Podcasts about Foodstuffs

There may simply be no avoiding a spike in inflation. Latest data from Infometrics and Foodstuffs shows grocery supplier cost inflation is rising again - reaching 2.2% in the year to May. Many economists now expect CPI inflation to surpass four-percent in the year to June. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking that a US-Iran peace deal probably won't change much in the short term. He says businesses are waiting to see ships carrying oil moving again through the Strait of Hormuz. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First's made a campaign promise to break up the country's supermarket duopoly in a bid to lower grocery prices. It said Woolworths and Foodstuffs dominate more than 80 percent of the market, driving up costs and squeezing suppliers. The party's plan is to split Foodstuffs into two competing cooperatives and ramp up enforcement powers and fines. Earlier this month, Harvest Market, a new independent grocery store opened in East Christchurch. Owner Elliott Booth spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Finance Minister has raised some concerns over NZ First's bid to break up the supermarket duopoly. NZ First has announced that if re-elected, it will split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operates: one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave. Nicola Willis says it's good idea, but it needs to be carefully implemented. "That's why I've been taking my time working through proposals, looking very carefully at costs, very carefully at benefits, reviewing that, thinking about implementation - because I agree with Winston that the margins in our supermarket sector are very high." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First is heading into the election with a plan to break up the supermarket duopoly. If re-elected, the party's promising to split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operatives - one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave. Consumer NZ says the current Government's efforts to encourage a third player into the market have largely been unsuccessful. Head of Advocacy and Research, Gemma Rasmussen, has raised questions over this plan - and indicated it might not be the best solution to rising food prices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First is heading into the election with a plan to break up the supermarket duopoly. If re-elected, the party's promising to split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operatives - one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave. Consumer NZ says the current Government's efforts to encourage a third player into the market have largely been unsuccessful. Head of Advocacy and Research, Gemma Rasmussen, has raised questions over this plan - and indicated it might not be the best solution to rising food prices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday New Zealand First announced a campaign policy to break up New Zealand's supermarket duopoly. Woolworths and Foodstuffs currently control over 80 percent of the grocery market. NZ First leader Winston Peters told Mike Hosking he isn't pursuing this now because, "the National Party is not for it, the ACT Party is not for it. I mean, they've got their policies which are to stagger on with the Commerce Commission that's not working." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bunnings have begun rolling out facial recognition technology in its New Zealand stores, saying it's needed to protect staff and customers because violent incidents continue to rise, despite the fact we've got tough on crime, and we've had a bit of a crackdown. The first two stores to switch on the facial recognition technology are in Te Rapa and Hamilton South, both in the Waikato, but a nationwide rollout is planned. The company says the technology will help identify serious repeat offenders, it will reduce theft, and they do this after what they say is a sharp increase in threatening behaviour. Now this whole thing has taken forever for Bunnings. In Australia, Bunnings fought for four years to get permission to do this. There were courts involved, there were tribunals involved, there was a lot of controversy, and a four-year battle. Here, for Bunnings, it's only taken six months because Foodstuffs had already got approval from the Privacy Commissioner, so the hard work was done. But even so, six months for Bunnings to finally roll out a little bit of facial recognition in their stores. They worked hard at it, they've been taking privacy guidance. The Foodstuffs trial last year scanned 225 million faces and they deleted all the images within a minute, but there were concerns at the time about misidentification and bias and the need for strong safeguards, so Bunnings worked away at all of this. They hired a Māori digital sovereignty expert —who knew such a thing existed or was even needed— to make sure cultural considerations are built in. There is bilingual signage for the facial recognition, and if you think you've been wrongly identified as a bad guy, there are clear pathways for you to object to all of this. But you know, all this kafuffle about getting the permission shows all of us that there are still a load of people in this world who do not like the idea. There's more issues to come, but are you worried about the rise and rise and rise of facial recognition technology? Or do you have no problem with it because it's a tool to fight crime? Now all of this reminds me of debates I used to listen to on when Leighton Smith used to do this show. And he would do a show and it's all about freedom and liberty, and people would come on and say, “Oh, there's no problem, no problem at all, mate. If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear." And Leighton would say, “Yes, but bit by bit, little by little, our personal freedom and liberty is being stripped and replaced by an all-powerful state monitoring our every step and then controlling the way we behave. It's the threat of Big Brother." But the difference now that time has passed, it's not actually the state that's doing all the facial recognition, it's the corporate world. So it's not the state, it's the corporates, and the corporates seem to want to know every little thing about us. Your phone is monitoring where you are, what you do, what you look at, it's telling you what to think. And I get tired of being told what I should be listening to next by Spotify because they've looked at what I've listened to before and said, “well, this is you," and I go, “well, actually, I'm a broader, wider person than that, and stop bothering me." I'm tired of my car telling me how to drive, “your tyres are a little flat, would you like to check into the service centre?" No, I would not. I don't have the time right now. Would you shut up, car? I'm trying to drive. Facial recognition technology, do you have any problem with it? And I know you do because look how long it's taken to get approval and how many people have had conniptions about it and had worries about it, and the Privacy Commissioner has spent millions on it just investigating this sort of thing. Is this the rise and rise of Big Brother, or is this necessary as we fight crime? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest surge in fuel prices, and disruptions to supply chains - are being felt at the pump, but not yet at the checkout. Stats NZ is due to release its latest monthly inflation update on Friday. But new data from Infometrics and Foodstuffs shows grocery-supplier-cost-inflation actually dropped in March, from 2.3 percent to just 2.1. Vegetables New Zealand Chair John Murphy says told Mike Hosking rising costs are yet to translate into higher prices. He says suppliers appear to be absorbing the higher costs so far, but it's unclear what will happen next. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A farmer has revealed he gets paid 60 cents for 1kg of peas - which were selling for $5.79 at the local Pak'n'Save. This has prompted questions about where the extra margin goes, especially following the planned closures at McCain and Watties. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin says it's unclear where the $5.79 figure came from. "It's certainly not easy, and I think that's what we're seeing with McCain and Watties - it's pretty tragic news." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 2 April, 2026, Donald Trump says the US is "very close" to finishing its war with Iran - we talk to a former Republican communications director about the real motive behind the president's speech. Why a temporary boost to mileage rates for home and community support workers has come just in time. Foodstuffs boss Chris Quin explains why you're paying so much for some items at the supermarket. And on The Huddle, Oscar Kightley and Tim Wilson say yes it is real - we're going to the moon again, just like more than 50 years ago. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Come along to Tel Aviv today to listen to Naama Nicotra's brain wave. She looked at her recycling and garbage and realized much of it was food packaging; plastic everywhere. It was likely some of this - because it was in contact with the food - was also being ingested. She said we are wanting the contents of the package but not the packaging itself. But what if the packaging could dissolve... magically disappear. What could we learn from nature. NakedPak was just a concept and now its time has come; no petrochemicals. It does not steal from the food stream: it is not made from potatoes or corn. NakedPak imparts no flavour nor calories. Listen along and get ready for a revolution!

