"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from (Laurie Moseley) contains these words:

Sometimes I buy organic, sometimes not. I don't want to be panicked or
rushed
into either.

The very least we can do is to try to buck the fashion. In
supermarkets, I make
a point of asking for the NON-organic section, as I want choice. At
least it
makes them think. On a couple of occasions, I have asked for the manager
and
enquired what checks they make on the production methods of both organic
and
non-organic suppliers. Neither was able to answer the question.

Possibly you asked at the wrong level?

A supermarket branch manager is near the end of the distribution line.
S/he is unlikely to select producers/suppliers and would have no
responsibility for, or knowledge of, checking their production methods.
That would be done further up the chain of supermarket purchase and
distribution, so your request should be directed higher up.

The manager/ess manages the shop. It is responsible for what the shop
sells. It is its duty to familiarise itself sufficiently with what it
sells, so as to empower itself to be able to cope precisely with the
questions being discussed.

Franz

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
A supermarket branch manager is near the end of the distribution line.
S/he is unlikely to select producers/suppliers and would have no
responsibility for, or knowledge of, checking their production methods.
That would be done further up the chain of supermarket purchase and
distribution, so your request should be directed higher up.

Any retailer is responsible in law to see that customers are supplied
with goods they pay for in the quantity, quality and condition claimed
for them when they are selling them.

In the case of organic food, the first thing they should be able to tell
a customer is that each item offered is certified as organic by carrying
the officially approved symbol. Organic regulations do not only cover
growing and harvesting methods, they deal with packaging, marketing,
promotion, advertising, transportation, sell by date and much else.

A supermarket manager is responsible for knowing how the goods are
delivered to them, that they have not been mixed with non-organic
produce, that the vehicle was of the required standard, and that the
deliverer and their own staff handled the goods correctly. They are also
responsible to see that organic goods are displayed properly as such on
their shelves and that they kept separate from other produce. Customers
are legally entitled to be able to make a clear choice between organic
and other produce, and they are entitled to be informed by the seller
that all steps have been taken to ensure that their purchases are up the
standards claimed.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

The message
from Alan Gould contains these words:

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
A supermarket branch manager is near the end of the distribution line.
S/he is unlikely to select producers/suppliers and would have no
responsibility for, or knowledge of, checking their production methods.
That would be done further up the chain of supermarket purchase and
distribution, so your request should be directed higher up.

Any retailer is responsible in law to see that customers are supplied
with goods they pay for in the quantity, quality and condition claimed
for them when they are selling them.

In the case of organic food, the first thing they should be able to tell
a customer is that each item offered is certified as organic by carrying
the officially approved symbol.

Agreed,supermarkets managers should know about their stock's
provenance and the trade standards it claims to meet. IME most
supermarkets provide multiple customer information leaflets detailing
their food-production policies and defining the symbols used on
labelling. That isn't the issue which the op raised.

The question the OP wanted his supermarket manager to answer, was, "what
CHECKS do you make on your suppliers/ producers?". That implies an
ongoing process to ensure that suppliers comply with contracted
standards at the production end; as in "The man from Del Monte" adverts.
I was merely pointing out, that within the management hierarchy of
supermarket companies, that CHECKING task is not a branch managers'
remit.

Janet.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Alan Gould contains these words:

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
A supermarket branch manager is near the end of the distribution line.
S/he is unlikely to select producers/suppliers and would have no
responsibility for, or knowledge of, checking their production methods.
That would be done further up the chain of supermarket purchase and
distribution, so your request should be directed higher up.

Any retailer is responsible in law to see that customers are supplied
with goods they pay for in the quantity, quality and condition claimed
for them when they are selling them.

In the case of organic food, the first thing they should be able to tell
a customer is that each item offered is certified as organic by carrying
the officially approved symbol.

Agreed,supermarkets managers should know about their stock's
provenance and the trade standards it claims to meet. IME most
supermarkets provide multiple customer information leaflets detailing
their food-production policies and defining the symbols used on
labelling. That isn't the issue which the op raised.

The question the OP wanted his supermarket manager to answer, was, "what
CHECKS do you make on your suppliers/ producers?". That implies an
ongoing process to ensure that suppliers comply with contracted
standards at the production end; as in "The man from Del Monte" adverts.
I was merely pointing out, that within the management hierarchy of
supermarket companies, that CHECKING task is not a branch managers'
remit.

It would be unreasonable to expect the local manager to make these checks,
or to be directly responsible for them, but surely it is entirely reasonable
to expect him/her to know what checks are in fact carried out by the higher
echelons of the supermarket management.

Franz

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from Alan Gould contains these words:


The question the OP wanted his supermarket manager to answer, was, "what
CHECKS do you make on your suppliers/ producers?". That implies an
ongoing process to ensure that suppliers comply with contracted
standards at the production end; as in "The man from Del Monte" adverts.
I was merely pointing out, that within the management hierarchy of
supermarket companies, that CHECKING task is not a branch managers'
remit.


No, but it is their responsibility to go themselves to the 'higher
levels' for any information about checking requested by a customer - not
to pass the buck in the hope that purchasers will back off from
demanding information to which they are legally entitled.

This is one of the many practices adopted by supermarkets and other
retailers in their strategy of distancing consumers from producers.
Since the BSE and CJD scares, people are now anxious to know more about
how their food is produced and processed - matters which have been
increasingly hidden from them in the past 40 or so years.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

The message
from Alan Gould contains these words:

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from Alan Gould contains these words:


The question the OP wanted his supermarket manager to answer, was, "what
CHECKS do you make on your suppliers/ producers?". That implies an
ongoing process to ensure that suppliers comply with contracted
standards at the production end; as in "The man from Del Monte" adverts.
I was merely pointing out, that within the management hierarchy of
supermarket companies, that CHECKING task is not a branch managers'
remit.


No, but it is their responsibility to go themselves to the 'higher
levels' for any information about checking requested by a customer -

Possibly they offered to do so; the OP commented that the managers,
themselves, could not answer his question.

not
to pass the buck in the hope that purchasers will back off from
demanding information to which they are legally entitled.

This is one of the many practices adopted by supermarkets and other
retailers in their strategy of distancing consumers from producers.

Can you give examples of the many practices you mention which
illustrate this strategy?

Janet

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes

Can you give examples of the many practices you mention which
illustrate this strategy?

This thread is a good one.

--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

The message
from Alan Gould contains these words:

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes

Alan Gould wrote

This is one of the many practices adopted by supermarkets and other
retailers in their strategy of distancing consumers from producers.

Can you give examples of the many practices you mention which
illustrate this strategy?

This thread is a good one.

That's the example you've already given, which gave rise to me asking
about the "many" other practices you mentioned. Presumably that's why
you snipped it out of your reply.

It appears you can't substantiate your claim about "many practices".

Janet