Supermarket production

In producing for supermarkets, many of the decisions are not within the control of the farmer, and neither are many of the worries. This type of organic production may not suit the farmer who wishes to take all the risk, as is the case with many other aspects of farming, however, the market is secure and there should be firm knowledge that all the poultry will be purchased at a pre-agreed price. How therefore does this supply structure operate  

Although integrated companies operate in slightly different ways, it is common practice that they secure the supply of the day-old chicks. These may be provided either as hatched , i.e. an equal mix of males and females, or as sexed chicks where the farmer receives either males or females. The date and time of chick delivery is arranged in advance and under normal circumstances a full house, or houses, is delivered at the same time. This allows the house(s) to be ready for occupancy at least two days before chick delivery in order that the correct brooding temperatures and food distribution have been achieved. 

The source of food is selected and the manufacturer audited against the supermarket and the regulatory bodies standards. Food is ordered in advance of the chick delivery so that the food hoppers or track are filled and awaiting the arrival of the chicks. 

It is customary that when the chick delivery date is known the slaughter date is also scheduled for 81 days hence. The farmer therefore knows he has no marketing problems. His or her responsibility is to produce a quality product at the weight and food conversion that will achieve optimum returns under the management and welfare standards expected 

Alternative systems pay the farmers at the end of the crop on a live-weight basis, usually pence per kilo over a weighbridge, and debit from this payment the cost of the feed and chicks. As with the previous system, it does away with the need for working capital, which can be considerable, bearing in mind the cost of the feed, the poor food conversions and the age of kill. For example, to rear 1000 chickens on food at 300 per tonne, food conversion at 3 1 and a live-weight of 3 kg results in a food bill alone of 2700. On top of this is the cost of the chicks which will very much depend on the breed selected but will certainly be a further 500- 600. 

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In the sort of British bakery that has been set up to produce Naan bread for supermarket and restaurant sales everything is automated. British consumers have been introduced to Naan breads in Indian restaurants so the supermarket product has to be of restaurant quality. 

The most popular of all frozen desserts in the United States is ice cream. In a survey of selected supermarket products in 1979, more than 86% of the households involved reported using ice cream or ice milk during a 30-day period. The per capita production in the United States was 14.6 quarts in 1980, as well as 5.15 quarts of ice milk, 0.8 quart of sherbet, and 0.2 quart of mellorine. Several countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, have per capita production values comparable to those in the United States (International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers 1981). 

Figure 1.3 Many common supermarket products have very simple chemical compositions. 

Consumer Products. Laser-based products have emerged from the laboratories and become familiar products used by many millions of people in everyday circumstances. Examples include the supermarket scaimer, the laser printer, and the compact disk. The supermarket scanner has become a familiar fixture at the point of sale in stores. The beam from a laser is scaimed across the bar-code marking that identifies a product, and the pattern of varying reflected light intensity is detected and interpreted by a computer to identify the product. Then the information is printed on the sales sHp. The use of the scanner can speed checkout from places like supermarkets. The scanners have usually been helium—neon lasers, but visible semiconductor lasers may take an impact in this appHcation. 

Tofu. Tofu is prepared by adding a coagulant such as calcium sulfate to soymilk to precipitate the protein and oil into a gelatinous curd. The curd is then separated from the soluble portion (whey), pressed, and washed to yield a market-ready product. Tofu, a traditional food in Japan (90), was populari2ed in the United States in the late 1970s and is available in many U.S. supermarkets. 

Compressed yeast is also sold in supermarkets in 18-g and 56-g packages. Since this product contains approximately 10% added starch to increase its shelf life, it has a lower protein content and fermentative activity than the compressed yeast sold to bakeries. 

Cost is a significant factor in the consumer s acceptance of substitute dairy foods. Table 20 shows the relative cost of substitute fat and protein in the various substitute foods. A comparison of retail prices of selected dairy products and corresponding substitutes in four supermarkets in the midwestem United States in the Fall of 1992 are shown in Table 21. In all cases the prices for the substitutes are lower than the prices of the respective dairy product. The smallest price margin is in the area where the substitute products are advertised as fat-reduced or cholesterol-free. 

In nearly every pharmacy, supermarket, and health food store, you can find bottles of antioxidants and antioxidant-rich natural products, such as fish oils, Gingko biloba leaves, and wheat grass. These dietary supplements are intended to help the body control its population of radicals and, as a result, slow aging and degenerative diseases such as heart failure and cancer. 

At large drugstore chains and supermarkets, the operator of a laboratory can find great bargains on items such as paper towels and cleaning products when they are on special sale. 

The design of the survey must address where samples should be collected. There are two parts to the where component of this point. The first where component addresses the geographic location for sample collection, and the second where addresses the type of retail outlet. In other words, products might be collected across the USA, or collection could be confined to one state or geographic region. Products might, for example, be collected from grocery stores, convenience stores, and superettes or only from supermarkets. 

Recently, organic farms have been encouraged to make added value products such as cheese and yoghurt. The farmer processes the milk and can fix a price for the farmhouse-produced cheese or yoghurt. It needs to be a unique quality product, or have a superior image, if it is going to sell well at a higher price than a similar product in the local supermarket. 

Two major trends in the industrialised world are the demand for convenience food and awareness of the need for healthy eating patterns. The trend is away from generic foods towards processed products, for example, as we have seen, there is a growing demand for organic frozen desserts and items such as frozen pizzas. Many supermarkets see a potential for surplus products in freezing and canning surplus produce (FAO, 2002). The popularity of functional or healthy foods is also a potentially lucrative area for organic produce, especially dairy products. 

Lack of diversity of outlets for example, when the supermarket is the co-op s only customer then the group has been left with a lot of waste products which the supermarket has rejected because their specification demands product excellence and uniformity. It is therefore important to find other outlets for perfectly sound produce that has been graded out by the supermarket packer. Other markets include restaurants, shops, wholesalers and consumer groups. 

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