Supermarkets are undermining the value of quality British food and drink by “putting a gloss on mediocrity”, the trade was told last week.

Bob Farrand, chairman of the Guild of Fine Food, made the comment as he released the first results of the organisation’s annual Great Taste Awards, in which almost 5,000 speciality food products are judged independently by top chefs, retail buyers and food writers.

He said: “Supermarkets are embroiled in a battle to convince us they sell the cheapest and the best. In reality, almost all their foods - including super-premium ranges like Finest and Taste the Difference - are designed to hit a price point, not a quality standard.

“At a time when farmers and food producers are in a desperate battle for survival, these giant corporations appear to have a bottomless pit of money for this kind of advertising. But all they are achieving is putting a gloss on mediocrity and convincing consumers cheap food is a good thing - at the expense of producers, farmers, and the environment.”

Around 1,100 producers, ranging from small family businesses to national brands, entered this year’s Great Taste Awards.

The judges awarded 766 one-star golds, 311 two-star golds and just 83 three-star golds, which are considered the highest achievement for a speciality food product.

A number of producers of premium own-label supermarket brands entered this year, but Farrand said only “a handful” reached gold standard.

He believes that consumers who trust the supermarkets’ word on food quality are falling for the hype. Farrand said: “There is only one way to ensure your food is the ‘finest’, that you’re buying something ‘extra special’ and will ‘taste the difference’ and that is to buy foods that have been subjected to independent scrutiny.

“That’s what the Great Taste Awards achieves - hundreds of independent experts judging on taste alone.

It is food and drink’s equivalent to Michelin star,” he added.

Topics