Cheesy title, apologies! Local is the only future for our food though. Did you know that Ireland is reported to be the second most profitable market in the world for the British Tesco Group, beaten only by South Korea? http://www.sceala.com/phpBB2/irish-forums-25431.html And while big multinational corporations are making huge profits they are placing ferocious economic pressure on the Irish food producer. Competition in the marketplace is healthy but when food producers are competing with cheaper alternatives quality is surely sacrificed. And this seems to be where Ireland is heading, with poor quality, pumped up chicken and other meats, for example, being imported and sold at lower prices. For the health of the nation and for the economic good of the nation we should be encouraged to spend more on our food, not less, and we should boycott the giant supermarket bullies and support small local traders.
RTE journalist Philip Boucher Hayes highlights the tragic turn of the Irish consumer towards the mass produced, cheaper goods from retail giants in What's Ireland Eating? (2011). The documentary is brilliant. It not only shows how the quality of the mass produced food is forfeited but also shows that for every job created by one of the supermarket giants, within 2-3 years 1.5 jobs are lost locally. It doesn't take a genius to realise that by shopping locally and by buying local produce we are boosting the local economy while enjoying healthier, tastier foods. It's a win win situation.
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