If you go looking for the Lochmuir salmon on the world map, chances are that you will never find the location that is because there is no such farm as Lochmuir. Surprised? Don’t be because this and other such products are such premium ‘lies’, which various supermarkets use to lure customers. If you don’t believe this, read on and decide for yourself:-

1) Lochmuir Salmon

Let’s begin with this first. Did you know that Marks & Spencer is currently selling 11,000 tonnes of ‘Lochmuir’ salmon every year? The fish actually sold comes from Scottish farms because there is no such location as ‘Lochmuir.’

2) Oakham’s Chicken

The chickens sold at the supermarket ‘Oakham’ are actually from farms all over East Anglia, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, instead of a Rutland farm.

3) More Lies

These are just two of the numerous such products, which the supermarkets are using to lure customers in. While some products are being touted as coming from completely new places, not found anywhere on the globe, some product names use ‘ambiguous’ language such as ‘hearty’ and ‘rich’ to baffle the customer into making purchases. Sample some more examples:
 

a.      Tesco Willow Farm Chicken – There is no Willow Farm as such, chicken comes from barns all over the country.

b.     Quaker Oats – Its ‘Raspberry’ and ‘Pomegranate’ porridges contain no fruit, only flavor.

c.     Homepride Beef in Ale cooking sauce – This one’s actually a laughing ‘stock’ because though it is promoted as ‘rich and hearty’, it actually contains just 4% ale and no beef stock at all.

d.     Covent Garden Wild Mushroom soup – Would you still buy this soup if you are told that it contains 18% normal mushrooms and only 0.6% dried wild mushrooms?

e.      Tesco Mango & Passion Fruit Smoothie – This smoothie has only 4% passion fruit puree, which doesn’t really qualify it to be called a Passion Fruit Smoothie!

The fact that Marks & Spencer was, at one time, titled the greenest supermarket, doesn't hold weight in view of this news. However, it is ironic that the supermarkets are not doing anything illegal while selling such products because they are just doing so to fulfill their branding needs. The only thing the supermarkets are playing at is the customers’ need to look for the location of a product, which forces them to go for products that come from a definite location. As explained by a market expert, “Using a place name can create the illusion of a more personal shopping experience like a farmers’ market, or evoke images of a specific location. And with more of us interested in where food comes from, clever branding can help sell products.”