A farmer has revealed he gets paid 60 cents for 1kg of peas - which were selling for $5.79 at the local Pak'n'Save. This has prompted questions about where the extra margin goes, especially following the planned closures at McCain and Watties. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin says it's unclear where the $5.79 figure came from. "It's certainly not easy, and I think that's what we're seeing with McCain and Watties - it's pretty tragic news." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the fuel shortages bite, worsening the cost of living crisis, and food processors Watties and McCain plan to close some of their plants - there are renewed calls from a food advocacy group to prioritise more food for domestic consumption. Eat New Zealand, which has a membership of farmers, fishers, food manufacturers, chefs and consumers, is highlighting a growing trend to import food, raising concerns over resilience of supply for local consumption. Its chief executive Angela Clifford says the group would like a strategy to support both commercial manufacture destined to be sent overseas, and secure domestic food supplies for New Zealanders. Foodstuffs sent these comments over food security and local supplies. New Zealanders can be confident that food supply remains secure. While there are cost pressures in parts of the supply chain - including fuel - there is no indication of any risk to the availability of food in our stores. We have long-standing relationships with New Zealand growers and manufacturers, including partners like Wattie's, who have produced a significant portion of our Own Brand frozen vegetables. We value the role local growers play and recognise how important it is to keep food production viable in New Zealand.

