Yep, that's what happens when we have a duopoly for shopping in Little Ole Adelaide. Being a second generation, Agrarian southern European, I was raised on home grown veggies. I can tell you without a doubt that the putrid, rotting, flavourless trash that the big two tout as 'fresh' is downright criminal. Nothing I've purchased from them or even market gardeners comes close to the quality you can grow yourselves. Unfortunately, we're either too lazy, tired or haven't enough space to grow our own to be totally self-sufficient.

I like every other person, am as much to blame as those purveyors of rotting crap. Unfortunately, most sheeple out there have been bred to accept this garbage as premium, and not demand anything better. I know that those European countries raised in a high standard, culinary culture demand decent food products. Due to our tasteless British heritage, we've inherited their inferior food quality. I remember seeing a documentary where they were talking about the quality of British veg, using tomatoes as a prime example. They took a sample to Spaniards to try, resulting in nearly all of them almost turning green and instinctively spitting it out. Explaining that the Spaniards wouldn't stand for this type of inferior product.

They mentioned that in order for food to be available all year round, the food is picked while green and unripe, frozen till when it's needed (up to 12 months), and then artificially ripened with chemical gasses when the product isn't naturally available. Tomatoes are picked for so they could literally bounce when dropped, due to the sheeple's demands.

I'll cherish the day when some multinational decides to muscle in on our greedy duopoly, and actually give us a bit of competition.

This has somewhat worried me, being a frequent patron of Woolworths, due to their somewhat lower-than-usual prices (at least the one I shop at.) I'll be certain to be extra careful the next time I bite into an apple!

I guess this is symptomatic of all supermarket chains. I'd say that 99% (I'm pulling this statistic straight out my arse) of food nowadays has a million different chemicals in it. Some of this is to keep the food fresher and edible for a longer period of time, due to the average person being lazy and wanting convenience in all things, including food. Its what the people want!*

Unfortunately, unless you are willing to either: a) pay exorbitant prices for foods that AREN't mass-produced on a factory line, or, b) live out in the wild and hunt your own food, there really isn't a lot you can do about it.

Did you take the apple back and demand a refund? if you kept the receipt and showed them that apple, denying a refund of your money is a flagrant disregard for your rights as a consumer, and is blatantly illegal.

Anyway, kudos for another informative (and entertaining) rant.

* People are stupid, selfish, mindless fuckwits.