READERS' FORUM:Have your say
Last week we highlighted the absence of Irish apples from Irish supermarket shelves and it struck a core (d) with many readers. It is something that has irritated Mairin Ahern for years. “We are perfectly capable of growing them in Ireland,” she writes. “Usually tastier ones as well. The same applies to onions, carrots, leeks, potatoes etc.”
She says the solution is simple, particularly at this time of the year. “Most local food markets are carrying locally grown apples, at very attractive prices too; in my area from 8 to 10 apples for €2, I can tell you they taste far superior to those supermarket apples.”
She also considers the bagging of apples by food distributors “an unnecessary addition which adds to the expense and detracts from the taste/quality, for who can be sure that all the contents of a plastic bag are free from bruises or bad spots? Thus I have come to check my local food market first for fresh-grown produce, whatever is in season, then resort to the supermarket for what I cannot source locally.”
Seán Flanagan from Galway also bemoaned the absence of Irish apples from Irish shops. “In Supervalu there are apples from the southern hemisphere – Chile, Uruguay, New Zealand – all well presented in packs, from France too, sadly no Irish. When I enquired for the reason, I was told that nobody will buy them. It is difficult to buy a product that is not on the shelf.” He says the solution is to grow your own. “Two or three apple trees are easy to manage in most home gardens and do not require a lot of space. I have four trees, Bramley and Golden Delicious, and with a bit of care the result is the satisfaction of picking your own at leisure and according to the needs of the day.”
Tesco, which was at the centre of our apple storm last Monday, contacted us to say it was a big supporter of the Irish apple growing industry and will buy over 1,626 tonnes of Irish apples this year. They are sourced from growers in Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Tipperary and Armagh. “Like all retailers, our Pink Lady and Braeburn varieties are currently sourced from the southern hemisphere as supply from the 2010 European region harvest is only now beginning to come on stream,” a spokesman said.
A plea for local growers
Sticking with the same theme, Pat McGreal who runs the growersdirect.webs.com site also got in touch. “Let’s bring value back to the people again, the ridiculous prices of food in Ireland is outrageous,” he says.
He adds that he sells vegetable boxes to local people in Westmeath at “nearly half the price of local shops” and he puts a 25 per cent mark up on all he sells. He concentrates on “selling more to earn my wage. My produce is grown and picked by local people for local people.”
He points out that we “come from a country whose parents, grandparents and ancestors lived off the land. So let’s start bringing back value to people. Also lots of people can do what I do to earn a living.” Well, they’d probably need a bit of land first, we’d imagine, but the sentiments are admirable.
Dublin Bus hike
Caitriona Nolan from Santry was surprised to find that the price of a Dublin Bus Travel90 ten-journey ticket has recently increased from €18 to €18.50.
“I had seen no notification of fare increase and cannot find any mention of it on the Dublin Bus website. In the current economy, with the majority of private companies cutting their prices to stay in business, I find this increase unjustified,” she says.
She says Dublin Bus is trying to encourage the use of smart cards technology.
“However I for one will revert to paying my €1.80 fare in cash, causing more work for its drivers plus more delays at bus stops rather than pay a penalty of 5 cent per journey.”