Business is blossoming for the Christchurch supermarket trying to take on Woolworths and Foodstuffs, despite increases in the price of fuel. Co-owner of Christchurch's Kai Co, Ethan Vickery spoke to Corin Dann.

Food prices have surged, with supermarket shoppers braced for even higher totals at the till. Prices are up 4.5%, with mince up 23%. The conflict in the Middle East has the potential to exacerbate that, with potential supply chain disruptions related to fuel, if it drags on. Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin spoke to Corin Dann.

Cost increases from the war in Iran haven't hit supermarket shelves yet, Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin says. The latest food price index, published on Tuesday, showed food costs up 4.5% in the year to February, largely driven by red meat, but those increases came prior to the first attack on Iran on February 28th. Quin told Mike Hosking Foodstuffs was trying to anticipate what the conflict would mean for New Zealand food prices. "We are definitely seeing… dramatic increases in the cost of diesel, which is all about our supply chain fleet. And we're seeing our suppliers start to tell us that they really are seeing component costs like plastics start to increase pretty rapidly," he said. The good news was that supply was not a risk. "Our supply comes down through around the bottom of South Africa rather than coming through the Straits of Hormuz. So we are not concerned about having products on shelf. What we are keeping a very careful eye on is what is happening to cost. "The company's own truck fleet, which moves product from warehouses to Foodstuffs stores, would see a multi-million dollar impact from diesel prices in the next few months. "We're absorbing that at this point to try and do everything we can to have it minimise the impact on New Zealanders on shelf. But there is, if this continues, it is going to be very difficult to suppress.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foodstuffs is again trying to bring its North and South Island operations under one roof, after failing two years ago. The company's heading to the High Court to appeal a 2024 Commerce Commission decision blocking its plan. Grocery Action Group chair, Sue Chetwin, says letting it do so would only strengthen the duopoly. She says upstream, suppliers would have less choice on whom they could sell goods. "So at the moment, they've got the North Island and the South Island Foodstuffs and Woolworths - but if you merged the North and South Island Foodstuffs, you'd be down to two." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foodstuffs is again trying to bring its North and South Island operations under one roof, after failing two years ago. The company's heading to the High Court to appeal a 2024 Commerce Commission decision blocking its plan. Grocery Action Group chair, Sue Chetwin, says letting it do so would only strengthen the duopoly. She says upstream, suppliers would have less choice on whom they could sell goods. "So at the moment, they've got the North Island and the South Island Foodstuffs and Woolworths - but if you merged the North and South Island Foodstuffs, you'd be down to two." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been revealed UK supermarket giant Tesco declined the Finance Minister's invitation for a meeting to discuss the issues in our grocery sector. Nicola Willis announced a request for information last year, aiming to explore what barriers prevented a new competitor from breaking up Woolworths and Foodstuffs duopoly. The supermarket opted not to participate in the process, alongside two other supermarket giants, Aldi and Lidl. Grocery policy expert Ernie Newman says this news is disappointing, but not all that surprising. "I think any international firm would need rocks in its head to come into New Zealand at the present time - the Commerce Commission and some of the experts in the field reckon they would need 120 to 150 new stores almost from day one...that's the wrong way to go." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The owner of a new supermarket in Christchurch says sales in the first three days were more than double what they expected. Ethan Vickery and his father Shane opened Kai Co to give shoppers an alternative to the Woolworths and Foodstuffs supermarket duopoly. Ethan spoke to Lauren Crimp.

While parts of the country experienced scorching temperatures yesterday, other areas were hit with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Napier almost broke a near 50-year record, reaching 36 degrees; New details in the Manage My Health data breach show more than 80,000 of the 125,000 patients affected by the hack are based in Northland; Kiwi-based Iranians are watching with worry as Iranian military forces continue their violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. Forough Amin who has been in New Zealand for 11 years, says she hasn't heard from her family in Iran since the phones and internet were switched off there; The owner of a new supermarket in Christchurch says sales in the first three days were more than double what they expected. Ethan Vickery and his father Shane opened Kai Co to give shoppers an alternative to the Woolworths and Foodstuffs supermarket duopoly; Scrabble boards were put to serious use as New Zealand hosted its first national women's Scrabble championship in Auckland. Twenty competitors battled for the title, with Joanne Craig finishing third after losing her final match to the eventual champion.

