Food Quality: ENGLAND versus the USA

[Melensdad]

As we rented cottages and apartments for our visit in the UK, we also were shopping in their stores for our basic needs. One thing that I found that was stunningly different between the UK and the US is the food. The quality of the food available in the UK is simply EXCELLENT! Their stores are smaller than our stores, they offer less of a selection of many of the products that our stores carry, but the stores (in all parts of the UK) simply offered much better quality of food.

TV DINNERS ~ WINNER = UK Stores:

In a typical large US supermarket there are acres of frozen pizzas, frozen prepared meals and most are of low quality, full of fat, salt and preservatives. Stores in the UK had some of that, but also had FRESHLY prepared REFRIGERATED meals of VERY HIGH quality. Each major store seemed to have its own brand, obviously made in their own kitchens. The foods looked better, tasted better, were better proportioned and had better texture than our prepared foods (because they were FRESH!!!). The foods were not in any way similar to our "lowest common denominator" made products, but were instead regional favorites or ethnic favorites.​

LOCALLY GROWN/RAISED ~ WINNER = UK Stores, specifically Scotland:

It seemed to me of biggest concern in Scotland, but was apparent in all parts of the UK, many of the eggs, meats and some veggies were grown organically, locally, free-range, and obviously with great care. One of the national chains (Morrisons?) only sells beef, poultry and lamb raised in the UK. Others seemed to advertise UK raised foods within the stores. I noticed in one store that New Zealand lamb was in a separate area apart from UK raised lamb. Many of the people specifically shopped for locally raised eggs and other goods. While the vast majority of our chickens/eggs in the US come from large scale coops where birds are stacked on top of each other in crates, it seems the vast majority of their are free range and hormone free.​

FAST FOOD ~ WINNER = USA:

Not sure that we actually 'win' this category since most 'Fast Food' is garbage, squirted out of a tube or injection molded and flash frozen, but the USA dominates fast food! While in the UK I was initially surprised to see very few "fast food" outlets, and I was even further surprised to see only 1 that had a "drive thru" window but after shopping at some of their stores and talking with some of the people, it is obvious that they care more about their food than we do . . . and it shows in our beltlines.​

 

[Big Dog]

I spent 4 weeks in Itajuba, Brazill in 2004 at the Federal University of Brazil instructing engineering professors on combine cycle systems and operation.
Itajuba is a small city, about 80,000, in the Minas Gerais mountains between San Paulo and Rio. All the food was local and fresh. In my few forays into a grocery stores, the only coolers I saw were for milk. There were no fast food restaurants ..............!

It was some of the best food I've ever eaten. It was like stepping back in time!

 

[Melensdad]

It was some of the best food I've ever eaten. It was like stepping back in time!

Ah but the difference, perhaps, is that the UK is modern and they choose to forgo all the crap that we eat here in the US. It seems like they make a very concerted effort to support their local farmers, their local butcher, and other local stores. It appeared, at least to me, the consumers choose to buy more expensive 'free range', 'organic' and 'hormone free' alternatives rather buying the cheapest thing in the store. Now I will grant you that in London I stayed in an expensive part of town, so my view of the shoppers in that area may have been somewhat skewed . . . but in Wales I was in a very rural and remote area, maybe 35 homes in the whole town, the nearest store you could call a 'supermarket' was a 12 mile drive and it was a modest size store serving the community at large. Again I saw very large selections of local, free range, organics, etc. They seem to have the money to choose whatever they want and they choose to spend it on better quality food.

 

[pirate_girl]

They don't refrigerate their eggs either...

 

[BoneheadNW]

They seem to have the money to choose whatever they want and they choose to spend it on better quality food.

You mean their "socialist government" left them some money?
Bone

 

[Melensdad]

You mean their "socialist government" left them some money?
Bone

Yup, not sure how they got to keep a few pence, but they do. I was also surprised that they tax food there. I know state laws in the USA vary, but we have no tax on food, medicine, etc in my state. They apparently have a 17.5% Value Added Tax built into the price they pay for food

They don't refrigerate their eggs either...

Because they are so fresh!!!

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

What was the price difference on the food over there? I bet the prices were higher.

 

[pirate_girl]

Fresh eggs indeed and only come in cartons of 6 lol
How about trying to find a gallon of milk in the UK?


That's the thing that struck me as a new resident, some goods are smaller, because refrigerators are smaller.
It wasn't uncommon to make a 2-3x weekly visit to the store for perishables.

What did you think of the bread and pastry aisles Bob?
Pretty amazing, huh?

