Supermarket Removes All Foreign Food From Shelves To Make A Point About Racism, And Here’s The Result
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James Gould-Bourn Community member
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.
Image credits: holger
Image credits: NikoGeorgarakos
Image credits: heinzinger
Image credits: CEN
Image credits: CEN
Image credits: heinzinger
Image credits: CEN
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This makes a great point, and without the need to scream and get in everyone's faces. Good move. :D
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.
I agree. A point can be made without shouting or violence. I'm your basic white chick, living in Southern California. However, I love to cook and I love to eat - and that can't happen easily WITHOUT embracing diversity. I couldn't imagine going to the grocery store and not finding: Kalamata olives & Feta cheese from Greece, San Remo tomatoes or Tuscan 3x virgin pressed Olive Oil from Italy, Himalayan Sea Salt, Cinnamon from Sri Lanka, Nutmeg from Indonesia or the Korean Kimchi my husband loves from the local asian market, personally made by the owner's Grandmother.
the great world we live in, here here.
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Oh I get it. And they will get it too when they have to get their cut-throats off of Muslim knives.
Baron, it's "senseless". Dave, thanks for being here so I don't start yelling at them...
Yes senseless and stupid. Created for advertising reasons. In German history was a boycott of Jewish businesses in 1933.
Agree John. Much better way of making a point without getting someone's "ire" up.
The same problem was in Russia till 2014 year! Half of apples, cheese were of foreign production. Russians accepted 3 million refugees from Ukraine and developed the agro-production to provide themselves with the food. The prices for food will grow this year because the weather was abnormal. A part of harvest was lost because of the floods or of the draught.
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What point does it make when even Hitler, who is considered the most racist men of all time had economical trade with different races of other nations.
I think the point is more about showing how much other cultures impact our daily lives, i.e. the selection of foods we have available to us every day. I don't think it's about trade. It's about diversity.
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Hitler, the most racist man ever? LMFAO, you need to do some reading.
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Agree. Totally senceless.
Spare a moment for the lowly stockers who had to take all the items off the shelves and then put them back!
dear god I hope they got overtime
It's Germany; they have actual labor laws that are actually enforced; if they worked OT they got paid for it. :D
You beat me to it! When I looked at the empty shelves, the first that came to mind was the sheer tonnage of work it took to pull it off.
If they were mexican in America... Nope. lol.
Overtime is a thing of the past nowadays.
Think of all the extra hours the stocker got if they were only part time! What comes off the shelf does need to go back on, but it takes time and they get paid by the hour so it makes a bigger pay cheque for them.
Was thinking the same thing. :)
No worries. Most of them were probably migrants anyway. ;-)
No worries. Most of them were probably migrants anyway. ;-)
they were probably all foreigners having to work minimum wage...shelves arent the only things that will be empty after Brexit in the UK....who will pick the fields?
I wonder if they scrapped the dole.. might solve the problem.
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did you miss the point or what?
As can be expected for Germany, there was still plenty of beer.
And it is written: Man shall not live on beer alone.
If anyone can do it the Germans can.
oh yeah? Hold my beer.
We also have Sauerkraut and Currywurst... all is fine!
Clearly you've never been to Canada.
They wanted to make a point, not to start a Civil War
The point was Germany makes a lot of beer, not that they didn't cut the diversify of beer.
Beer and brats, the basis of a good diet!
Beer vending machines FTW.
...and bratwurst
This makes a great point, and without the need to scream and get in everyone's faces. Good move. :D
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.
I agree. A point can be made without shouting or violence. I'm your basic white chick, living in Southern California. However, I love to cook and I love to eat - and that can't happen easily WITHOUT embracing diversity. I couldn't imagine going to the grocery store and not finding: Kalamata olives & Feta cheese from Greece, San Remo tomatoes or Tuscan 3x virgin pressed Olive Oil from Italy, Himalayan Sea Salt, Cinnamon from Sri Lanka, Nutmeg from Indonesia or the Korean Kimchi my husband loves from the local asian market, personally made by the owner's Grandmother.
the great world we live in, here here.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Oh I get it. And they will get it too when they have to get their cut-throats off of Muslim knives.
Baron, it's "senseless". Dave, thanks for being here so I don't start yelling at them...
Yes senseless and stupid. Created for advertising reasons. In German history was a boycott of Jewish businesses in 1933.
Agree John. Much better way of making a point without getting someone's "ire" up.
The same problem was in Russia till 2014 year! Half of apples, cheese were of foreign production. Russians accepted 3 million refugees from Ukraine and developed the agro-production to provide themselves with the food. The prices for food will grow this year because the weather was abnormal. A part of harvest was lost because of the floods or of the draught.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
What point does it make when even Hitler, who is considered the most racist men of all time had economical trade with different races of other nations.
I think the point is more about showing how much other cultures impact our daily lives, i.e. the selection of foods we have available to us every day. I don't think it's about trade. It's about diversity.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hitler, the most racist man ever? LMFAO, you need to do some reading.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Agree. Totally senceless.
Spare a moment for the lowly stockers who had to take all the items off the shelves and then put them back!
dear god I hope they got overtime
It's Germany; they have actual labor laws that are actually enforced; if they worked OT they got paid for it. :D
You beat me to it! When I looked at the empty shelves, the first that came to mind was the sheer tonnage of work it took to pull it off.
If they were mexican in America... Nope. lol.
Overtime is a thing of the past nowadays.
Think of all the extra hours the stocker got if they were only part time! What comes off the shelf does need to go back on, but it takes time and they get paid by the hour so it makes a bigger pay cheque for them.
Was thinking the same thing. :)
No worries. Most of them were probably migrants anyway. ;-)
No worries. Most of them were probably migrants anyway. ;-)
they were probably all foreigners having to work minimum wage...shelves arent the only things that will be empty after Brexit in the UK....who will pick the fields?
I wonder if they scrapped the dole.. might solve the problem.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
did you miss the point or what?
As can be expected for Germany, there was still plenty of beer.
And it is written: Man shall not live on beer alone.
If anyone can do it the Germans can.
oh yeah? Hold my beer.
We also have Sauerkraut and Currywurst... all is fine!
Clearly you've never been to Canada.
They wanted to make a point, not to start a Civil War
The point was Germany makes a lot of beer, not that they didn't cut the diversify of beer.
Beer and brats, the basis of a good diet!
Beer vending machines FTW.
...and bratwurst