Jamie Oliver campaign: local growers say they funded imported products

Ausveg says it has obtained a photo that appears to show Mexican garlic on sale in a Woolworths store in regional NSW being promoted by paraphernalia linked to the Jamie Oliver campaign.

Local growers were asked to contribute a 40c-per-crate of produce supplied levy to fund the initiative and the horticultural body says its members want to know if these Mexican farmers were asked to contribute hard-earned pesos to promote their produce during Woolworths' Jamie Oliver marketing campaign.

“Asking Australian growers to stomach paying this levy on top of marketing contributions they already make to the supermarket was bad enough,” said Ausveg communications manager, Andrew MacDonald. “To find Woolworths may also have been using the campaign funded by Australian growers to promote imported product from Mexico is even more offensive.”

Just a few days ago, according to Ausveg, the supermarket chain wrote to suppliers spruiking the ‘success’ of the Jamie Oliver campaign.

MacDonald said Woolworths had, however, provided no details about how its suppliers would benefit from the campaign, or their returns on investment.

“The supermarket giant is boasting that its campaign resulted in increased sales of produce, but if that includes imported products like Mexican garlic then the benefits to the local industry are debatable,” he said.

MacDonald also said if the campaign was as successful as Woolworths claimed, there was nothing stopping the company funding it without dipping in to Australian growers’ pockets.