You guys are teh Smarteys.

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You guys are teh Smarteys.

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Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Sun May 21, 06 3:45 pm Post subject: You guys are teh Smarteys.

So, please explain this to me.

Sainsbury's have SO Organic potatoes in stock. I understand what this means. However, they are in plastic bags, marked Non-GM packaging.

HUH?

Is any packaging GM? I'm assuming it's Genetically Modified, but if so, I'm a bit lost. I suppose I could ask Sainsbury's, but I could also rub my face against a cheesegrater. It'll be as fruitful and fun, I imagine.

Please help, as I am confused.

(I bought non-organic ones, as they were made locally, rather than the Israeli organic ones. Please don't hate me too much.)

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun May 21, 06 3:53 pm Post subject:
Don't they make plastics out of soya?

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Sun May 21, 06 3:58 pm Post subject:
Dunno. That'd explain it, I guess.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun May 21, 06 4:03 pm Post subject:
I beleive they can make bidegradable 'plastic' out of cornstarch or something, although I'd be surprised (and quite impressed) if sainsbury's have bothered.

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Sun May 21, 06 7:56 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

I beleive they can make bidegradable 'plastic' out of cornstarch or something, although I'd be surprised (and quite impressed) if sainsbury's have bothered.

Haven't we been discussing on here the fact that Tesco's are going to start having biodegradable carrier bags. I know the coop have had them for years. Its probably something along the same lines I would imagine.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sun May 21, 06 8:26 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

I beleive they can make bidegradable 'plastic' out of cornstarch or something, although I'd be surprised (and quite impressed) if sainsbury's have bothered.

Yes, they do, in fact for reasons which escape me at the moment but which I am sure are quite fascinating, I was looking up cornstarch packaging the other day and I think that it was quite often produced from the US or something and therefore more likely to be GM so a whole hoohaa on whether that was good, better, worse, etc etc than good old plastic (I miss brown paper bags).

Anyway, in a departure from tradition, I might have found the answer to Nick's question (well, one of them, I daresay he is riddled with questions)

https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/research/news/story.php?id=566

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon May 22, 06 9:27 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

... Anyway, in a departure from tradition, I might have found the answer to Nick's question ...

Well done (again) that girl!

Strange isn't it, that US supermarkets have been using recycled-paper bags for yonks - and the British shopper really doesn't seem to want them...

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 7:29 am Post subject:

dougal wrote:

Bugs wrote:

... Anyway, in a departure from tradition, I might have found the answer to Nick's question ...

Well done (again) that girl!

Strange isn't it, that US supermarkets have been using recycled-paper bags for yonks - and the British shopper really doesn't seem to want them...

Thats because their bags are not very good, everytime you watch an american film with a scene in a supermarket car park someone always gets knocked over and the bag rips spilling grub all over the floor. Wouldnt happen with a Tesco carrier bag.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 11:25 am Post subject:

Andy B wrote:

... everytime you watch an american film with a scene in a supermarket car park someone always gets knocked over and the bag rips spilling grub all over the floor. Wouldnt happen with a Tesco carrier bag.

Or, to be fair, a Tesco car park...

they don't even have handgun counters...

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 11:27 am Post subject: Re: You guys are teh Smarteys.

nickhowe wrote:

(I bought non-organic ones, as they were made locally, rather than the Israeli organic ones.

That's generally assumed by most people who stop and think, to be the best option.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 12:22 pm Post subject: Re: You guys are teh Smarteys.

nickhowe wrote:

(I bought non-organic ones, as they were made locally, rather than the Israeli organic ones. Please don't hate me too much.)

I don't hate you Nick

(although I may live to regret that comment some day...). Given the choice we would always buy 'ordinary' over organic if the ordinary came from within the UK and the organic from halfway across the world. There are only a few organic items I ever buy I'm afraid. My order of importance (other than seasonal/fresh/free range) is:
1) Local
2) Within West Wales
3) Within Wales
4) Within UK
5) Within immediate Europe - France, Spain, Italy
6) Rarely get this far...but if so (e.g. bananas, coffee etc) Fair Trade
7) Do without

If anything happens to be organic too, then it's an added bonus - but not a necessity in our household.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: You guys are teh Smarteys.

Mary-Jane wrote:

nickhowe wrote:

(I bought non-organic ones, as they were made locally, rather than the Israeli organic ones. Please don't hate me too much.)

I don't hate you Nick

By the time i had worked my way through your list i would have forgotten what i was buying. I bought some carrots grown in nottingham from sainsburies and they had started to go rotten after 2 days, how crap is that

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 12:49 pm Post subject: Re: You guys are teh Smarteys.

Andy B wrote:

I see your problem. Carrots from Nottingham to Birmingham via whatever distribution centre used by Sainsburys and probably long storage along the way, then being left wrapped in plastic or in plastic lined boxes for days.

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Tue May 23, 06 1:07 pm Post subject: Re: You guys are teh Smarteys.

Mary-Jane wrote:

My order of importance (other than seasonal/fresh/free range) is:
1) Local
2) Within West Wales
3) Within Wales
4) Within UK
5) Within immediate Europe - France, Spain, Italy
6) Rarely get this far...but if so (e.g. bananas, coffee etc) Fair Trade
7) Do without

If anything happens to be organic too, then it's an added bonus - but not a necessity in our household.

That's how I shop too - except of course the Wales bit

It's not difficult to do, just takes a little thought.

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