When shopping for groceries, we all want to find the best deals and save some money. However, it seems that when some of our favourite retailers are offering deals, profit isn’t always making it back to the farmers.

This week, Ross Marsolino, a 61-year-old farmer from Shepparton, has spoken out against major retailers such as Coles and Woolworths and the high prices that they’re selling fresh produce for.

Marsolino is the owner of Natural Earth Produce farm, which grows Roma, gourmet tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.

But due to the overpricing of fresh produce by supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths, Marsolino has even been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop—a crop that was predicted to be worth approximately $2 million—because it’s more expensive to harvest it.

Marsolino claimed: 'If they were sold at $2.99 a kilo instead of $4.99 a kilo, everyone would be buying zucchinis. But there's not enough in returns.’

Farmer said the Coles and Woolworths are overpricing their fresh produce. Image: Instagram / naturalearthproduce

Coles and Woolworths’ business models are also preventing farmers from being able to make a profit–and that includes Mr Marsolino, who is currently packing 1,600 boxes of zucchini rather than his usual 6,000 boxes.

'It hurts me walking away from an 80-acre crop,' he said.

'There's no disease on the crop; it's lush, it's growing. We're not retailing at the right price to be able to keep the product moving and selling. Plain and simple.’

Famer Marcelino said that supermarkets should be ‘retailing at a fairer price’. Image: Instagram / @naturalearthproduce

He added: 'We're controlled by what the retail sector sells our product at, that determines whether we keep selling the product or not.’

‘This is what is concerning to me; we should be able to service the country with all our produce that we have here. Farmers are just trying to pay their bills.’

‘The supermarkets need to be retailing at a fairer number. Plain and simple.'

It’s an issue that has been affecting farmers for some time now. According to Mr Marsolino, Australian supermarkets have faced similar outcries from farmers earlier this year due to the price of red meat being nowhere near the dropping livestock prices.

You can read more of that story here.

‘They could change this over like changing a wheel, by retailing the product at the right price. People are struggling with interest rates, and yet they keep ripping off the public—they're ripping off 25 million people, every individual,' he said.

The farmer is also calling on the government to have a regulatory body to monitor retail prices and call out supermarkets if there are unfair hikes in their prices.

'There needs to be some sort of watch on how the chain stores price their products, they need to report when the farmers aren't getting enough in return to make their farms profitable,' he added.

Despite the outcry by Marsolino and other farmers, it’s still unsure if major retailers will actually decrease the price of fresh produce such as tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and red meat.

You can watch Marsolino’s full interview full video below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Farmer Ross Marsolino is calling on supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to lower the prices of fruit and vegetables.
• Marsolino has been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop due to the high cost of harvesting and says that high supermarket prices are making it difficult for shoppers to afford his produce and for him to make a profit.
• The farmer is critical of supermarkets continuing to charge high prices to the consumer while he and his workers suffer financial loss.
• Marsolino has called for a regulatory body to oversee the pricing of supermarket produce and ensure that farmers are able to make their farms profitable.

Do you have some stories about fresh produce? We’d love to hear them, so share it with us in the comments below!

 

[Bill MacL]

Most "fresh" produce from supermarkets have very little flavour in them anymore, the difference is like chalk and shit. Frozen stuff tastes better.

 

[Shane/#]

When shopping for groceries, we all want to find the best deals and save some money. However, it seems that when some of our favourite retailers are offering deals, profit isn’t always making it back to the farmers.

This week, Ross Marsolino, a 61-year-old farmer from Shepparton, has spoken out against major retailers such as Coles and Woolworths and the high prices that they’re selling fresh produce for.

Marsolino is the owner of Natural Earth Produce farm, which grows Roma, gourmet tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.

But due to the overpricing of fresh produce by supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths, Marsolino has even been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop—a crop that was predicted to be worth approximately $2 million—because it’s more expensive to harvest it.

