The secret life of the strawberry

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The secret life of the strawberry

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bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 04 8:36 am Post subject: The secret life of the strawberry

Looks like an interesting money programme this week -

The secret life of the strawberry

Strawberries used to be a special summer treat eaten during Wimbledon fortnight, but now we can buy them all year round.

Today, they are grown not by small firms, but by multi-million pound businesses - the only ones with the size and scale to meet the demands of the supermarkets.

For their part, the supermarkets insist that they are simply meeting the buoyant consumer demand, and we seem to love eating strawberries throughout the year - sales at Sainsbury's are increasing by 15% per year.

But there are hidden costs.

In order to grow strawberries in cooler weather, acres of British countryside have been covered with unsightly plastic poly tunnels, much to the consternation of the locals.

Questions are also being asked about the use of workers from Eastern Europe, and whether they are all paid in line with the minimum wage.

And a row is brewing over the use of a chemical called methyl bromide which has the side-effect of depleting the ozone layer.

The secret life of the strawberry will be broadcast on Wednesday 10 November at 19.30 on BBC2.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 04 9:21 am Post subject:
Not withstanding our opinions about non seasonal produce. Does anyone really buy in the polytunnles are a problem idea? It seems to me to be opposition for the sake of opposition It reminds me though of seeing shrinkwrapped balackberries on sale at Morrisons last month, a store surrounded by heaving blackberry bushes jema

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 04 10:39 am Post subject:
What day is it on?

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 04 10:41 am Post subject:

Tahir wrote:

What day is it on?

Wednesday 10 November BBC2 @ 7.30pm

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 04 10:47 am Post subject:
Thanks

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