I am a committed shopper at Woolies and after reading this article on Facebook (http://www.travelwrite.co.za/milking-consumers-over-dairy-claims/), I am disappointed to say the least.
I have three bones to pick:
1. Milk: I have fed our family on your "organic” milk for years. If what the article reports is true, I am gutted to hear that we have been misled into believing that we were purchasing truly organic, cow-friendly milk. Just today, I noticed I could not buy organic milk at Woolies. Are you just in the process of printing new labels, or are you sourcing truly organic suppliers?
2. Organic: Recently, questions were asked about the organic certification of your eggs (http://www.travelwrite.co.za/letter-to-woolworths/). While the letter was flawed and you responded and answered most of the concerns raised, I am no longer confident about your organic accreditation; not to mention that your organic eggs suddenly disappeared off the shelves at my local Woolies. As one of South Africa’s admired brands, you should put your customers at ease that the word “organic” means what we all think it means.
3. Plastic:
- For a company that prides themselves in having shop lights that dim in natural daylight, you use a great deal of plastic packaging.
- The negative health effects of PET plastic (used to package your drinking water, your juices and your honey) on humans is a concern because of it's endocrine-disrupting properties. Can you not offer your customers a healthier alternative?
- Polystyrene (used to package a great deal of your raw meat products in their juices) is unhealthy and, when discarded, is not thought to biodegrade for hundreds of years.
- Although you offer customers re-usable shopping bags for purchase, offering disposable polyethylene plastic bags will not reform old habits. A true statement would be to stop altogether.
Regards
Bronwen