'Buying Australian' Guide – as seen on Today Tonight

Reporter: Helen Wellings      Broadcast Date: January 26, 2010

Of the 50,000 items in our supermarkets only 10 per cent are now made locally and owned by Australian companies.

With 90 per cent of products in the supermarket manufactured overseas by foreign-owned companies it is increasingly difficult and confusing trying to track down the true-blue brands.

Mike Rogers from Fightback Australia is conducting a nation-wide campaign with IGA stores. The IGA Choose Me label direct you to the diminishing Aussie products. "Every day Australian products are getting replaced by foreign ones and it's getting bloody serious," he said.

Choosing local products can save money too. Lynne Wilkinson from Ausbuy stands for Australian made and owned products and said our labelling laws should be scrapped. "Our labels are so confusing and deceptive," she said.

"Made in Australia under labelling laws means that just 51 per cent of the wholesale cost of the goods are in that product, that may mean just the tin and the label, that doesn't necessarily mean the food in the tin."

Download the IGA Free Guide to Australian Products here (3.5Mb)

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Disaster relief in Haiti

In response to the huge disaster in Haiti, Ritchies will be sending an immediate donation of $50,000 to the Haiti Earthquake Response Fund set up by Oxfam Australia.

Oxfam has its emergency response team for Latin America based in Haiti so they are well prepared, with a public health, water and sanitation team in Port-au-Prince ready to respond. They also have emergency supplies in Panama that they are preparing to send in as soon as possible.

You can also help. All you need to do is sign up for a new Community Benefit card nominating the Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. The CB number is the same as the Ritchies Emergency Relief Fund as follows:

VICTORIA: 90286      NSW: 81342      QLD: 81326

Scan this card at the checkout and Ritchies will donate a further 1% of your total shop at any Ritchies Supermarket or Liquor store.

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$10,000 from Bertocchi Smallgoods and Ritchies Supermarkets Help The Salvation Army Bush Fire & Drought Relief Appeal!

Ritchies Supermarkets and Bertocchi Smallgoods have come together again this year to help struggling rural families and farmers around Australia. 

For the month of October 2009, Bertocchi Smallgoods donated 10 cents from every kilogram purchased of Bertocchi products through a Ritchies Supermarket Delicatessen directly to The Salvation Army’s ‘Operation Living Waters’.

Over the past two years, Ritchies and Bertocchi have donated more than $24,000 to The Salvation Army Drought Appeal via this promotion. This year , we will be donating $10,000.

The work done by Operation Living Waters has offered essential services to thousands of Australian farmers and their families over the past years since the drought has been impacting on rural Australia. Black Saturday’s Bushfires had an additional negative impact on these families who continue their struggles to obtain a living from their farms some of which are now also burnt to the ground and many families have lost their homes and much of their stock and crops.

As the families begin to rebuild their houses, replace clothing and other basic items, they begin to realise just how much they have lost. Operation Living Waters’ youth workers and chaplains have been heavily involved in The Salvation Army’s response to the recovery projects since the very first day of the fires. They are currently offering community programs to both drought and bushfire effected families. The programs include educational programs such as ‘Managing Now’, depression awareness education through the free DVD, “Braver, Stronger, Wiser” as well as fun events, such as the “Dingee Talent Quest” which is run for young people.

This outreach work is imperative to the farming families and the bushfire victims, many of whom are too proud to seek help and will often suffer silently.

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Arnott's Biscuits and Ritchies – Making Smiles Happen!

Ritchies Supermarkets and Arnott’s Biscuits came together in October to help raise funds for Camp Quality, a non profit organisation that is committed to bringing hope & happiness to every child living with cancer, their families & communities through ongoing quality recreational, educational, hospital & financial support programs.  Most importantly these programs bring them fun & happiness, as “Laughter really is the Best Medicine”.

For the entire month of October 2009, five cents from every packet of Arnott’s Biscuits purchase from Ritchies Supermarkets was donated to Camp Quality resulting in a donation of $21,313.95.

You can also nominate Camp Quality to be the recipient of a donation through Ritchies Community Benefit Program.

Their CB number is 93205.

 

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Ritchies is on Facebook

Come and check out Ritchies Community Benefit Card page on Facebook. As the page evolves fans will receive donation updates, exclusive deals available to fans only, promotions and much more.

Clubs/Schools/Charities – you can promote your upcoming fund raising event on our page so be sure to encourage your friends, family and supporters to become a fan of the Ritchies Community Benefit Card page.

