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The Food Show: The low price and low supply of generic foods

For 12 years, The Food Show took listeners inside the food business, exploring news and trends in food production, marketing and consumption. Beginning in 1978, host Jim Wright – a former circus ringmaster – navigated through the gastronomical gamut as listeners learned all about the food business. From important news to tips on camel-milking or microwave cookery, The Food Show offered a wealth of information on anything food-related.

Many Ontarians are loving generic products. The no-frills packaging and lack of advertising make for products comparable to brand name ones, just 10-40 per cent cheaper. The catch is that the retailers can't promise those products will always be on the shelves. In this 1978 clip from The Food Show, George Price talks to consumer affairs minister Warren Almand about the concept and marketing of generic products.
• The American retailer Jewel Companies is credited as the first to sell generic products, starting in 1977. Jewel later opened several No Frills stores, but the experiment was unsuccessful. Generic products did not reach wide acceptance in the U.S. until a recession in the early 1980s forced many shoppers to take value over brand loyalty.
Medium: Radio
Program: The Food Show
Broadcast Date: March 26, 1978
Guest(s): Warren Almand
Host: Jim Wright
Interviewer: George Price
Duration: 1:53
Photo: Elephi Pelephi/Flickr Creative Commons

Last updated: January 30, 2012

Page consulted on March 26, 2013

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