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Tesco’s Chicken Scandal

January 30th, 2007

Tesco’s are charging me premium prices for being Scottish!

Shopping in my local Tesco’s the other day I noticed a disturbing detail in the chicken aisle - Scottish chicken is being served up at premium prices - much more expensive than German and Dutch poultry.

I wouldn’t mind except for the fact that I am a Scot, living in Scotland!

German and Dutch chicken breasts were being sold for £2.72 per pound whilst Scottish chicken breast was being sold at £3.42 (ish). That’s 70p per pound more expensive!

Why? Is Scottish produce that much better quality than German and Dutch chicken? If it is, get the Dutch and German stuff off the shelves. If it is of comparable quality, why is Scottish chicken being sold at a much higher price than its European counterpart?

The argument could be put forth that poultry reared in Scotland is more expensive to produce. That argument could be made, I guess - except the Scottish poultry industry competes in a world market and ships to Europe by the lorryload, so it would be nonsense.

When faced with the option to buy British produce given similar or identical products, my preferred choice is to opt for the UK version because I want to support UK industry, particularly farming which has been hit by a devastating series of disasters over the last fifteen years but I refuse to pay inflated prices for poultry reared in my own country.

To rub salt into these gastronomic wounds, this ‘Scottish chicken’ may well have been reared on one of the local farms that dot this area of the country - some only a stone’s throw from my house and processed in the poultry processing plant (one of the country’s largest) just five miles away.

Now tell me what part of this makes any sense?

Poultry from Germany or Holland can be sold at £2.72 per pound in Scotland yet chicken quite possibly reared and processed within five miles of Tesco’s store costs £3.42 per pound.

The only reason I can think of is that Tesco’s are using the word, ‘Scottish,’ to inflate the price of chicken in much the same way as other products, such as bottled water, bearing the word ‘Scottish,’ can have their prices hiked thanks to the location of production.

Which really ticks me off because it would mean I am effectively being penalised for my nationality.

Entry Filed under: shopping