US has for example a wide choice of things like salad dressings.
Over there, not at all.
When I lived there, I think they had 2 brands that stood out in my mind, Kraft Ranch and possibly the Italian variety, other than that, the norm is Heinz Salad Cream, which is a delicious entity all in itself.

 

[Melensdad]

What was the price difference on the food over there? I bet the prices were higher.

Pretty much everything was more expensive. Eggs, depending on variety, ran from 1.69 Pounds per half dozen (roughly US $3.50/dozen) to about 1.20 Pounds per dozen (roughly US $2.50/dozen).


In some areas we were able to find eggs packed by the dozen, but as per PG's post, most were sold by the 1/2 dozen.


As to costs . . . I can tell you that yesterday I stopped off at the local Starbucks for a drink, it cost me $3.37 here (including sales tax). The exact same drink in York cost me roughly US$7.50 (including VAT).

A cup of black coffee here, at a typical diner or similar quality place is about 75-cents to $1.00 for a "never ending cup". A similar establishment there will give you a small "French Press" of coffee, the equivalent of 2 cups, for about 1.99 Pounds, or a bit over US $4.00.

A bottle of Kaluha here will cost about $18 to $22. The same bottle there cost me 18 Pounds, or roughly US $38.00.

Some of the differences in prices are due to the current exchange rate, and that is not the fault of the UK. Some of it seems to be the taxes charged. Some of it may relate to higher costs of real estate, leading to higher overhead costs to operate stores??? Not sure, but is sure looked like real estate prices were DOUBLE or even TRIPLE the prices charged here for similar size homes/apartments/etc. I have no idea what the 'average' income is, but I did find out that clerks at stores made roughly 7 to 8 pounds per hour. Cab Drivers, Bus Drivers and Prison Guards were in the 25,000 Pound per year range. Administrative Assistants jobs on a posting board we saw in York were about 30,000 Pounds/year. But modest homes seemed to run 250,000 Pounds. PLEASE realize that I was looking at these things from a TOURIST point of view, they may not be completely accurate and I do NOT want to paint the wrong picture. Yes people there complained about prices, but people here do the same.

 

[EastTexFrank]

Very good observations Bob. I really enjoyed them.

As a general rule I always tell people who are going to the UK for the first time that things cost approximately twice as much there as they do in the US. It's basically due to the taxes that are imposed at every level of business filtering down to the end user ... the consumer.

Wages aren't any higher there, and they used to be lower, but that differential has eroded somewhat over the years. The people tend to live more from paycheck to paycheck, a more hand to mouth existence with less savings and therefore less wealth for retirement and investing. More people rely on their "old age pension", akin to out Social Security, as their only source of income for their retirement. It's a welfare state mindset where the government will take care of you throughout your life but it comes at a cost in taxes and National Health contributions. Also, as a general rule, British people tend to expect less than Americans at almost every level.

Houses are a lot more expensive because there is a lot less land being a small country. More people live in "council housing" which is government owned housing subsidised by the city, county/region or government and is reasonably affordable, if you qualify.

There are a lot less fast food places as a rule, especially out side large cities like London, because it is more expensive to eat out in any level of restuarant. People can eat cheaper and usually healthier in their own home. Going out to eat tends to be a "special occasion" rather than an everyday occurance. Also, British people tend to walk more in their daily lives than Americans because of the price of gas and having a functioning local and national public transport system, both buses and passenger trains. Besides, finding someplace to park your car in the UK, especially in larger cities is usually more trouble than it's worth. So, like I did when I lived in Chorleywood outside London, I drove to the local underground/train station if the weather was bad and caught the train to work in the city. Otherwise I walked to the station every day.

And your right, people in both places complain about the cost of living but that's because Americans have been brought up, and been used to, relatively cheap gas, clothes and food prices and much lower taxes. Americans have a much higher level of discretionary, disposable income and that's why we are the premier consumer nation in the world.

 

[daedong]

Yup, not sure how they got to keep a few pence, but they do. I was also surprised that they tax food there. I know state laws in the USA vary, but we have no tax on food, medicine, etc in my state. They apparently have a 17.5% Value Added Tax built into the price they pay for food




Because they are so fresh!!!

I did not think all food or medicine in the UK attracts the VAT. Any Brits here that can clarify this?

 

[Melensdad]

I did not think all food or medicine in the UK attracts the VAT. Any Brits here that can clarify this?

I too would like to see that clarified, at least with regard to food products, it is what I was told, but it was not an in-depth conversation.

