SuperValu’s eat Irish campaign (www.supervalu.ie)
For the Irish week that’s in it, here’s another ad that grabbed my attention: SuperValu’s Eat Irish for a Week campaign.
Simple enough idea. Buy items from their shopping list and feed a family of four for a week for less than €100 a week using only Irish ingredients. SuperValu boast that 75 per cent of their produce is sourced or produced in Ireland, and 100 per cent of all meat sold in store is born, bred, and reared in Ireland. I don’t need to rehearse the benefits of buying Irish in terms of creating employment.
SuperValu’s franchise model means that local stores can plug directly back into the local community or stock a small, local producer in selected stores. That said, it’s still owned by Musgrave’s, a major player with around 25 per cent of the overall retail market so it’s still not exactly your local independent greengrocer or butcher.
They’ve put together a pretty impressive and generous – albeit particularly Irish – menu for the week. Generous because it assumes that you’ve four mouths to feed at lunchtime and are making more than just sandwiches or beans on toast, with potato and bacon salad, omelette, and spiced beef salad all making an appearance. Lucky kids – but I think most people could shave a few of these freshly prepared home-made lunches off the total bill, reducing the cost further.
It’s a bit meat-heavy, with meat making an appearance up to twice a day, so cut it out for some more savings there. It’s very orientated around meat, potatoes and veg, but clearly targeting those who want a simple meal to prepare for themselves and the kids. And it vastly underestimates the amount of snacks that will be needed for the week: a yoghurt, a scone, and a packet of crisps each won’t cut it.
Overall though, it’s a good guide, coming in at €93.66. Even if you’ve no intention of going to SuperValu or taking up the “challenge”, I think it’s well worth a look.
I don’t have small mouths to feed myself so I wouldn’t be sure myself: is €400 a month to feed a family of four about right?
Friday 15 March, 2013 at 10:03 am
While I do agree with eating Irish food in the main, I have discovered recently that Supervalu’s main supplier Musgraves are putting pressure on Supervalu to squeeze out small independent supplies and producers and instead purchase Musgrave’s own products.
I don’t feel that this practice is beneficial to Irish producers and consumers, as such I will not shop at Supervalu as I have an issue with their ethics
Friday 15 March, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Anita, you have lost me. Super Valu are owned by the Musgrave Group. What “own products” do Musgrave have?
Saturday 16 March, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Sorry Claire, maybe my post was a little confused. Instead of purchasing food products such as pre-packaged coleslaw & salads, and pre-made sandwiches etc from local companies/suppliers – Musgraves are insisting that Supervalu purchase ingredients/similar products from them and push out the small producer.
As to ownership, well my local Supervalu is called Caulfield’s Supervalu – which leads me to understand that it is at least jointly owned with Musgraves
Apologies if I have any of the details incorrect
Tuesday 19 March, 2013 at 9:07 am
Anita, that’s how business works!