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Woolworths Extortion Scandal - Senator Xenophon Only Scratches Surface
by joe Thursday, Jun 12 2014, 4:24am
international / prose / post

The arrogance and criminal tendencies of large corporations in Oz has once again made headlines. This time it’s mega-retailer Woolworths, which seems to be following hot on the heels of its duopolist buddy Coles, which has been dragged into the Federal Court yet again by the ACCC for “unconscionable behaviour” involving, this time, calculated and intentional methods of extorting extra monies from suppliers.

It appears that applying unfair pressure on suppliers, the majority of which are only just surviving due to the pressures applied by large duopolistic corporations, is becoming ‘par for the course’ for Oz mega companies; indeed, when large retailers became ‘supermarkets’ small business warned of exactly the abuses we are witnessing today, however, bought politicians dutifully allowed all sorts of concessions for supermarkets on the basis that they were providers of employment -- to the extreme cost of entire industries and agricultural sectors -- and lifted protections on small business, most of which have failed as a direct result of the unfair advantage larger retailers are able to wield.

The profiteering and bullying mentality of mega-retailers has quite predictably devolved into the gangster tactics we witness today. It will be revealed that Woolies’ partnership with ‘celebrity chef’ Jamie Oliver, has a very sinister and dark intention, specifically to grey market all sorts of unbranded cheap and dodgy food products under the brand ‘Jamie Oliver!’ I recently inspected a bottle of ‘Jamie Oliver’ olive oil on prominent display and discovered that the place of manufacture was New Zealand, curious as NZ does not produce olive oil in commercial quantities to my knowledge. So I inspected a different label ‘Jamie Oliver’ olive oil and discovered that it was a blended product not regulated in Oz with some Spanish ingredients.

To be fair, Oliver’s local and London offices were contacted for comment in relation to the extortion scandal but not the grey marketing crime of running cheap and dodgy blended products of dubious origin under the radar of regulators. [Non-committal] comments from his offices were as follows: "At the end of the day, Jamie supports anyone who is prepared to help promote better food education and better nutrition," said Peter Berry of the London office. Camilla Speirs, a local spokesperson for Oliver’s ‘Ministry of Food Australia,’ said the chef supported "those people who provide Australians with fresh food and vegetables." "He’s a man of the people, and wants to be able to work with everyone," she said. I need not emphasise these inadequate and EVASIVE responses to direct questions relating to very SERIOUS issues!

Notwithstanding the above, at the end of OUR -- we like to know what we are eating -- DAY we have complete faith in the Oz regulator (ACCC) and its ability to get to the bottom of what appears to be a very sordid arrangement with marketable ‘celebrity chef’ Jamie Oliver, and the intent to camouflage grey market food products of dubious origin in his name -- you may now wish to commit yourself and declare clearly where you stand on these SERIOUS and potentially very damaging matters, Mr Oliver!

See link below for additional information:

http://tinyurl.com/p626mto