Sainsburys chief attacks government greenstanding on plastic bags

Justin King has gone public and attacked government plans to legislate to require retailers to charge consumers for single-use bags.

He points out that the issue is complex. This policy has had only a temporary effect in Ireland. Paper bags cost more to transport and are twice as energy intensive as a plastic one. Furthermore

Last year a large number of retailers, not just supermarkets, sat down in good faith with Wrap, the government-funded body concerned with packaging and food waste, and Defra to agree a voluntary approach to cutting the environmental impact of plastic bags by 25pc by the end of 2008 - not simply the number of bags.

This target appears to have been thrown out and informed debate overturned.

So the government knew there were informed discussions going on but chose to override them with a crude headline measure which will make life more expensive for many people (standard practice, government doesn't care about that) and won't address the overall problem anyway.

Right long-term decision? I don't think so. This is not serious governing.

Sainsburys profiterole stack

If you buy Sainsbury's profiterole stack, try an experiment. Take some of the chocolate coloured topping in a spoon, and taste it with your eyes closed.

Does it taste of chocolate? No? Not at all? What does it taste of, then? Yes, sugar.

The lists of ingredients show traces of chocolate in the mix. But you wouldn't know it from the taste.

Horrible and doubtless unhealthy.

Shopfitting at London Colney

Marks & Spencer and Sainsburys seem to have been competing at London Colney to see who could make their shopfitting last longest at greatest inconvenience to customers.

Sainsburys' tactic has been to narrow the entrance and exit, but they have also shifted staples around the store, which means you have to pay attention rather than shop on automatic. We've also had drilling during the day.

M&S have lost the contest, having completed their refit first, while Sainsburys are going to close for a week at the beginning of November.

But where are the mirrors in M&S? Very rare beasts.

Waitrose poppy seed rolls

Waitrose poppy seed rolls - tiny or what? Two or perhaps three delicate bites per roll.

Sainsburys' poppy seed rolls are a much more acceptable size.

Summer fruit pudding

Ironically (in view of the weather), we're great fans of summer fruit puddings.

The Tesco version is pretty good. The Sainsbury's one is nice, but for my taste they made a mistake with the sweetening and the (very slight) flavouring with champagne.

The best summer fruit pudding comes from Waitrose. It has a fruitier aroma, with a strong scent of blackcurrants, and the individual fruits have exactly the right consistency.

Delicious!