But just a point of further clarification, I never said the VAT was charged on medicine in the UK. I wrote:

They apparently have a 17.5% Value Added Tax built into the price they pay for food ​

There are a lot less fast food places as a rule, especially out side large cities like London, because it is more expensive to eat out in any level of restuarant.

You are not kidding about the prices at all levels of restaurants. We went to Burger King (only because they had free "WiFi" and my wife needed to check her email) it was 15 Pounds, or about $31 for a couple of kids meals, a couple of regular burgers, and a few bottles of water!!! That would have cost about $10 at home. We ate at a Thai Restaurant in London, the tab was over 150 Pounds for the 3 of us . . . but to be fair, it was a beautiful restaurant with excellent service. But still!!!

 

[Mith]

No vat on normal food. I've never paid for medicine, but I dont think there would be vat on that either. Most is free on the health service anyway.
Some luxury foods have vat on them.

 

[Melensdad]

What is the difference between luxury food and regular food since one has a VAT and the other does not? If there is no VAT on 'normal' food then I wonder why the prices are so high? Is there some extra high VAT on alcohol?

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

If there is no VAT on 'normal' food then I wonder why the prices are so high?

Protectionist tariffs, marketing boards, and farmers quotas. Government waste and intrusion permeates all levels of the food chain.

In Canada there is no GST on "groceries" but there is GST on "junk food". If you buy a dozen donuts (baked goods) it is considered a grocery. If you buy one donut it is considered junk food.

Probably the same in the UK.

 

[Melensdad]

Well whatever the reason for the high cost of their food, I still contend the quality of food at a typical store I visited in the UK is excellent and far above the standards I see at the local supermarkets here in the US. Our premium foods are more in line with the food quality I saw in the UK.

 

[Mith]

Prices just are high here, I expect there are taxes involved, but it might be taxes that are related to running a shop that are passed on to the food buyer. Higher cost of transport is passed on to the consumer etc.
Alcohol and tobacco have massive taxes on them, same as fuel.
We are just taxed to death, but thats a different thread.

I'm inclined to believe, Bob, that some of the places you have been wouldn't be the places where I would shop for example. There are different qualities of shops. If you went somewhere like Waitrose then you are going to see a whole load more fancier stuff than if you went to Asda (Walmart).

 

[Melensdad]

I'm inclined to believe, Bob, that some of the places you have been wouldn't be the places where I would shop for example. There are different qualities of shops. If you went somewhere like Waitrose then you are going to see a whole load more fancier stuff than if you went to Asda (Walmart).

Sainsbury
Morrisons
Tesco
Marks & Spencer (that seemed more like a specialty 'niche; store)
several local butcher shops and local produce shops in various towns

Never found a Waitrose, nor an ASDA store.

 

[Ice Queen]

I typed a long reply to your post but was for some reason 'logged' out by the computer and cannot face retyping it. I have access to a local shop, by car as I cannot walk to it. If I need to go to a larger shop - ie the Co-op at Lampeter, there is no bus service so I need to use my car. I believe there is a bus once a week which goes to Aberystwyth, also about 11 miles away like Lampeter, but it is of little use to me. I have to run a car, a four by four as I need to pick up a trailer or whatever from (probably) a muddy field, I need to carry animal feed etc. Our wonderful government is trying to price out four by fours by raising the tax bracket for them. I am lucky(???) that I am disabled and qualify for free tax on my car, but if I didn't I don't know how I would manage. I get free prescriptions now, as I am an old age pensioner, but didn't until I qualified through age, disabled or not. The government is continuously 'changing the goal posts' and making everything more expensive and with more rules surrounding life. I think it is time that they woke up and realised that people living in rural areas are not able to jump on a bus or walk to a local shop.

 

[Melensdad]

... Our wonderful government is trying to price out four by fours by raising the tax bracket for them. ... The government is continuously 'changing the goal posts' and making everything more expensive and with more rules surrounding life. I think it is time that they woke up and realised that people living in rural areas are not able to jump on a bus or walk to a local shop

I think the term for that is social engineering. Basically the liberals who live in the cities decide what is good for everyone else and then ram it down our throats. They don't realize that what works in their urban center won't work everywhere else in our nation. So we share a common problem. But here in the US it is worse because our nation is so large and even more diverse than yours. Many of our larger metro areas don't even have anything more than rudimentary bus service, etc. So while buses + subways and public transport may work great in cities like New York (or in your case London) the don't necessarily work as effectively in medium sized cities like Gary, IN or Louisville, KY and they are absolutely non-existent in rural areas. All of it is compounded by distances. Here in the US our towns are farther apart, people in rural areas really must live very different lives than those in the urban/suburban areas.