Broccoli head from Spain priced 20p in supermarket.

[Pat "5mph"]

As per title, how is it possible that a good sized head of Broccoli comes all the way from Spain, is then packed in clingfilm in Leeds (info on label), then sold in a Glasgow Asda for 20p each.
Not on special offer, not short dated, lots of stock on view.
How is this possible? @mudsticks?
Should consumers buy this and similar priced veg?
I don't mean ethically, or we would well be in NACA territory, but health wise, should we eat this?
I have just eaten one whole head lol, even though I have sprouting broccoli in my garden.
Have those veg been pesticided till they morphed from potatoes to broccoli?

 

[Chris S]

Perhaps the wholesaler has a surplus and wants to get rid of them before they go off?

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Perhaps the wholesaler has a surplus and wants to get rid of them before they go off?

Yes, it could be.
They are dated bb April 16th.

 

[Cycleops]

A quick google reveals that Spain has the second largest proportion of land devoted to agricultural purposes, only behind France. The climate and soil is conducive to production. It also produces fruit crops include apples, apricots, bananas, pears, peaches, and plums. It also produces (especially ) tomatoes onions and potatoes as well as nuts (almonds).
Spains agriculture minister has stated that Spain is the ‘vegetable basket of Europe’.
Production must be high so perhaps there was a surplus of broccoli? The supermarket were offered a ‘deal’ and passed the savings on?
As for health wise it would seem to be something that’s very beneficial to eat. One cup of broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange. Also contains fibre.

Seems it’s a bit of a ‘super food’, although my hair is past help:

 

[mudsticks]

As per title, how is it possible that a good sized head of Broccoli comes all the way from Spain, is then packed in clingfilm in Leeds (info on label), then sold in a Glasgow Asda for 20p each.
Not on special offer, not short dated, lots of stock on view.
How is this possible? @mudsticks?
Should consumers buy this and similar priced veg?
I don't mean ethically, or we would well be in NACA territory, but health wise, should we eat this?
I have just eaten one whole head lol, even though I have sprouting broccoli in my garden.
Have those veg been pesticided till they morphed from potatoes to broccoli?

How is it possible.??

All sorts of hidden, externalised, and written off costs, human and environmental, but like you say that's verboten NACA.

If you grow your own you know the time and effort involved in growing food.

Health-wise for yourself well who knows, it's probs OK , but not a patch nutrition wise on your own psb.

It's calabrese from Spain which if non organic will have been sprayed, how many times, and with what is uncertain.

 

[gbb]

As far as the pesticides go, if...the big if, it came from reputable sources, certainly with our grape and citrus fruit, it will have to have been treated only with specific chemicals, declared, documented etc etc, its a very carefullly controlled process, backed up with random external analysis.
Spainish food chain suppliers are extraordinarily canny, agressive in business, have very good transport systems, our company is looking to have a billion pound turnover next year, its a voracious animal that already supplies most of the major supermarkets, they will move into veg, stone fruit, exotic fruit and so on. They pour a lot of money into research, new varieties, improving varieties, its a huge huge buisness the Spanish are very good at.
The negative sides ?....cheap labour from North Africa. Mind we (Europe and the UK) did the same with East Europeans, Cyprus does the same with Syrians and !Lebanese, ive seen the sheds full of matresses they used to have for them behind packhouses. I gather conditions are not favourable for those in Spain.
Pollution, mile after mile of poly film that everntually goes to landfill if its lucky. Drive past those farms, you wont see any land for mile after mile. Sterile, completely useless to wildlife.
Wages, i thought mid 2000s we in the UK were poorly paid in the food industry, a visit to a Spanish packhouse soon told me their wages were lower, They also seem to have a poor attitude to workers in general, hire and fire in an instant, they dont seem to value people at all.

 

[mudsticks]

As far as the pesticides go, if...the big if, it came from reputable sources, certainly with our grape and citrus fruit, it will have to have been treated only with specific chemicals, declared, documented etc etc, its a very carefullly controlled process, backed up with random external analysis.
Spainish food chain suppliers are extraordinarily canny, agressive in business, have very good transport systems, our company is looking to have a billion pound turnover next year, its a voracious animal that already supplies most of the major supermarkets, they will move into veg, stone fruit, exotic fruit and so on. They pour a lot of money into research, new varieties, improving varieties, its a huge huge buisness the Spanish are very good at.
The negative sides ?....cheap labour from North Africa. Mind we (Europe and the UK) did the same with East Europeans, Cyprus does the same with Syrians and !Lebanese, ive seen the sheds full of matresses they used to have for them behind packhouses. I gather conditions are not favourable for those in Spain.
Pollution, mile after mile of poly film that everntually goes to landfill if its lucky. Drive past those farms, you wont see any land for mile after mile. Sterile, completely useless to wildlife.
Wages, i thought mid 2000s we in the UK were poorly paid in the food industry, a visit to a Spanish packhouse soon told me their wages were lower, They also seem to have a poor attitude to workers in general, hire and fire in an instant, they dont seem to value people at all.

All very true and more so.

What I'd like to know is how come you can say all this .

But if I did it would be all too political and very much 'not allowed'

Funny old world innit.. ??

 

[Oldhippy]

The absolute lunacy of modern economics and as @mudsticks points out the disregard of so many other factors that really should matter to us all.

 

[gbb]

All very true and more so.

What I'd like to know is how come you can say all this .

But if I did it would be all too political and very much 'not allowed'

Funny old world innit.. ??

Probably because I didn't make it political ! Its just reality (as I see it)

 

[mudsticks]

Probably because I didn't make it political ! Its just reality (as I see it)

Well yes poor wages, dodgy labour conditions, and harm done to the environment are indeed a reality, and they are also political.

It's almost as if the two are inextricably linked isn't it...

 

[Cycleops]

Just don't mention the CAP.

 

[slowmotion]

As for health wise it would seem to be something that’s very beneficial to eat. One cup of broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange. Also contains fibre.

Seems it’s a bit of a ‘super food’, although my hair is past help:

View attachment 639656

Possibly all true, but it tastes vile.

 

[Cycleops]

Possibly all true, but it tastes vile.

Bet you were easy to please as a child

 

[slowmotion]

Bet you were easy to please as a child

Sensibly, broccoli wasn't widely available in my childhood. As I grew up, I learned to reject vile trendy vegetables.

 

[mudsticks]

Hey @Pat "5mph"
Have you tried 'roasting' your garden grown PSB?

Massage some nice olive or sesame or whatever oil into whole florets with a bit of salt, then roast in the oven like you do with other veg .
It goes all sweet and crunchy but also chewy .

Don't know if it would work with Spanish broccoli /calabrese..

PSB is still one of my spring favourites , my grandpa grew lots of it, on his allotment, and I'd just go out and graze on it raw, like a strange goat /child hybrid...

Never got any less odder over the years ...