and chickens and we didn't go into town all the time. I've always had a freezer and I find I eat a lot better when I know I can prepare healthy meals and put them in the freezer and then grab them when I'm busy or tired.

I also would never have another chest freezer. Upright freezers win every time for me

 

[Pushka]

Jeez. After looking at @p-and-t 's purchase i just joined you on the ledge

And i just jumped!

We bought a small freezer front opening with 3 drawers at the beginning of the last lockdown. Not so much for hoarding, but reduced the number of times needing to go out to shop and enabled us to benefit from specials more because we could buy more cheaply and store rather be at the whim of price fluctuation.

Was one of the best purchase decisions we made for a long time.

View attachment 224049

Your fault!