Editor’s note: Since this story was originally published, Coles has provided a response to a request for comment from Beef Central, published at the base of this page.
NATIONAL supermarket retailer Coles is applying substantial discounts in its Coles Finest Carbon Neutral premium beef range, produced with the use of methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer.
A social media storm erupted last week as meat and milk consumers in Australia, the UK and elsewhere raised mostly ill-informed concerns over the safety of products produced with the feed additive, the lack of disclosure about the use of such products in beef and other concerns.
Click on image for a larger view
The makers of Bovaer, as well as Coles and Meat & Livestock Australia last week said the supplement has been widely tested and was safe to continue using.
The Coles Finest Carbon Neutral premium beef brand is the most widely known domestic beef brand in Australia to use the feed additive.
The range was launched in Victoria in April 2022, before being rolled-out nationally in all stores from April last year. In January last year the product picked up a significant national consumer award.
In November last year Coles announced that the use of Bovaer in rations had been expanded to three feedlots holding Coles supply contracts.
The current round of discounts on the Coles Finest product is not simply individual in-store mark-downs due to slow movement and expiry date issues, but part of a broader campaign. The VSP skin packs in the image published here had a best before date of 24 December.
Coles national online shopping portal this morning showed the following discounts being applied, ranging from 9-18pc:
- Coles Finest Porterhouse 370g, $17, save $2 (-10.5pc) $45.95/kg
- Coles Finest Flat Iron steak 420g, $12.18 save $1.26 (-9.5pc), $29/kg
- Coles Finest thick and juicy beef burgers $7, down $1, (-12.5pc) now $23,88/kg
- Coles Finest Beef brisket burgers 600g, $9, down $2 (-18pc), $15/kg
Beef Central asked Coles for a comment on this week’s discounts being applied to its Coles Finest beef, and whether the company’s overall beef demand had been impacted as a result of last week’s social media storm.
We received the following response:
“The specials you have identified in the story were all planned well in advance. To be clear, there is no relation between these specials and recent commentary on Bovaer.”
Coles have an obligation to tell consumers which of their beef products contain this additive. I know this issue has stopped me from buying beef at Coles. Until it’s clearly identified and in which products it’s in, I will not buy beef from Coles.
Clearly Coles and others have overstepped the mark. I have purchased beef from Coles on a regular basis. Had I known that they were selling Bovaer in their beef line, I would have stopped purchasing their product…
Shoppers should have been made well and truly aware that this new line and compound was in use so as to allow the customer to choose to consume it..
The fact that it only became knowledge on social media before any kind broadcast were made from Coles speaks volumes.
Coles has violated it’s customers rights in not disclosing this at release.
You want to test people’s thoughts and reactions? Make 2 beef lines – one containing Bovaer and the other without. Watch your customers choose the product they want.
Coles has been completely transparent from day-one in its use of Bovaer in the Coles Finest range, Clint. Check the company website for numerous press releases on the topic since 2022. Editor
What, no comments?
Is there nothing the editor will let thru?
Could it be censorship on behalf of big pharma?
Important to understand that no comments appear on Beef Central until they are moderated by us, Peter. Please remember our comment facility is not social media, where people can defame whoever they want, and get away with it. Moderation is designed to keep us, and our readers who choose to comment, out of court. Depending on the time a comment is submitted, it can take some hours, or even overnight, before we get the chance to review it. Your comment published here was submitted before we had even seen your prior comment (published below). Comments are published, provided they meet our long-standing reader comment policy. Click here to view. A link to our comments policy is also provided in the comment submissions panel at the bottom of each article. For readers who don’t like these terms, or suspect Beef Central is ‘working for big pharma,’ we strongly suggest using other platforms, ie social media. Editor
Bovaer is just more woke nonsense propagated by foreign carpet baggers.
The general public had quite a bit of exposure to the “safe and effective” narrative from the experts, the B.P. manufacturers and the government in the past few years in respect of apparently “amazing” novel health interventions for humans.
Many people now consider they were lied to.
Now enter on the scene marketing people asking beef & dairy consumers to choose between changing the direction of climate “driven by CO2e” or “traditional natural ruminant nutritional pathways” of production.
Maybe people are more sceptical and trust-less, the experts, drug manufacturers and government than pre-2020. The woke nonsense wheel is slowly turning and the carpet baggers will soon move on to other scam business models.