New data commissioned by Foodstuffs shows grocery suppliers lifted prices by an average 2.4% in the 12 months to November. Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen spoke to Corin Dann.

A North Shore supermarket is trailing how much schools and other organisations could gain from a money back scheme on empty drink bottles and cans. Sandy Botterill, from New World's parent company Foodstuffs, spoke to Mel Chan-Green.

Reusable containers will be free if returned but will cost $3 if not returned within 4 weeks.Foodstuffs sustainable packaging manager Debra Goulding spoke to Corin Dann.

A New World worker's taken to social media to complain about an incoming water bottle ban. A Reddit user made a post stating their store's banning staff from having their bottles at checkout, with management telling them they can drink during breaks. Rudd Hughes from the Workers First Union says this isn't the first time they've seen this, and might stem from customer service concerns. "But actually, if you've got hydrated people who are comfortable and happy, they're going to give much better customer service than people who are dying for a drink." A Foodstuffs spokesperson says policies vary between stores, but they expect store teams to be reasonable. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big box wholesale supermarket chain Costco has its eyes on expansion, and a new "express lane" for supermarket developments will help that happen, according to the Minister for Economic growth. Nicola Willis today unveiled policy changes that the government believes will help boost competition in the grocery market that's curently dominated by two chains; Woolworths and Foodstuffs. Minister for Economic Growth, Nicola Willis spoke to Lisa Owen.

A new use for “ugly” fruit, with two Kiwi dads turning a hobby into a business. Fruit Cru makes use of seconds, the ugly fruit from local orchards that doesn't make it to export, turning it into organic wine. Since starting in 2021, they now produce about 10,000 bottles each year, and have signed a deal with Foodstuffs to stock their beverages in five supermarkets in the Wellington region. Co-founder Cosmo Hawke told Mike Hosking there's a shortage of fruit for traditional wine, but at the same time things like cherries, apples, and feijoas were going unpicked. He says as far as they can tell, they're the only ones making a beverage in this way, and it could only be done in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Stats NZ figures says food prices in our 15 main cities have increased five-percent in the past year -- with grocery prices rising much faster than restaurant and takeaway prices. But Foodstuffs says prices in its stores have only increased 3.4 percent. Foodstuffs North Island Managing Director Chris Quin told Mike Hosking that much of that rise is being driven by beef, lamb and butter. Quinn says consumers can get good value with frozen chickens, leg roasts and many winter vegetables. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New World shoppers have been left disappointed by the supermarket's latest giveaway, as key items have been running out weeks into the promotion. The braiser is both the most sought after - and most expensive - item up for grabs, but many customers have reported a shortage of stock. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin says 70,000 of these braisers were ordered, but the company didn't expect this level of demand. "Guessing what mix of the five or six items we have in this promotion would be desired and where they would sit - we get international advice, we get local advice, we give it our best shot." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 6 August 2025, Transport Minister Chris Bishop explains why he's replacing fuel taxes with road user charges for everyone - and how long it's going to take to actually happen. Unemployment has risen to 5.2% - the highest rate since 2020. So how much worse is it going to get? The Grocery Commissioner Pierre Van Heerden tells Heather supermarket competition is still a big problem looking for a big answer. Foodstuffs boss Chris Quin explains why New World is yet again running out on its most sought after promotional product. Plus, the Huddle on the surprising number of shots that police fired last year. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New World is denying allegations it's passing over workers who lost their jobs after a fire destroyed a flagship store in supermarket. 189 people employed at the Victoria Park supermarket get their last pay cheque on Monday. Foodstuffs said it was optimistic about finding jobs for the workers at a new store in Point Chevalier but Workers First Union said that of the 80 positions on offer at the new store only half are being filled with staff from Victoria Park. It's also raised concerns about older and disabled workers missing out on positions. Organiser with Workers First Union, Jas Giri spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Commerce Commission is taking Foodstuffs North Island and its subsidiary Gilmours Wholesale to court, citing what it labels 'cartel conduct'. The regulator has alleged that the retailers pressured a supplier into an agreement to redirect supply through them. Competition lawyer Andy Matthews says it's all allegations at this stage, but New Zealand has very 'broad' cartel laws. "What it means is - pretty much any agreement with an actual or potential competitor probably has a cartel provision. And it's up to the party who's entered into the alleged cartel provision to demonstrate an exception that the Commerce Act applies." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's issued a fresh warning to the major supermarket chains. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis has written a letter to Woolworths, and Foodstuffs' North Island and South Island arms, outlining her expectations. She says she's hearing of supermarkets charging more than the advertised price, and having specials and multi-buy deals that don't actually offer savings. Willis told Mike Hosking that's not good enough. She says supermarkets have publicly said again and again that they do everything they can to be good providers of service, but this doesn't look like that. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A supermarket boss says the first look inside a popular shopping spot ravaged by fire in central Auckland was a confronting scene. 24 hours after a massive blaze broke out New World Victoria Park forcing shoppers to abandon their trolleys and vehicles, the building was given back to Foodstuffs today. Staff and shoppers were emotional seeing their workplace and beloved local supermarket in ruins. Jessica Hopkins reports. 