Marsolino claimed: 'If they were sold at $2.99 a kilo instead of $4.99 a kilo, everyone would be buying zucchinis. But there's not enough in returns.’

View attachment 36097

Farmer said the Coles and Woolworths are overpricing their fresh produce. Image: Instagram / naturalearthproduce

Coles and Woolworths’ business models are also preventing farmers from being able to make a profit–and that includes Mr Marsolino, who is currently packing 1,600 boxes of zucchini rather than his usual 6,000 boxes.

'It hurts me walking away from an 80-acre crop,' he said.

'There's no disease on the crop; it's lush, it's growing. We're not retailing at the right price to be able to keep the product moving and selling. Plain and simple.’

View attachment 36098

Famer Marcelino said that supermarkets should be ‘retailing at a fairer price’. Image: Instagram / @naturalearthproduce

He added: 'We're controlled by what the retail sector sells our product at, that determines whether we keep selling the product or not.’

‘This is what is concerning to me; we should be able to service the country with all our produce that we have here. Farmers are just trying to pay their bills.’

‘The supermarkets need to be retailing at a fairer number. Plain and simple.'

It’s an issue that has been affecting farmers for some time now. According to Mr Marsolino, Australian supermarkets have faced similar outcries from farmers earlier this year due to the price of red meat being nowhere near the dropping livestock prices.

You can read more of that story here.

‘They could change this over like changing a wheel, by retailing the product at the right price. People are struggling with interest rates, and yet they keep ripping off the public—they're ripping off 25 million people, every individual,' he said.

The farmer is also calling on the government to have a regulatory body to monitor retail prices and call out supermarkets if there are unfair hikes in their prices.

'There needs to be some sort of watch on how the chain stores price their products, they need to report when the farmers aren't getting enough in return to make their farms profitable,' he added.

Despite the outcry by Marsolino and other farmers, it’s still unsure if major retailers will actually decrease the price of fresh produce such as tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and red meat.

You can watch Marsolino’s full interview full video below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Farmer Ross Marsolino is calling on supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to lower the prices of fruit and vegetables.
• Marsolino has been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop due to the high cost of harvesting and says that high supermarket prices are making it difficult for shoppers to afford his produce and for him to make a profit.
• The farmer is critical of supermarkets continuing to charge high prices to the consumer while he and his workers suffer financial loss.
• Marsolino has called for a regulatory body to oversee the pricing of supermarket produce and ensure that farmers are able to make their farms profitable.

Do you have some stories about fresh produce? We’d love to hear them, so share it with us in the comments below!

Multinational companies (Woolworths)South African owed and Coles (Australia ) been ripping of the farmers for years domination of these people's produce and paying a pittance for and then up the price's for the customer they are rogues and thieving bastards

 

[drwatson]

The same supermarkets are ripping us off at the petrol pump as well. In my area there are 4 independant service stations currently selling diesel and petrol in the low $1.80's, all of the Coles and Woolworths servo's are selling the same fuels at 40c per litre dearer. Presumably the independants are still making a profit at the prices they are charging so why can't the others sell it at the same price. The Reserve Bank director blames the cost of petrol as one of the factors causing inflation, in actual fact it is the supermarkets gouging the public that is the cause. What would it do to the cost of living index and the Reserve Bank's interest rates if all fuel was sold at the same price ?

 

[mylittletibbies]

Our government is too weak to do anything about price control Neither party has ever given two hoots about it
Literally hundreds of dairy farmers have left the industry as it became unviable due to the farm gate price being paid
This will happen across the board as it also becomes unviable for our produce farmers.
These multi nationals should be forced to pay the farmers a reasonable price for their produce and stop their price gouging.
But don't hold your breath, these pollies, with their healthy pay packets and their lerks and perks, don't care about every day people's struggles,
it doesn't affect them, they are only there to line their own pockets.

