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Supermarket Removes All Foreign Food From Shelves To Make A Point About Racism, And Here’s The Result
When customers walked into Edeka supermarket in Hamburg recently, they were surprised to find that the shelves were almost empty, and the small handful of products that remained were all made in Germany. It seemed like the supermarket had simply forgotten to restock their produce until customers saw the mysterious signs left around the shop. “So empty is a shelf without foreigners,” read one sign at the cheese counter. “This shelf is quite boring without variety,” read another.
It turns out that Edeka, in a rather controversial move, had opted to solely sell German food for a day in order to make a powerful statement about racism and ethnic diversity. As a result, there were no Greek olives, no Spanish tomatoes, and very little of anything else that can normally be found in a typical modern household. “Edeka stands for diversity, and we produce a wide range of food in our assortment, which is produced in the different regions of Germany,” said an Edeka spokesman. “But it is together with products from other countries that we create the unique diversity that our customers value.”
What do you think? Is this a great way to raise awareness about diversity, or have they missed the point? Let us know in the comments below.
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Image credits: CEN
Image credits: CEN
Image credits: heinzinger
Image credits: CEN
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John L 8 years ago
This makes a great point, and without the need to scream and get in everyone's faces. Good move. :D
Sharon Tinsley 8 years ago
Love this. Point well made. Unfortunately there all some people who won't or chose not to get it. What a boring world this would be if it weren't for the many contributions of the different groups (nationalities) that make up this great country we live in.
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therealpixie 8 years ago
Spare a moment for the lowly stockers who had to take all the items off the shelves and then put them back!
Hassan Said 8 years ago
And it is written: Man shall not live on beer alone.
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Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
Racism? Do you mean nationalism? Foreign countries are nations not races.
Jilltdcatlady 8 years ago
I see it as a metaphor, not literal. When you eliminate what is not in "your group" you become a racist. Hence excluding everything Not German.
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Susan DeShiro 8 years ago
For me, buying local isn't about racism. It's about fresher food and supporting the local farmers. While I see your point and applaud your efforts, I would be okay with this.
Michael Taroni 8 years ago
As an Italian, i'd say this will be utterly b******t: as one of the four great country for Cuisine (New York Times said that), I can produce all my food by myself, but at what cost? I mean, my pasta is sure the best you can find, so are my wines and my cheese, but even if I can produce great beers, i can't emulate the incredible taste that some GermanDutchIrish beer have, or the German Wurst for example. What about Indian spice? Greek Feta? Or hell, some Japanese imported food, even Bananas from tropical counteries have another taste compared to mine. I don't say it's not possibile to live by the products your country offers, but why losing so much in a term of taste?
Load More Replies...
Melissa Van Giezen 8 years ago
I think it's jus stupid. I don't know anyone against immigration and other cultures...it's illegal immigration and people who don't want to assimilate that are the issue. Like when a man refuses to leery his wife shake hands with another man; they should not move to a country where that is expected. It's not that hard to understand.
Leslie Barron 8 years ago
Growing up in NY in the 1960's many of my friends had grandparents living with them that by trump's standards would have been considered unassimilated. They barely spoke English, only went to certain familiar places were like like immigrants were. It took everything they had to even do that. It was the next generations' path to assimilate. And they did.
Load More Replies...
Marysia Jawłowska 8 years ago
It's one of those annoying cases when somebody wants to prove a point I wholeheartedly agree with but I somehow feel like they gave more ammunition to the opposite side. Because, frankly, when it comes to food and economy it's considered unhealthy when the local product makes up for such a small percentage of all stock. The main message I get is how people are unnecessarily buying foreign products and it makes me think about how it harms German farmers and producers. Plus locally grown veggies are always superior to imported ones. Sane people don't buy Spanish tomatoes in the middle of tomatoe season. So I can't really appreciate that initiative, somebody seriously didn't think what they're doing.
S Missions 8 years ago
This is Eurozone.. economically speaking, all of Europe is the same country. They use the same currency, they can travel freely within each other's borders. There is less of an impact from imports because of this. I don't think Germans eat a whole lot of fresh vegetables to be honest.
Load More Replies...
Oliver Trific 8 years ago
The point was to stage a viral marketing campaign. Nothing else. It was thought up by an ad company and a advertising production/film studio. Shared over and over everybody talks about Edeka (a German grocery store chain) over and over. There is no hidden agenda no morality, no nothing. Just about generating views and making the brand more known. Just search Edeka on YouTube.
Robert Youdontneedit 8 years ago
Absurd. Germans aren't "racist" against the Spanish, Greeks, French, etc., so this is a "statement" that demonstrates absolutely nothing.
