Supermarket chains lied to their customers

Australians are familiar with the big supermarket chains being "economical with the truth" when it comes to the prices of their weekly specials.

It turn out that Coles and Woolworths are also happy to lie to their customers about their commitment to selling cage-free eggs.

Australia’s leading animal protection organisations this week united to urge Woolworths and Coles to honour long-standing commitments to go cage-free by the end of 2025.

An open letter has been sent to Woolworths CEO Amanda Bardwell and Coles CEO Leah Weckert ahead of the supermarkets’ upcoming Annual General Meetings on October 30 and November 11, respectively.

Approximately 5 million hens continue to be farmed in battery cages in Australia rather than free ranging (above).

The supermarket giants first committed in 2013 to phasing out cage eggs from their supply chains, pledging that by 2025 all shell eggs and egg ingredients in own-brand products would be cage-free.

Earlier this year, however, both companies walked back those commitments - with Coles delaying its target to 2030 and Woolworths leaving the timeframe open ended.

Australian Alliance for Animals Policy Director Dr Jed Goodfellow said the move undermines consumer trust and prolongs unnecessary animal suffering.

“Woolworths and Coles were rightly applauded when they made their cage-free commitments, and they’ve enjoyed years of positive publicity for the decision,” Dr Goodfellow said.

“To turnaround now, at the 11th hour, and say ‘sorry we can’t do it,’ is deeply disappointing - and it’s being met with growing frustration from consumers,

“Battery cages are cruel and outdated. They confine hens to a space smaller than an A4 sheet of paper and cause the highest rates of disuse osteoporosis, fatty live disease, and bone breakages of all egg farming systems,

“Modern cage-free systems, including fully indoor barn systems, can produce a reliable, affordable supply of eggs, without inflicting this level of suffering,

“Breaking these promises means millions more hens will continue to live in misery for longer,

“We urge customers and shareholders alike to raise their concerns with the supermarkets about this backward step – and we call on their leadership to uphold their promises to customers and Aussie hens."

A copy of the letter can be found here: http://allianceforanimals.org.au/ourwork/open-letter-to-coles-woolworths-cage-free-promise

Moran launches his own range of gourmet stock

 

When you are a big-name chef you need to be careful which products you endorse. Each time you put your reputation on the line. 

Celebrated chef and restaurateur Matt Moran has this week launched a range of gourmet stock preparations to help home cooks create chef quality dishes at home.

There are three products in the My Perfect Stock range (chicken, beef and vegetable), which are now available in some independent supermarkets and at Woolworths, and in Coles stores from late April.

“While not everyone has the time, interest or know-how to make their own stock at home, we all know that a great stock can be the difference between a good dish and an exceptional one," Moran said.

"My Perfect Stock makes it so much easier to maximise depth of flavour and elevate home-cooked meals such as roasts, pastas and curries. 

"I’ve done the hard work for the home cook, using quality ingredients which have been slowly simmered with the right balance of herbs and spices.”

Moran has a plethora of awards to his name, has hosted TV shows, written best-selling cookbooks and owns celebrated dining establishments including Aria, Chiswick and North Bondi Fish.

The three products in the range, all have an RRP of $5.90/500ml. 

Stock is the foundation for countless dishes and is one of the first 

Moran has created several recipes to provide inspiration for the home cook using his chef quality stocks. The recipes, including Matt’s pea risotto, his Asian-style poached chicken and his much-loved  braised lamb shank pappardelle ragu, will be available on the back of the products and via his own website.  

“I have always been passionate about the Australian country and have profound respect for our farmers," he added. 

"My Perfect Stock uses 100% Australian beef and chicken, and these products are made in Australia using top-quality ingredients. Through my work I aim to nurture the bond between the land and the family dinner table and educate Australians about the journey of our food from farm to table." 

One man's sweet dream hits the big time

It began as a dream with one store selling artisan gelato. Today, 22 years later, Gelato Messina is celebrating a nationwide deal with Woolworths.

Over the past two decades, Gelato Messina has opened stores across Australia - and now its gelati and ice cream cakes will have a national canvas.

The point of difference here is that Messina never use pre-made bases or mass-produced flavour pastes. Every recipe is created from scratch and toppings and additions are made by Messina chefs at their in-house bakery.

Each Messina store has 40 freshly churned flavours, with 35 traditional flavours and five rotating weekly specials.

A new range of pints and frozen ice cream cakes will be available at Woolworths supermarkets, including Super Vanilla, Dulce de Leche, Pistachio Praline, Hazelnut Praline, Robert Brownie Jr. (great name) and Tiramisu.

The cake range will showcase Tiramisu, Iced Coco and Choc Malt.

“At Gelato Messina we’ve always been pushing boundaries to create products that surprise and delight, and after years of bringing unique flavours to our stores, we’re excited to finally make that experience more accessible to even more Australians through our first, exclusive supermarket range,” says founder Nick Palumbo.

“After expanding from our first Darlinghurst store in 2002 to now having 31 stores across Australia and internationally - the next step for us was to find a way to make our products accessible to everyone across the country, without compromising on quality.

“By working closely with Woolworths, we’ve developed a range that still has the honest quality, the delicious Messina magic, but can now be enjoyed from the comfort of your own freezer - no matter where you are.

"We’re proud of what we’ve created and can’t wait for people to start trying our pints and cakes from their local stores.”

The sweet treats are available in Woolworths stores across Australia from today, for RRP $14.50 each for pints and RRP $30.00 for cakes.