Five firefighter crews remained overnight to keep watch on the central Auckland supermarket which was engulfed by a fire for much of Tuesday. Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

It's being suggested the pricey cost of our food baskets is great for the economy but bad for our wallets. Food inflation has risen 4.4% annually, the highest in 18 months. Meat, poultry and fish had the biggest increases, while butter, milk and cheese drove grocery prices. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin told Mike Hosking increases in foods like Kiwifruit and butter is fantastic for New Zealand's economy, but tough for households. Quin says they're doing everything they can, but they can't contain the same costs of energy and people. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour Minister Stuart Nash and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government wants state owned enterprises to pick up its game - or else? Chris Luxon has ruled out asset sales this term, but do we think they're on the horizon? The Privacy Commissioner has given the thumbs up to Foodstuffs' facial recognition software. Would we mind if this technology was rolled out nation-wide? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foodstuffs is hoping to bring retail crime down after a successful trial of live facial recognition technology. The Privacy Commissioner has deemed Foodstuffs North Island's trial compliant with the Privacy Act, and effective in reducing harm. But his report states there's more work to do. General Counsel for Foodstuffs North Island, Julian Benefield, says retail crime has put staff at risk - and the company's hoping to change that. "Our trial has been a success, it found that technology was effective in reducing harm. Our independent evaluator found a 16 percent reduction in serious harm incidents across the trial period - and over 100 serious incidents avoided." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An inquiry from the privacy commission into Foodstuffs' facial recognition trial says it needs improvements before it's used more broadly or permanently. Lawyer for Foodstuffs North Island Julian Benefield spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Foodstuffs North Island's facial recognition trial might have the tick of approval overall, but there's still work to do. The Privacy Commission's ruled the trial was compliant with the Privacy Act and was successful in reducing harmful behaviour. But Commissioner Michael Webster told Mike Hosking they're recommending Foodstuffs keep systems updated and review impacts of skin tone on identification accuracy. Webster says there are still concerns over technical bias issues due to the software coming from overseas. It's also made recommendations for other interested businesses. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new plan is being touted as a way to fast track shaking up the grocery sector. The New Zealand Initiative is proposing allowing new entrants to enter the market, rather than forcing any break-up of the existing supermarket companies. It outlines the need for fast track plans for rezoning, consenting, overseas investment clearance, and a more neutral stance from the government. Chief Economist Eric Crampton told Mike Hosking a new entrant should get a head start. He says within five years the government would find out whether planning barriers are what's held companies back. Foodstuffs and Woolworths are both members of the New Zealand Initiative. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soaring food prices might be hard to swallow. Stats NZ figures reveal prices rose 3.7% annually last month, with increases across all food categories. Butter prices increased 65.3%, milk and cheese went up 15.1% and 24% respectively. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin told Mike Hosking there's pressure on products we're getting export success from. He says it's a fantastic part of the story, but the impact on consumer is clear. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A convenience store chain looking to bust up the big supermarket duopoly has a shopping list of what's needed to achieve that. The Woolworths and Foodstuffs chains dominate New Zealand's supermarket sector. A 2022 Commerce Commission report found they're making more than a million dollars in excess profits every day. Night ‘n Day chain general manager Matthew Lane spoke to Lisa Owen.

