Baked Beans and Spaghetti

@aultj, at our local Woollies, a staff member is available to assist those who have difficulties shopping. They follow the customer around and is available any time the customer needs assistance during the shop…they also assist the customer taking and loading their shopping into their car.

Might be worth exploring if you are having trouble getting items from the lower shelves.

Alternatively, ask a fellow shopper like me as I often assist those shorter than me to get products from higher shelves.

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I think you will find that Campbells is actually a foreign owned company. Yes it may have an Australian arm as do many foreign companies but it is still overseas owned. Here is a bit taken from their Australian website “The Campbell Soup Company started in 1869 in Camden, New Jersey. In 1961, Campbell’s entered the Australian market through the acquisition of the Kia-Ora business.”

and from the parent US site "The Campbell Story

At Campbell, we make many of your favorite products including cookies, crackers, sauces and drinks, as well as organic baby food and fresh carrots. But soup is how we started. In 1869, Joseph Campbell, a fruit merchant, and Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer, formed the business that would one day become Campbell Soup Company, and opened their first plant in Camden, New Jersey.

It wasn’t until after Joseph Campbell retired from the company that Campbell introduced its first can of ready-to-eat tomato soup. Later, in 1897, Campbell made an amazing leap forward when John T. Dorrance, a chemist at the company and nephew of the then-president with an interest in French cuisine, invented condensed soup. He created five varieties, including Tomato, which remains one of the top 10 shelf-stable foods sold in U.S. grocery stores today.

By 1911 Campbell’s® soups would receive national distribution and acclaim. As Campbell grew, it acquired new brands like Pepperidge Farm and V8, and created new foods like Campbell’s® Sauces, Chunky soups and so much more. Flip through our 146 year history to learn about our heritage and our brands."

I believe they purchased Arnotts so they could enter the SE Asia markets as they couldn’t procure the licences they needed to export and manufacture there as Campbells and Arnotts held ones that they could use.

Pretty much the same can be said of Heinz, however as houzer stated Campbells is at least made in Australia so Australian workers are getting a wage and hopefully Campbells are paying tax. Heinz, (and Coles homebrand soup) are made in NZ probably using Chinese grown veggies…who knows about the meat origins.
So yes given the choice between the two I’d go with Campbells everyday of the week over Heinz.

Not disagreeing with your sentiments but as @houzer said that Campbells were Australian I was just correcting the possible impression that they were when in fact they aren’t. Their workforce “here” is about 400 and that is spread between Australia and NZ according to a paragraph on their site “Today, Campbell’s employs approximately 400 people in Australia and New Zealand, and operates as the Headquarters of Campbell’s Asia Pacific. Campbell’s corporate office is located in Sydney, with sales offices in every state.”

Ownership has been made out to be far too important IMHO, it is where produce is grown and processed meaning wages - income taxes collected which are larger than company taxes overall that count and this has clouded the issue by always saying owned overseas - yes that is important but it is up to government to make sure it collects the company taxes and that is stops the world wide practice of shifting profits to avoid taxes which is discussed G8 etc but AFAIK NOT collected always here of some multinationals avoiding etc. This must stop = time to pay attention to top end of town including closing loop holes which are allowing MP’s as well as others to avoid tax with trusts overseas accounts etc etc. And stop the shafting bottom up start shafting top down. Its the top end of town that is using donations for favours and getting them.
So Campbell’s is good for the economy along with any processed/grown here.
I do try to buy Aussie made here but also want to know if food where the imports are from. Hopefully new labeling will help.

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I agree but a workforce of 400 spread between Aus and NZ is very small. The economic benefit is most likely much smaller than 4 Coles or Woolies stores in a employment cost benefit analysis. And Campbells profits definitely go overseas with very little if any of it retained here to improve their infrastructure here. For many this is why OS ownership is such an important consideration and why Dick Smith is passionate about it. Most of these large business use their power to reduce incomes to farmers/producers by forcing lower prices on them and the increased profit is then used to feed the parent company elsewhere.

Yes we need to stop the rot but part of that is to stop feeding our money to those who have their main interest elsewhere.

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I think the fresh fruit and veggies and meat in Aldi is probably all Australian, and that’s all I buy there. At other supermarkets I always look for ardmona or spc, but have found ardmona harder to find lately. There are far too many ‘supermarket brands’ that are littering the shelves and we have no idea who they come from. I want to preference Australian products as often as I have the money to do so, but our lack of significant labelling is a drawback.

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SPC Ardmona is owned by Coca-Cola Amatil who closed 2 factories after taking over. Recall the company asked for the Australian Govt to give them $50mil for capital works at the Sheperton factory, with the threat “too big to fail” & if you don’t all these Australians will be out of work. The Feds responded that Coke was a huge multinational who could fund it themselves. The resulting sympathy for farmers increased their canned fruit sales by 60% at Woolies alone and they signed an extra deal worth $14mil a year with them at a time they were crying poor (they made a profit up till 2012 but blamed falling export - our dollar?? - dumping $100mil of produce). They received $22mil from the Vic Govt - they timed it right given the proximity of elections. They also supply the ‘home brands’ and own a number of other brand names, like IXL. So they win both ways - home brand at eye level, SPC for those who seek it out.