 

[wattorjw]

These supermarkets are laughing all the way to the bank they are making massive profits which drive up inflation they dont care about the struggling people just big profits in a way its good because its forcing people to go back to the way their grandparents were grow your own fruit and vegies and keep chickens for eggs i despise these supermarkets and wish there were more outdoor markets like some places in europe

 

[elaine41]

Most "fresh" produce from supermarkets have very little flavour in them anymore, the difference is like chalk and shit. Frozen stuff tastes better.

That's because most "fresh" produce is harvested while still green, then gassed to give the appearance of being ripe. This removes all the flavour from the fruit/vegetable because the flavour comes with natural ripening.

 

[Jest]

we have choices, purchase, grow your own, they have you by the long and short curlies.

 

[StarTrekker]

I rarely buy fruit & vegies from a supermarket.
I buy from a green grocer in my town.
Fruit and Vegies are fresher and cheaper.

 

[siameezer]

Multinational companies (Woolworths)South African owed and Coles (Australia ) been ripping of the farmers for years domination of these people's produce and paying a pittance for and then up the price's for the customer they are rogues and thieving bastards

The Woolworths from South Africa and the Woolworths we have are NOT the same company at all. Our Woolworths supermarkets were started in Australia and ARE Australian-owned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworths_Supermarkets

 

[Luckyus]

When shopping for groceries, we all want to find the best deals and save some money. However, it seems that when some of our favourite retailers are offering deals, profit isn’t always making it back to the farmers.

This week, Ross Marsolino, a 61-year-old farmer from Shepparton, has spoken out against major retailers such as Coles and Woolworths and the high prices that they’re selling fresh produce for.

Marsolino is the owner of Natural Earth Produce farm, which grows Roma, gourmet tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.

But due to the overpricing of fresh produce by supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths, Marsolino has even been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop—a crop that was predicted to be worth approximately $2 million—because it’s more expensive to harvest it.

Marsolino claimed: 'If they were sold at $2.99 a kilo instead of $4.99 a kilo, everyone would be buying zucchinis. But there's not enough in returns.’

View attachment 36097

Farmer said the Coles and Woolworths are overpricing their fresh produce. Image: Instagram / naturalearthproduce

Coles and Woolworths’ business models are also preventing farmers from being able to make a profit–and that includes Mr Marsolino, who is currently packing 1,600 boxes of zucchini rather than his usual 6,000 boxes.

'It hurts me walking away from an 80-acre crop,' he said.

'There's no disease on the crop; it's lush, it's growing. We're not retailing at the right price to be able to keep the product moving and selling. Plain and simple.’

View attachment 36098

Famer Marcelino said that supermarkets should be ‘retailing at a fairer price’. Image: Instagram / @naturalearthproduce

He added: 'We're controlled by what the retail sector sells our product at, that determines whether we keep selling the product or not.’

‘This is what is concerning to me; we should be able to service the country with all our produce that we have here. Farmers are just trying to pay their bills.’

‘The supermarkets need to be retailing at a fairer number. Plain and simple.'

It’s an issue that has been affecting farmers for some time now. According to Mr Marsolino, Australian supermarkets have faced similar outcries from farmers earlier this year due to the price of red meat being nowhere near the dropping livestock prices.

You can read more of that story here.

‘They could change this over like changing a wheel, by retailing the product at the right price. People are struggling with interest rates, and yet they keep ripping off the public—they're ripping off 25 million people, every individual,' he said.

The farmer is also calling on the government to have a regulatory body to monitor retail prices and call out supermarkets if there are unfair hikes in their prices.

'There needs to be some sort of watch on how the chain stores price their products, they need to report when the farmers aren't getting enough in return to make their farms profitable,' he added.

Despite the outcry by Marsolino and other farmers, it’s still unsure if major retailers will actually decrease the price of fresh produce such as tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and red meat.

