Chinese peas in the Co-op

[ladycrofter]

I was shocked when I got home to see that the snap peas that I bought at the co-op came from China. I could understand if no one in the UK has peas just now, but surely on the continent there must be peas.
Can any of you vegetable growers explain why the Co-op would be buying peas from China???

 

[holmes65]

I was shocked when I got home to see that the snap peas that I bought at the co-op came from China. I could understand if no one in the UK has peas just now, but surely on the continent there must be peas.
Can any of you vegetable growers explain why the Co-op would be buying peas from China???

Because they're cheap.

 

[Hindsight]

I was shocked when I got home to see that the snap peas that I bought at the co-op came from China. I could understand if no one in the UK has peas just now, but surely on the continent there must be peas.
Can any of you vegetable growers explain why the Co-op would be buying peas from China???

Hand harvested. That is all you need to know. And air freight in the hold under passenger planes let alone cargo planes is cheap against the retail value of a pack of Sugar Snap peas.

 

[Lowland1]

I was shocked when I got home to see that the snap peas that I bought at the co-op came from China. I could understand if no one in the UK has peas just now, but surely on the continent there must be peas.
Can any of you vegetable growers explain why the Co-op would be buying peas from China???

Continuity of supply.

 

[Welderloon]

Don't worry about it, there is foreign poop in most of the other supermarkets if the E-coli thread is anything to go by

 

[ladycrofter]

Hand harvested. That is all you need to know. And air freight in the hold under passenger planes let alone cargo planes is cheap against the retail value of a pack of Sugar Snap peas.

Why is that significant? Sorry I don't know anything about cropping.

 

[Lowland1]

Why is that significant? Sorry I don't know anything about cropping.

Did you not look at the label before buying? I don’t think Chinese peas are more expensive than English or from anywhere else in the world. The Coop will have a price they sell peas for but I would ask where do you think sugar snap peas are grown. I’m suprised at China for export to the UK but for nine months of the year they’ll definitely be grown somewhere else. Often nowadays they come sea freight too so they won’t be that fresh either.

 

[ladycrofter]

@Lowland1 I thought surely this side of Europe or north Africa would have peas now.

 

[Kidds]

Why is that significant? Sorry I don't know anything about cropping.

You will find it very difficult to get anybody in the UK to hand harvest anything. There are a lot more people in China that are prepared to do it.
10-20 years ago it was difficult to buy bamboo canes in this country, the reason was that all the bamboo cutters had gone off to work in the factories and there was nobody left to do it. I expect they are cut by Uyghurs or some other suppressed minority forced into it these days.

 

[Lowland1]

@Lowland1 I thought surely this side of Europe or north Africa would have peas now.

I think sugar snap were going in early March . So UK stuff should be starting but the weather hasn’t been good so yields might be down. Zimbabwe should be sending at this time and there’s always Kenyan and Guatemalan stuff year round. China is somewhere I’ve encountered but I would be worried about quality with regards to pesticides etc.

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

And probably grown with a list of pesticides banned in the UK as long as your arm and don't ask about the human rights of the pickers.

 

[Lowland1]

And probably grown with a list of pesticides banned in the UK as long as your arm and don't ask about the human rights of the pickers.

The Coop would be unlikely to take from that type of supplier but you never know. We can’t use any chemicals not cleared in UK nor can we use any chemicals cleared in UK but not cleared in Kenya so we are quite restricted it’s not a free for all.

 

[Hindsight]

And probably grown with a list of pesticides banned in the UK as long as your arm and don't ask about the human rights of the pickers.

Not necessarily. Knee jerk reaction of TFF Brits to chastise the standard of other countries. Easy to kick. Goes down well.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Continuity of supply.

I'm glad someone said it. If you want near year-round supply you're going to have to source them from a variety of locations globally. Often see baby corn from Thailand, for example.

 

[Regenerator1]

I was shocked when I got home to see that the snap peas that I bought at the co-op came from China. I could understand if no one in the UK has peas just now, but surely on the continent there must be peas.
Can any of you vegetable growers explain why the Co-op would be buying peas from China???

Easy answer... Christine Tacon who works there said.. Buy them?

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Easy answer... Christine Tacon who works there said.. Buy them?

Thought she would only buy red tractor

 

[Lowland1]

I'm glad someone said it. If you want near year-round supply you're going to have to source them from a variety of locations globally. Often see baby corn from Thailand, for example.

We grow baby corn year round. How much does the UK grow?

 

[delilah]

https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/farms/knockfarrel-produce-csa/


https://www.soilassociation.org/tak... Boxes deliver,likes and dislikes catered for.

 

[deleted user 837354]

We grow baby corn year round. How much does the UK grow?

I would assume, not a lot.

 

[kiwi pom]

Were they nice?

I buy quite a bit of frozen veg, important to check the label if you care about such things, often see some from China and a similar amount from Europe.
Frozen peas in the UK would be from the UK, wouldn't they? Perhaps better buying them.