Kate Baxter 8 years ago
Robert: And you know this for a fact that Germans' aren't against other nationalities? Then I can only see that you have not followed European news much in the last few years. The Italians are fed up with all the tourists in Venice because it is destroying their city and its infrastructure. The Spanish don't like other people in their country because they take up too much of the road space etc. The French hate the English because they are buying houses in their countryside and expect to be able to buy English products. The whole of the EU hates the UK because of Brexit. Everyone basically is hating everyone in the world. Where this chaos and hate will end is anyone's guess.
Load More Replies...
John L 8 years ago
This makes a great point, and without the need to scream and get in everyone's faces. Good move. :D
Sharon Tinsley 8 years ago
Love this. Point well made. Unfortunately there all some people who won't or chose not to get it. What a boring world this would be if it weren't for the many contributions of the different groups (nationalities) that make up this great country we live in.
Load More Replies... therealpixie 8 years ago
Spare a moment for the lowly stockers who had to take all the items off the shelves and then put them back!
Hassan Said 8 years ago
And it is written: Man shall not live on beer alone.
Load More Replies... Daniel Losinger 8 years ago
Racism? Do you mean nationalism? Foreign countries are nations not races.
Jilltdcatlady 8 years ago
I see it as a metaphor, not literal. When you eliminate what is not in "your group" you become a racist. Hence excluding everything Not German.
Load More Replies... Susan DeShiro 8 years ago
For me, buying local isn't about racism. It's about fresher food and supporting the local farmers. While I see your point and applaud your efforts, I would be okay with this.
Michael Taroni 8 years ago
As an Italian, i'd say this will be utterly b******t: as one of the four great country for Cuisine (New York Times said that), I can produce all my food by myself, but at what cost? I mean, my pasta is sure the best you can find, so are my wines and my cheese, but even if I can produce great beers, i can't emulate the incredible taste that some GermanDutchIrish beer have, or the German Wurst for example. What about Indian spice? Greek Feta? Or hell, some Japanese imported food, even Bananas from tropical counteries have another taste compared to mine. I don't say it's not possibile to live by the products your country offers, but why losing so much in a term of taste?
Load More Replies... Melissa Van Giezen 8 years ago
I think it's jus stupid. I don't know anyone against immigration and other cultures...it's illegal immigration and people who don't want to assimilate that are the issue. Like when a man refuses to leery his wife shake hands with another man; they should not move to a country where that is expected. It's not that hard to understand.
Leslie Barron 8 years ago
Growing up in NY in the 1960's many of my friends had grandparents living with them that by trump's standards would have been considered unassimilated. They barely spoke English, only went to certain familiar places were like like immigrants were. It took everything they had to even do that. It was the next generations' path to assimilate. And they did.
Load More Replies... Marysia Jawłowska 8 years ago
It's one of those annoying cases when somebody wants to prove a point I wholeheartedly agree with but I somehow feel like they gave more ammunition to the opposite side. Because, frankly, when it comes to food and economy it's considered unhealthy when the local product makes up for such a small percentage of all stock. The main message I get is how people are unnecessarily buying foreign products and it makes me think about how it harms German farmers and producers. Plus locally grown veggies are always superior to imported ones. Sane people don't buy Spanish tomatoes in the middle of tomatoe season. So I can't really appreciate that initiative, somebody seriously didn't think what they're doing.
S Missions 8 years ago
This is Eurozone.. economically speaking, all of Europe is the same country. They use the same currency, they can travel freely within each other's borders. There is less of an impact from imports because of this. I don't think Germans eat a whole lot of fresh vegetables to be honest.
Load More Replies... Oliver Trific 8 years ago
The point was to stage a viral marketing campaign. Nothing else. It was thought up by an ad company and a advertising production/film studio. Shared over and over everybody talks about Edeka (a German grocery store chain) over and over. There is no hidden agenda no morality, no nothing. Just about generating views and making the brand more known. Just search Edeka on YouTube.
Robert Youdontneedit 8 years ago
Absurd. Germans aren't "racist" against the Spanish, Greeks, French, etc., so this is a "statement" that demonstrates absolutely nothing.
Kate Baxter 8 years ago
Robert: And you know this for a fact that Germans' aren't against other nationalities? Then I can only see that you have not followed European news much in the last few years. The Italians are fed up with all the tourists in Venice because it is destroying their city and its infrastructure. The Spanish don't like other people in their country because they take up too much of the road space etc. The French hate the English because they are buying houses in their countryside and expect to be able to buy English products. The whole of the EU hates the UK because of Brexit. Everyone basically is hating everyone in the world. Where this chaos and hate will end is anyone's guess.
Load More Replies...
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