Dear Michelle Bridges and Woolworths,
This morning on social media, you posted an advert promoting a new frozen food range. Frustratingly, during the video you labelled those who grow their own food as “Freaks”. Rather ironic, coming from “The Fresh Food People” don’t you think?
Growing your own food doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be as simple as tending a few herbs, in pots on a windowsill. A report released last year by the Australia Institute showed that 52% of the population grows some of their own food. You’ve just tried to marginalise over half the population with your flippant, sell-out comments! Your marketing team should be “run out of town”.
People who grow their own food do so for a range of reasons, including health, flavour, less chemicals and being more sustainable. Some of us even do it just because we enjoy the pride of growing our own food. Those of us that grow our own food, help the population to be more sustainable. We do this by reducing food miles and our ecological footprint, and preventing excess food packaging (and waste) going into landfill. The same can’t be said for this new range of “products” that you are pedaling.
The recent increased interest in growing our own food is not a short-lived, fad. The tide is turning…!
Woolies, your days of massive profits are numbered…!
Actually, Michelle, dirt DOES taste better than the crap that Woolies sells. And anything that’s frozen, like the crap you’re peddling, is likely to have its contents sourced from countries where food standards are poor.
So, you ignorance twit, I’d rather eat dirt from my garden than your shit.
Great response!
Think Michelle has done herself a bad turn also, not just Woolies, pretty stupid to alienate half the population.
So I’m a freak ,My herbs and tomatoes and any other seasonal vegetables that I grow have way more flavour and no chemicals ,which do you think would be healthier Woolworths ,your God knows how old product laden with chemicals or my fresh from my garden chemical FREE, guess if you can, happy to be one of many freaks doing without you !
Then that accounts for many of usSandy <3
I can’t believe that someone that is so healthy and promotes healthy eating and exercise can be so stupid and get herself involved in this commercial for woolworths. Where does she think her fruit and veggies come from?? I don’t think she thought this through. Woolworths marketing team this is the biggest blunder of a so called commercial!! You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
Yup, that would be right store bought tomatoes etc which are completely devoid of flavour are soooooo much more nutritious and enjoyable than ones just harvested from ones own back garden. Don’t you just love it when the big conglomerates stuff up in such a mammoth way? Drum roll….”And the winner of the own goal of the year award goes to, wait for it, Woolies!!!”
Most of us…..actually ALL of us who grow our own food are not stupid enough to eat the dirt it grows in!! We actually eat the food;gently rinsed of course!!
Woolies and Michelle Bridges have stooped so low…
Bad form fresh is best and if it is home grown evevn better. Community gardens help build comunity and helps people share the produce.
I agree totally stupid comment to make from you. You really need to watch what you say when in the public eye and promoting things. I would much rather grow my own than eat the crap from supermarkets.
Dear Michelle….let’s be honest….it’s all about the money honey and has nothing to do with health, nutrition or your desire to “do good”
The ‘freaks’ here are the MORONS behind this condescending, inane TV commercial… and the dickheads of Woolworths’ admin who accepted it for a marketing campaign. Fresh Food People my arse.
I AM SURPRISED. I thought She would be more on the healthy food side.
If you all bothered to pull your heads out of your ass and calm your oversensitive tits you’d realise like many others it wasn’t the growing of your own fruits and veg that she referred to as freaks it was the munching on dirt. Geez!!!
If Woolies is actually trying to help people cut unhealthy eating habits how about selling small amounts of lollies and small drinks cheaper than the large bottles of soft drink? I think the sweet companies partnered with the supermarkets encourage obesity by not letting you buy a small amount of these junk foods, so you can limit your intake if you find it hard to say no once the packet is opened. Also it is ridiculous how we as a nation have been weaned onto high sugar foods by the processed food industry.A French born Australian friend of mine when returning from an extended visit to France after 15 years was astounded ;when comparing how much sugar was in Australian processed foods ( for starters think : tomato sauce, baked beans , peanut butter.) The health of our nation again subjugated by the food industry barons : this time the sugar merchants. We’d eat it anyway but instead the uneducated or addicted deal with diabetes and the plethora of poor diet driven diseases. How about addressing these problems with the majority of items on their shelves. Then we may begin to take them seriously.
Well said! This add has to be the most blindly stupid piece of bollocks in the history of advertising…..and bollocks! Way to alienate a significant percentage of the population.
Just shows how far out of touch the corporate world is..
I guess this ad didn’t last long because I don’t even remember it.
I grew up in suburban Melbourne with over 45 fruit trees/plants in my parents’ garden… oh what good days they were! Sadly only 2 still survive. Now 3 decades later I eat garbage from the supermarket cartel – mmmmmm, pesticide sprayed, (perhaps covertly GMO???), picked unripe, nitrogen stored, nutrition-less, tasteless and often almost rotting GARBAGE. Last summer I was given an apricot and exclaimed immediately “This must be home grown. I haven’t tasted anything like this for 30 years!” I recently planted 15 fruit trees in my garden, and just bought another 14: a few more for me, and to get 2 other gardens started. Australia is atrocious when it comes to our food. We are among the worst in the world (eg: versus Europe and Asia) and the younger generations have no clue what fresh, home grown food tastes like. I’m going to continue the legacy and now teach my children what real food tastes like. I’ll also be propagating those heritage varieties as a hobby and giving them to family and friends. I hate you Coles and Woolworths.
Hi Urban Farmer,
You’ve summed up some great sentiments there. Best of luck with the fruit trees. Please keep us all updated on progress.
Happy Gardening!
Duncan