Truly local enterprises don’t get handouts like this. I have never seen Dick Smith Aussie Food on special - I don’t shop at Coles, Woolies, Aldi & their subsidiaries, so have limited observations in that area.

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Coles homebrand baked beans and spaghetti is a product of NZ just for the record. Don’t know about Woolies though.

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In that case they can stay on the shelves at Coles then .

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HERE HERE, that’s why I only buy from Drakes supermarkets here in S.A. I still get the wide range of product’s that I have always had. The general every day items are competitive and they have good specials “plus I do my best to support the local and Australian product’s”. I am on a low income I just don’t waste my money I try to shop smart but fare. Have a good and safe New Year.

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Sorry. Haven’t heard of Drakes. Must be small potatoes." Everything to support the local and
Australian products", I agree. Now to get the Bureaucrats to get off their duffs and help our
farmers also, instead of worrying about shareholder’s dividends. BIg companies will be getting big
bucks from BIG GOV. soon anyway.Ask the Banks.
We had a Supermarket chain called FRANKLIN’S. Quite large stores, variety. and good prices.
They went BUST because they couldn’t compete to survive. If you hold a small share of the market
you’re competing power is poor. Power strangles the poor farmers to survive and even brake even.
That is not competition, that is GREED.

Foodlands in SA are independently owned and Drakes own a few of them which in turn are under the IGA umbrella.

Hiya bigmitch8, The reason that Woollies and Coles sell more Australian Fruit and Veg than they used to is because the Customers have demanded it. After all of the many food poisoning debacles Australian’s have had with imported Nanna’s berries from China it is pleasing to see that they have finally woken up to Australia’s excellent food and hygiene standards, and are not willing to eat imported inferior and unhygienically grown and prepared fruit and vegetables. Yes it does cost the customer more, but it is always preferable to eat and buy Australian produce, supporting both the Australian Farmer and the Australian economy.

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Yes true re Fruit & Veg and Coles in particular try harder with Aussie made - for instance used to have tomatoes on shelf one lot Aussie one lot Italian which probably mean Chinese as Italy buy up cheap and sell on as their own so beware.
Been got at for saying avoid Chinese but they have contaminated their lands badly so buy ours and ow buy our land too means food security gone sadly as if food wars come which is why other foreign gov’s buying up our arable land too, we will likely not have enough for ourselves. And not the troop numbers or guts in any political party, other than I suspect One Nation, to nationalize the land for national security.
But today both majors are cutting down on what is one their shelves which isnt good for our choice. Good news for IGA’s though they always carry a lot more choices I find even if a cew cents more worth it to support them more so in future. Or lose out on choice and on workers jobs too. Which affects us all for its their income taxes which help to pay for our services and far too many today never pay any just live off the rest of us via Centrelink as a career. Having children to keep on getting welfare. One Nation is right on there, one child paid for only. As its always the first child who costs the most, yet governments pay more for each additional and its this which makes having large families a career move.

Greetings njfking, Well put. Now, what are our Bureaucrats doing to help our farmers, fruit & vegetable growers, and beef & pork and livestock handlers besides ripping off the consumers
and pensioners…

I’ll check this out at my Woolworths and Coles. I always buy SPC because l do my upmost to buy Australian. Last time l bought it it was still in its usual place at Woolies. I’ll go and speak to the manager if it has been moved . Thank you for drawing this to my attention.

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Hiya again bigmitch8 :smile:

We must petition our local Members of Parliament in order to make the laws change for our hardworking farmers.

We can be grateful that Choice has taken up the issue of accurate Food Labelling and are lobbying the “Powers that Be” that the public want and need accurate and correct product labelling.

More and more the Australian consumer is asking and demanding Australian produce, in both fresh fruit and vegetables as well as Australian meat and fish.

If the Consumer can be educated about where our produce is sourced, the quality of the produce will speak for itself and I am sure you will agree with this.

If Restaurants can inform us on their menus where our fish and meat/veg etc is sourced, I believe the consumer will at least have a choice over what they decide to purchase.

Choice is working on this issue right now so that food can be labelled accurately stating where produce is sourced, grown and packed so that the consumer can decide confidently what they wish to purchase, both in the Supermarkets and in Restaurants.

If more people can get behind Choice and support these issues, THINGS WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

I hope! :wink:

Cheers Natalie

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Greetings Natalie, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Two areas you should be aware of are: we are a
3rd world country in the area of pesticides used on our fruit & vegetables; many causing cancer
that we are still allowed to use. Many chemicals used in Rodent control, and cosmetics.
Also, dyes and chemicals used in foodstuffs,and genetically modified crops and food.
Much thanks, BigMitch

I am quite sure that most people would be only too happy to fetch your Aussie product from the bottom shelf, however why doesn’t Woolworths put an Aussie item in a more prominent position?

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