Supermarkets are undermining the value of quality British food and drink by telling shoppers they can have the best at a rock-bottom price, according to Bob Farrand, Chairman of the Guild of Fine Food.
Releasing the first results of the Guild’s annual Great Taste Awards, in which almost 5,000 speciality food products are independently judged by top chefs, retail buyers and food writers, Farrand said: "Supermarkets are embroiled in a battle to convince us they sell the cheapest and the best. In reality, almost all their foods – including super-premium ranges like Finest and Taste the Difference – are designed to hit a price point, not a quality standard."
"At a time when farmers and food producers are in a desperate battle for survival, these giant corporations appear to have a bottomless pit of money for this kind of advertising. But all they’re achieving is putting a gloss on mediocrity and convincing consumers cheap food is a good thing – at the expense of producers, farmers, and the environment."
Around 1,100 producers, ranging from tiny family businesses to national brands, entered the 2009 Great Taste Awards. Judges awarded 766 one-star golds, 311 two-star golds and just 83 three-star golds, considered the pinnacle of achievement for a speciality food product.
A number of producers of supermarket premium own label brands entered this year and Farrand said "a handful" reached gold standard. However, most of these foods were traditional recipes covered by the European Protected Food Names scheme, where ingredients and production methods are governed by EU regulations rather than by a supermarket buyer.
Farrand believes consumers who trust the supermarkets’ word on food quality are falling for the hype. "There’s only one way to ensure your food is the ’finest,’ that you’re buying something ’extra special’ and will ’taste the difference’ and that is to buy foods that have been subjected to independent scrutiny," he said.
"That’s what the Great Taste Awards achieves – hundreds of independent experts judging on taste alone. It is food and drink’s equivalent to Michelin star."