You can watch Marsolino’s full interview full video below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Farmer Ross Marsolino is calling on supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to lower the prices of fruit and vegetables.
• Marsolino has been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop due to the high cost of harvesting and says that high supermarket prices are making it difficult for shoppers to afford his produce and for him to make a profit.
• The farmer is critical of supermarkets continuing to charge high prices to the consumer while he and his workers suffer financial loss.
• Marsolino has called for a regulatory body to oversee the pricing of supermarket produce and ensure that farmers are able to make their farms profitable.

Do you have some stories about fresh produce? We’d love to hear them, so share it with us in the comments below!

I'm starting to grow my own.

 

[Rienie]

I know for a fact that 2 years ago a farmer was paid 10c each per watermelon. These watermelons were sold for $2.00 per kg. Neither Coles or Woolworths give anything back to the community. Like everything else middle class Australians are being ripped off. Everything is either half baked or watered down and us as clients must smile and be thankful. I only buy from farm stalls being in FNQ.

 

[Brody]

The Woolworths from South Africa and the Woolworths we have are NOT the same company at all. Our Woolworths supermarkets were started in Australia and ARE Australian-owned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworths_Supermarkets

This is a problem that has been around for years and years. There was a time when the Growers made a decent profit,
and the people were happy with the fresh products they purchased.
Cast your mind, back to the day, that there was no way of preserving '"
fresh"food it was reasonable to buy fresh and got whatever was in Season at that time of year.
Enter.ways and means to preserve any type of food. I'm no expert but I remember peeling the peas and doing the beans. No frozen food. At that time the only person that had a cold area In his
Shop was the Butcher. No Ice Cream either.
We have become Slaves to the convenience of everything being "on tap"
We go to the Shops to buy most of our food frozen etc. The so called Fresh' food could be months old.
Who is at the bottom of the "ladder".
Yep!!! you guessed it, the Farmer he has done all the work, fought off the Floods, and the Fires, lost their produce to bugs of different types. Birds,Heat, Drought, and just about anything at al

Then the Supermarkets rip them off.
I know our farmers, are walking off the land in Droves. Suicide has become rampant for people who might have been
working the land for generations. But have no hope of it ever changing.
So .... What do we do when there are no, Farmers to work the land ? The Lucky Country will be no more.

I am sorry to be so negative about a lot of things, but we need to put in a Government that will right the wrongs that are rife in our Country.
I do apologise for being so long winded, but there are things that need to be brought to our attention, before it is too late.

 

[MHM]

This farmer, like so many others is one of the reasons why consumers have encountered the inflationary prices in the supermarket. So many farmers hold the view that as a primary producer they should be entitled to control prices at the shopping checkout. They do not have the background, experience or knowledge to understand the intermediate costs which arise between the farm gate and the retailer. They do not understand the multiplier which is based on the financial expense of acquiring appropriate products, the cost of logistics, the loss factor in the products, the expense of meeting government regulations, the cost of marketing the produce, the expense of housing the produce awaiting sale and the labour cost of handling the product to the point of sale. The farmer knows what is costs to grow the product and what margin of profit it wants on top of that. This is shown in farmer Russolino's rant. It is regrettably also shown in the paucity of members responses to the report.

 

[Rob44]

When shopping for groceries, we all want to find the best deals and save some money. However, it seems that when some of our favourite retailers are offering deals, profit isn’t always making it back to the farmers.

This week, Ross Marsolino, a 61-year-old farmer from Shepparton, has spoken out against major retailers such as Coles and Woolworths and the high prices that they’re selling fresh produce for.

Marsolino is the owner of Natural Earth Produce farm, which grows Roma, gourmet tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.

But due to the overpricing of fresh produce by supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths, Marsolino has even been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop—a crop that was predicted to be worth approximately $2 million—because it’s more expensive to harvest it.

Marsolino claimed: 'If they were sold at $2.99 a kilo instead of $4.99 a kilo, everyone would be buying zucchinis. But there's not enough in returns.’

View attachment 36097

Farmer said the Coles and Woolworths are overpricing their fresh produce. Image: Instagram / naturalearthproduce

Coles and Woolworths’ business models are also preventing farmers from being able to make a profit–and that includes Mr Marsolino, who is currently packing 1,600 boxes of zucchini rather than his usual 6,000 boxes.