Ritchies Community Benefit Card on 

Ritchies Stores are proud to announce that we won the “Excellence in Community Practices” Award at the prestigious BRW ANZ Private Business Awards held in Sydney on Wednesday 26th August 2009.

BRW and ANZ Corporate Banking joined together for the second year to recognise the country’s most outstanding private businesses. The BRW ANZ Private Business Awards celebrate the significant contribution private businesses make to the Australian economy. The Awards are open to private companies operating in Australia. Nominated companies have a minimum annual turnover of $15 million or 50 or more employees.

“The BRW ANZ Private Business Awards celebrate the success of some of Australia’s highly capable private businesses, the cornerstone of the economy, but receive little attention. These awards aim to highlight the entrepreneurialism, management and strategies of the best private companies in the country” said Sean Aylmer, BRW Editor in chief.

This is our second award in 2009, coming hard on the heels of the Victoria Day Award in July - great recognition of Ritchies commitment to our Community Benefit Program and our local community.

PRESS RELEASE

Award to be presented at the Melbourne Town Hall at 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday, 1st July, 2009

RITCHIES SUPERMARKETS
In 1870, when Thomas Ritchie opened a grocery store in the tiny country settlement of Frankston, he did so intent on three things – keeping his shop competitive, rewarding staff and donating part of his profit back to the community. Now 150 years on, Ritchies is Australia’s largest independent supermarket and liquor chain, a company in which many staff has shares and the founder’s “shilling for every pound” offer has grown into the Community Benefit Card program.  Ritchies currently donate many millions of dollars each year to the clubs, kindergartens, schools and charities nominated by shoppers. In the last sixteen years alone $30 million has been given back to the community.

On Black Saturday 7th February 2009, Ritchies were conducting their official launch of their Yarra Glen Supermarket. Fred Harrison, CEO and Malcolm Cameron, Director, Ritchies Stores were on hand at Yarra Glen and, as the tragic events unfolded, they were very much involved with the bushfire evacuation which took place in the Yarra Glen/Kinglake region.

Ritchies threw open their new Supermarket for use as a safety house and throughout the course of the evening over 500 people and pets took refuge. Lining the aisles were the sick, the old and the very young including a five week old. Fred Harrison was directing his staff and no expense was spared in providing the essentials to those gathered. Bottled water, soft drinks, food and anything required was handed out freely. Fire fighters and police headed there for respite from the horrific conditions. Fred accommodated everyone, making announcements over the public address system and answering everyone’s questions. His quick thinking and obvious leadership skills helped countless people.

Through their Community Benefit card program, Ritchies have donated about $240,000 to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal and bushfire-recovery programs with customers and staff raising $99,000 of this in the months of February and March. This contribution will continue to grow in the months ahead as many new and existing Community Benefit card holders have elected the Bushfire Appeal as their charity.

Ritchies Community Benefit Card Program donates a percentage of the money spent by customers to their nominated club, school or charity. Ritchies have been at the forefront in establishing this incredible program and as a result, many hundreds of thousands of lives have been improved.

NOTE: The Victoria Day Awards celebrate Victoria’s foundation at the separation from New South Wales on July 1st, 1851.

Norman Kennedy
Chair, Victoria Day Council
Mobile:  0419 379 540
Email: norman.kennedy@gmail.com

By the year 2000, the average supermarket trolley contained groceries that were 85% foreign owned or made. Independent retailers are now fighting back! Many of Australia's largest independent grocery retailers have got together to promote Aussie owned brands on their shelves via Fight Back's "shelf talker" program.

This initiative will give consumers the choice of supporting Australian made & owned brands. Aussie manufacturers have fought against multi-nationals with large marketing budgets for decades. Imports of low priced products from developing countries have destroyed the industry, and reduced food manufacturing exports by nearly one third. Buy Australian made and owned products and support our manufacturers first... they are part of the fabric of the Australian way of life, and they support our local communities, and sporting teams. The Fight Back Shelf Talker Program makes buying 'Australian made and owned’ products easier!

When you see one of these "Shelf Talkers" in front of a product in your friendly, local IGA supermarket, you are assured that the store continues to range your favourite Aussie Owned brands, and the supermarket is also Australian Owned. Support Aussie farmers, and fruit and vegetable growers, Australian Owned grocery brands, and your locally owned IGA supermarket. Simply support your favourite 'Aussie Owned, or Grown products.' Look for the Fight Back Shelf Talkers instore!

Visit Fightback for Australia for more information.

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