Shoppers get health warning as prices cut by stores

Friday September 14 2007, Irish Independent

SUPERMARKETS could damage their customers' health by constantly forcing down the prices they pay suppliers for food, warns Ireland's leading food safety expert.

There is an inherent conflict between constantly shaving prices and insisting on the highest standards of quality and traceability, said Professor Patrick Wall of UCD, who is also Chairman of the European Food Safety Authority.

"Will the supermarket multiples face up to their responsibilities and realise that constantly shaving prices does affect standards? Sourcing the cheapest product on the global market puts their brands, reputation and share price at risk, but more importantly could damage their customers' health," he said.

It cost money to comply with animal welfare and food safety standards and unless farmers were adequately compensated, this could threaten their commercial viability, he told the Agricultural Science Association conference in Trim, Co Meath last night.

Concerns raised by Irish farmers about Brazilian beef imports were reasonable as similar standards should apply for EU and non-EU producers if consumers' health was to be protected and if the global battle for market share was to be a fair fight, Professor Wall said.

However, the Irish industry also needed to seriously examine if it was 'best in class' when it came to animal health status, he said, noting a number of disease problems that had emerged in recent years, posing a threat to Irish food exports.

Retail Ireland, the division of IBEC which represents supermarkets, rejected Professor Wall's comments. "Some days retailers are criticised for prices being too high, today the criticism is that prices are too low.

"The truth is that retailers in Ireland provide high quality food at reasonable and affordable prices to a customer base that is both discerning and well-informed.

"It is simply wrong to suggest that retailers would do anything to compromise their customers' health. The consumer is central to everything that the retail sector does." said its director, Torlach Denihan.