Both the Guardian and the Independent carry stories this morning about Jamies abject apology to Sainsburys for criticising them for not turning up to a debate on the welfare of supermarket sold cheap chickens.
Come on Jamie! Don't be such a hypocrite! If you don't like the way Sainsbury's source their chicken then don't take their money. If you are really interested in changing the way food is reared and sold in the UK you should be campaigning against the likes of the Sainsbury's not doing their PR.
Don't think you lot are really being fair to Jamie. Hugh's programme was filmed way back in the summer; so probably at that time Jamie meant he hadn't visited a broiler farm. His programme was probably shoot after. On the issue of Sainsbury's I don't blame him for apologising. As far as I could tell from Hugh's programme Sainsbury's were trying to help. Also this week I have contacted my local Sainsbury's about the shortage of Free Range chicken and they have been very helpful; showing real concern about the issues. Jamie is wiser to 'keep in' with these guys because he knows that change comes from within. At the end of the day Jamie and Hugh are only human and not gods!! They can but try to do their best and are spoke's people for the rest of us- where would the issues be without them this last couple of weeks?
Originally posted by TV Eleanor: Don't think you lot are really being fair to Jamie.
Well, I think criticism of Jamie's double standards is justified. The factory farming system we have did not grow out of nowhere. The supermarkets continual squeeze on farmers to produce ever cheaper food for BOGOFs and promotions is one of the main reasons that animal production conditions are in their current parlous state. Farmers are basically forced to cut corners wherever they can.
If we want to improve food quality, protect the environment, improve animal welfare and do something about the atrocious state of the nation's health and diet, the power of the supermarkets must be challenged. Shop at your local farmers market (like the marvellous St. Georges market held on Saturdays here in Belfast), local butchers and bakers. We need to take control of our food system back from the supermarkets by not buying from them.
Well, basically Mick I agree totally with you. I think it's high time something was done about all these supermarkets taking over the world!! I was very disappointed to hear this week that one of the competitors to these mega stores in N.Ireland- Curley's is being bought by Sainsbury's!! Seems like a tragedy. We do need to break the habit of going to the superstores and shop locally; but it's hard for a lot of people to do this and I think government should do more to encourage small shops, markets etc. As regards Jamie, I think he's still wise to try to bring about change from within and they may well listen to him. If he leaves them they'll just get some other star to front their ads who may not give a damn about these issues.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by TV Eleanor: As regards Jamie, I think he's still wise to try to bring about change from within and they may well listen to him. If he leaves them they'll just get some other star to front their ads who may not give a damn about these issues.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely agree! If anything the only thing these other "celebs" who front an ad for various companies care about is the money & not do anything as proactive as what Jamies does!
The reason Justin King keeps Jamie is because he knows that Jamie is worth the fees they pay him with his continuous good food messages to the masses outside his normal Sainsburys advertising campaigns & at the same time bringing in good sales for the company.
Jamie IS passionate about food and food concerns such as battery farming, he is also a business man, he took a decision to represent Siansburys and I am sure he gets LOTS of lovley money for doing so, maybe he saw a conflict of interest in comments he had made and decided that he would reconsider his position, moreover he realised that you "Dont bite the hand that feeds you" it doesnt mean for one minuite that he does condone intensive farming practices , and I am sure that he had his own reasons for his actions in this instance, we the general public are the biggest hypocits by continuing to buy the battery farmed chickens, we are perpetuating this practise and untill the nation change thier buying habbits of chickens from supermarkets en-mass the supermarkets will continue to produce the food stuffs that we buy.
Who are you to dictate the nation's chicken buying habits, person uk? Hello, we're going into recession, cost of living going up! Let's see do I use my lessening food budget to provide food for my family for 7 days, or buy some organic chicken and stock up for 6. Yeah kids can go hungry as long as those organic scruples are in tact.