'It hurts me walking away from an 80-acre crop,' he said.

'There's no disease on the crop; it's lush, it's growing. We're not retailing at the right price to be able to keep the product moving and selling. Plain and simple.’

View attachment 36098

Famer Marcelino said that supermarkets should be ‘retailing at a fairer price’. Image: Instagram / @naturalearthproduce

He added: 'We're controlled by what the retail sector sells our product at, that determines whether we keep selling the product or not.’

‘This is what is concerning to me; we should be able to service the country with all our produce that we have here. Farmers are just trying to pay their bills.’

‘The supermarkets need to be retailing at a fairer number. Plain and simple.'

It’s an issue that has been affecting farmers for some time now. According to Mr Marsolino, Australian supermarkets have faced similar outcries from farmers earlier this year due to the price of red meat being nowhere near the dropping livestock prices.

You can read more of that story here.

‘They could change this over like changing a wheel, by retailing the product at the right price. People are struggling with interest rates, and yet they keep ripping off the public—they're ripping off 25 million people, every individual,' he said.

The farmer is also calling on the government to have a regulatory body to monitor retail prices and call out supermarkets if there are unfair hikes in their prices.

'There needs to be some sort of watch on how the chain stores price their products, they need to report when the farmers aren't getting enough in return to make their farms profitable,' he added.

Despite the outcry by Marsolino and other farmers, it’s still unsure if major retailers will actually decrease the price of fresh produce such as tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and red meat.

You can watch Marsolino’s full interview full video below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Farmer Ross Marsolino is calling on supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to lower the prices of fruit and vegetables.
• Marsolino has been forced to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop due to the high cost of harvesting and says that high supermarket prices are making it difficult for shoppers to afford his produce and for him to make a profit.
• The farmer is critical of supermarkets continuing to charge high prices to the consumer while he and his workers suffer financial loss.
• Marsolino has called for a regulatory body to oversee the pricing of supermarket produce and ensure that farmers are able to make their farms profitable.

Do you have some stories about fresh produce? We’d love to hear them, so share it with us in the comments below!

So why don't farmers set up co-operatives which the public may also join as members for $10 membership fee and open their/our own supermarkets/vegie shops?/

 

[Brody]

This is a problem that has been around for years and years. There was a time when the Growers made a decent profit,
and the people were happy with the fresh products they purchased.
Cast your mind, back to the day, that there was no way of preserving '"
fresh"food it was reasonable to buy fresh and got whatever was in Season at that time of year.
Enter.ways and means to preserve any type of food. I'm no expert but I remember peeling the peas and doing the beans. No frozen food. At that time the only person that had a cold area In his
Shop was the Butcher. No Ice Cream either.
We have become Slaves to the convenience of everything being "on tap"
We go to the Shops to buy most of our food frozen etc. The so called Fresh' food could be months old.
Who is at the bottom of the "ladder".
Yep!!! you guessed it, the Farmer he has done all the work, fought off the Floods, and the Fires, lost their produce to bugs of different types. Birds,Heat, Drought, and just about anything at al

Then the Supermarkets rip them off.
I know our farmers, are walking off the land in Droves. Suicide has become rampant for people who might have been
working the land for generations. But have no hope of it ever changing.
So .... What do we do when there are no, Farmers to work the land ? The Lucky Country will be no more.

I am sorry to be so negative about a lot of things, but we need to put in a Government that will right the wrongs that are rife in our Country.
I do apologise for being so long winded, but there are things that need to be brought to our attention, before it is too late.

So why don't farmers set up co-operatives which the public may also join as members for $10 membership fee and open their/our own supermarkets/vegie shops?/

So why don't farmers set up co-operatives which the public may also join as members for $10 membership fee and open their/our own supermarkets/vegie shops?/

It is not a bad idea, but the Logistics of it
may make it difficult to achieve. I guess
it comes down to where is the outlet likely to be. Is it viable in proximity to where the Farm is located. There would need to be enough people to buy the
Product on a regular basis.