On Sunday, Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, announced plans to combat the supermarket duopoly between Foodstuffs and Woolworths. This could include breaking-up or restructuring the current chains, with Cabinet also announcing a formal request for information, or RFI, into the matter. For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel,  spoke to Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp about this announcement, and whether she, and the party, thinks this will be enough to address food accessibility in Aotearoa. We also discussed the comments made by Green MP, Tamatha Paul, about the police, and whether she believes these comments have become sensationalised. Finally, we discussed the party's calls for mandatory police body cameras. But first, they started off by asking Kemp about how the party are feeling about Nicola Willis' most recent announcements into the supermarket duopoly.

As briefly touched on earlier, changes to how the supermarket duopoly in the country have been put forward by Finance Minister, Nicola Willis. Currently there are only two major supermarket chains in the country: Woolworths and Foodstuffs, with this move aiming to establish alternative options to how these companies operate. News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to the Chief Executive of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy, about these developments, and how the organisation are feeling about them. They started off by asking him how much of a concern the current duopoly is.

The Government has said all options are on the table as Finance Minister Nicola Willis issues a six-week request for information. Willis threatened to break up the current supermarket players, floating the idea of restructuring the two existing supermarket chains. Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quinn talks to Mike Hosking about the announcement. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, it's an episode 251 extravaganza as David and Matt sit down to review The Sixth Doctor's best story (apparently) 'Revelation Of The Daleks'.Doctor Who theme by Ron Grainer, arranged by Alexander Erben.Talk to us! Email: timenorspacepod@gmail.comTwitter: @timenorspacepod 

There are positive signs of inflationary pressures easing in supermarkets. Latest data from Infometrics and Foodstuffs shows suppliers charged supermarkets 1.8% more last month than the same month last year. That's the lowest increase in more than three years. Infometrics Chief Executive Brad Olsen says many fruit and vegetables have been getting cheaper, while dairy prices are driving costs increases. He says chocolate, coffee, and noodles are also seeing jumps. Olsen told Mike Hosking that it's not perfect, but it's in a much better position. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ boss Jon Duffy joins Kathryn to highlight his organisation's concerns over the recently completed FRT trial in Foodstuffs stores.

We're returning to the theme of renaming, for two food-related renamings: the first one that mostly happened, the second that mostly did not - but in a good way. Dr Erin Pritchard persuaded a British supermarket to rebrand a type of sweets that had a slur in their name. And Chris Strikes recounts the renaming conflict that was the Toronto Patty Wars of 1985. Content note: the first part of the episode concerns an ableist slur, so there are incidences of that slur, and discussion of ableism and later anti-Black racism. Find out more about this episode and the topics therein and read the transcript at theallusionist.org/gemsandpatties. This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. Martin Austwick of Neutrino Watch and Song By Song podcasts provides the Allusionist music. Become a member of the Allusioverse at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you get regular livestreams and watchalong parties - AND to hang out with your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community. You can also sign up for free to receive occasional email reminders about Allusionist stuff. The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch via facebook.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, youtube.com/allusionistshow and twitter.com/allusionistshow. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk lovingly and winningly about your product or thing on the show in 2024, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by: • Catan, the endlessly reconfigurable social board game. Shop at catanshop.com/allusionist and get 10% off the original base game CATAN by using the promo code ALLUSIONIST at checkout. • Ravensburger, who make the world's largest Disney jigsaw puzzle - 40,320 pieces! As well as many other sizes of puzzles. Buy Ravensburger puzzles in your preferred puzzle emporium.• Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. • Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist. Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.