Last week you reported, “Tesco are set to announce bumper profits.”

I visited two major supermarket chains and specifically asked staff at their in-house bakeries, “Why, given all your pizzas, is there not one with a wholemeal base?”

Both times the answer given was, “I suppose we could do them, but we just do what we’re told to do!”

I have found the same scenario in all the major supermarket chains.

Where is the effort to provide choice to customers, and healthier choice at that!

It’s a similar case with fruit scones, biscuits, cake etc.

They don’t even try, and it’s all driven by profit at the expense of people’s health and our National Health Service (us again) who have to pick up the pieces of the diseases of poor nutrition, which generally fills these places if you care to look a little closer at many of their products.

Some have products labelled ‘the best’ that are white flour, excess fat and extra unnecessary sugar encrusted into the product.

They don’t even allow people the choice to put their own sugar on, if required! It’s a case of let’s just whack out the unhealthiest option and let people struggle with that!

It’s pathetic, and the authorities who have a say in regulating food standards/providing healthier choices are either plain lazy or just impotent to do anything about it because nothing is getting better. Someone needs to get a grip and start shaming these profiteers into actually becoming part of a drive towards healthier communities. A little step like providing healthier food options would go a long way even if they try and argue people aren’t asking for these products. The fact is we have never, and are not been offered the choice, and it won’t make any kind of dent in the huge profits if you have initial healthier loss leaders, because if they are promoted properly they will be major profit earners in the longer term, along with creating good customer relations.

To conclude, there is absolutely no excuse for the lack of healthier choice in supermarkets. In the case I highlight, just baking more with wholemeal flour would make a significant impact on people’s choice and potentially their health. Perhaps you can investigate and put them on the spot, to add to my complaints?!

KEVIN ARCHER

Faircross Ave, Weymouth