"Rip off" food product

I was alerted to this" rip off" by watching Gruen last week. I cannot understand the mentality of a food company which blatantly “rips off” customers.
Sadly some people will buy this product without understanding just how much they are paying for it.
At 35-40grams costing $125 per kilo, how is this justifiable?
When I lived in the UK in the 70’s they already had legislation in place
to PREVENT Profiteering!
Some 50 years later, Australia, as usual is still far far far behind the rest
of the world.
Pictures and comments from Gruen 22.10.20121


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Personally, I have a very low opinion of Primo and I refuse to buy any of their products, epsecailly ham which is all, or nearly all, inported.

We buy Bertocchi, Dorsogna and Tibaldi ham and other Australian produced smallgoods.

And some other reviews of Primo Scrambles and bacon on Product Review.

image

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I didn’t see Gruen, but I can’t see the problem. The weight is clear on the package, and it would be light when you pick it up, and the need for an egg is clear too. I have never tried it, but it seems to be a convenience food. I can’t find the instructions, but it appears to be Add an egg and microwave.
Did Gruen raise an other issue apart from Cost/Value?

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Gruen did raise another issue. It was almost universally considered horrible as a food.

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A price is often set at what the market will bear. No justification is required excepting in specific instances.

OEM Inkjet ink is $8,396/litre. Both the Scrambles and inks are examples of how products get priced against competition and the target market segment. What about a medication that costs $USD17.74 to manufacture, was developed with a large dose of US taxpayer money yet is market priced at $USD712?

The Scrambles seem to be positioned against a $5 to $6 ‘instant lunch’ not against a $2 Ramen noodle soup and if it is tasty and filling $4 might seem a bargain to some convenience seekers. It could be considered the price for a meal, not the price for 40g of product which puts a different spin (light?) on it for consumers.

Consumer masochism?

Are you familiar with the Trade Practices Act that morphed into the Australian Consumer Law a decade ago? You might find both are very similar to the relevant UK laws you remember. I suspect there could be differences in oversights but not so much of intent.

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Not according to the Product Reviews comments.

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Yes.

It was suggested the product targeted those looking above all for convenience. With the added benefit of adding an egg. That purchasing a single egg might not be so convenient for some was pointed out. Gruen regular Russel Howcroft thought it was a great product. I recollect others on the program had a very different view.

There is no one size fits all.

Whether one is adding value to the scrambles with a cheap egg, or the expensive scrambles is adding value to the egg is open to wonder. Perhaps the real rip off is paying nearly $4 for the convenience of a single use throw away container I which to ‘nuke’ the egg and added flavouring. Nothing to wash up.

P.S.
The prepared product looked nothing like the pack shots.

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If the product is as bad as they say and such poor value then Primo will prevent profiteering without any assistance. Unless you think the public are so foolish to repeat buy bad products at inflated prices, if they do then what is the problem?

If foolishness is to be made illegal I can see enough of our nation’s leaders, given enough time, working out that voting for the bill is not in their own interests and the bill will fail.

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I think another comment from the Gruen show was a thought bubble of, what can we do with the bits of ham and bacon that are leftover or have fallen on the floor?
Idea…

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Delivered by the program in jest, although seeing the finished meal, perhaps adding floor trimmings might be an improvement.

In a slightly different direction, there might be a worthwhile topic or Food Champions challenge in sizing up all the one minute and instant ‘cheap’ meals. There are a number of previous topics that have touched on similar outcomes.

Observing others, hence it’s not original, a 70c per pack (Woolies) of Indo Mie Goreng instant noodles would be a better use of an egg. Of course one needs to supply the reusable container (microwave bowl). Add finely shredded cabbage or other vegetables to the mix and it starts to look like a half reasonable and edible easy meal. Salt content excepted? I’m also relating to first hand experience. Some times one needs to make the best of the non options.

It is easy to eat better for less than the market price of a ‘Scrambles’ throw away container, by choosing from a wide variety of low cost supermarket options. Or close enough.
EG Coles pre packaged Chicken Cesar Salad $5.50, 180gms. I’ve seen cheaper salad options without the meat, just add a can of your favourite Tuna or ….

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Like this.
https://choice.community/t/easy-meals-and-snacks-reviews/19235

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Yes.

Although in comparison ‘Scrambles’ sets a new low bar for food value and appeal at just $4 plus the cost of an egg per serve.

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Saffron is about $10,000/kg, so in comparison, it is cheap.

Some would argue saffron is good value for money…and likewise the Primo Scrambles. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

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At $100 per kilo it is a HUGE RIP OFF!

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If they claimed it was more than it is or contained ingredients that it doesn’t then there is a reason to be unhappy but as it is I cannot see why you are so emphatic. Value is always in the eye of the beholder.

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Saffron is not considered a meal, as Primo is attempting to portray. Saffron is a spice and some spice are expensive but not a necessity. This is not even a relavant comparison.
FYI: Since such a small part of the flower is used, it takes 75,000 saffron flowers to make one pound of saffron spice. The small amount of saffron spice per plant, along with the fact that harvesting must be done manually, leads to saffron’s being majorly expensive.

It is a relevant comparison, as I have indicated, value is in the eye of the beholder.

In relation to $4 for the base (which will weight far more when rehydrated with the egg - an additional 50-70gm and $0.30-0.50). It then becomes a meal. When compared to other ‘fast’ or ‘highly processed meals’, it is comparable. Not expensive, but not as cheap as possibly one could make a home themselves. One pays for convenience.

Some dried/instant noodle meals have a similar unit price as well…so this product fits within the easy and convenient food which one pays more for.

It is like a coffee which has less ingredients and would have a lighter base (generally 20gm of coffee). Some buy coffees which are $5-7…value…again in the eye of the beholder. Can one make it cheaper, yes substantially cheaper at home. Is coffee at $5-7 a mug a rip off, some may say yes, other may say it is value for money.

Would I buy one, no, as I have the choice of what foods/meals to buy and these sort of products aren’t on my short list. You also have the same choice.

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Dear Irakip,

While I wouldn’t buy this product and they import far too much of their pork, I have no objection with them pricing it at whatever the market can bear.

They are in business to make money and as far as I’m concerned, good luck to them.

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Well @irakip there seems to be no consensus so far. You have said that you want to stop profiteering, you also mention in the UK this is done by law. So how about telling us more about that.

What scope would you see for legislation? Would it apply to all products in the marketplace? If not what subgroup?

If a product was considered too expensive under such a law what would happen? Would the product be forbidden? Would a price be set from some agency, if so how would that be decided?

Tell us how it has worked in the UK these last 50 years. What would they do with the example that you gave?

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@irakip I would advise that you check the link I have posted below . It shows a list of countries compiled by the UN and other sources regarding purchasing power , standard of living etc .

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/standard-of-living-by-country

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