Or there would need to be a way to transport the product to where there
would be a regular need for it, to justify
the expense of bringing it to that larger
Market.
A Co-Op with different produce from other growers, making it profitable to all, Is a pretty good idea and to see the money come to the People who grow the product initially, and to be able to direct it to a reasonable outlet, close to where the product is grown.

Alternatively to have people who are
Capable of organising and getting the
Produce to buyers who, appreciate the effort made on their behalf. It might be a probable inclusion at some point to be Delivered to the Door of regular patrons

 

[Brody]

It is not a bad idea, but the Logistics of it
may make it difficult to achieve. I guess
it comes down to where is the outlet likely to be. Is it viable in proximity to where the Farm is located. There would need to be enough people to buy the product on a regular basis.

Or there would need to be a way to transport the product to where there
would be a regular need for it, to justify
the expense of bringing it to that larger
Market.
A Co-Op with different produce from other growers, making it profitable to all, Is a pretty good idea and to see the money come to the People who grow the product initially, and to be able to direct it to a reasonable outlet, close to where the product is grown.

Alternatively to have people who are
Capable of organising and getting the
Produce to buyers who, appreciate the effort made on their behalf. It might be a probable inclusion at some point to be Delivered to the Door of regular patrons

 

[Rienie]

So why don't farmers set up co-operatives which the public may also join as members for $10 membership fee and open their/our own supermarkets/vegie

A lady opened a shop in the town where I live and the shop is doing well, but people tend to buy from the farms to buy produce. Preserving produce is also big here, like when I was a child. It's going to take some skill and money....the farmer needs all the help he can get

 

[Leenie]

Our government is too weak to do anything about price control Neither party has ever given two hoots about it
Literally hundreds of dairy farmers have left the industry as it became unviable due to the farm gate price being paid
This will happen across the board as it also becomes unviable for our produce farmers.
These multi nationals should be forced to pay the farmers a reasonable price for their produce and stop their price gouging.
But don't hold your breath, these pollies, with their healthy pay packets and their lerks and perks, don't care about every day people's struggles,
it doesn't affect them, they are only there to line their own pockets.

This is a problem that has been around for years and years. There was a time when the Growers made a decent profit,
and the people were happy with the fresh products they purchased.
Cast your mind, back to the day, that there was no way of preserving '"
fresh"food it was reasonable to buy fresh and got whatever was in Season at that time of year.
Enter.ways and means to preserve any type of food. I'm no expert but I remember peeling the peas and doing the beans. No frozen food. At that time the only person that had a cold area In his
Shop was the Butcher. No Ice Cream either.
We have become Slaves to the convenience of everything being "on tap"
We go to the Shops to buy most of our food frozen etc. The so called Fresh' food could be months old.
Who is at the bottom of the "ladder".
Yep!!! you guessed it, the Farmer he has done all the work, fought off the Floods, and the Fires, lost their produce to bugs of different types. Birds,Heat, Drought, and just about anything at al

Then the Supermarkets rip them off.
I know our farmers, are walking off the land in Droves. Suicide has become rampant for people who might have been
working the land for generations. But have no hope of it ever changing.
So .... What do we do when there are no, Farmers to work the land ? The Lucky Country will be no more.

I am sorry to be so negative about a lot of things, but we need to put in a Government that will right the wrongs that are rife in our Country.
I do apologise for being so long winded, but there are things that need to be brought to our attention, before it is too late.

You hit the nail on the head .

 

[bluetang]

I realized how we were being over charged, so I sold my unit in Cairns and bought 1/2 an acre of house and land near Innisfail. I now grow 90% of vegetables we consume and many of the 70 fruit trees I planted and vines are supplying more than we can eat. I have pleasure in giving away the surplus to friends.