Butter matters [Danish Lurpak on board]

[Melburnian1]

There's no hyperbole, markis10.

The Australian dairy industry is a major exporter: A$9.5 billion a year:

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

 

[nlagalle]

I'm sure somewhere in the world someone is complaining that their countries airline is using Australian butter and not their own..

 

[Duffa]

Australian butter sucks!
It goes yellow within days of purchase and tastes semi-rancid in about the same time frame
I'd had enough of this last week and finally decided to cough up the $5 required for a little bit of European quality! Double the price of the local stuff.
And yes I'm rural
And yes one of my acquaintances is a dairy farmer
But thank goodness QF use the Danish product

 

[medhead]

There's no hyperbole, markis10.

The Australian dairy industry is a major exporter: A$9.5 billion a year:

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

Yep and butter is $8m of that amount. That is not major.

 

[Melburnian1]

One reason why butter is not a major component of the Australian dairy industry's exports is that because of the actions of the European Union in prohibiting imports, Australia or NZ cannot get its butter into those member countries.

All the more reason for QF, VA and others to consider stocking Australian or NZ, not Danish or other European, butter on board and in their lounges.

 

[markis10]

There's no hyperbole, markis10.

The Australian dairy industry is a major exporter: A$9.5 billion a year:

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

The sector is worth $9.5B a year, it does not export that much, check my link which is not a story from no news but an extract of ABS stats! Hyperbole very much so.

	2012/13	2013/14
Value (AUD)	Jul -	Jul	Jul -	Jul	% Change
Butter	10,000,514	8,694,317	-13.1%
Butter Oil	4,591,549	3,243,110	-29.4%
Cheddar **	20,081,237	15,957,345	-20.5%
Other Cheese **	33,051,230	30,936,587	-6.4%
Milk	10,001,399	11,219,200	12.2%
SMP	32,949,667	21,745,937	-34.0%
WMP	23,337,204	30,152,544	29.2%
Whey Products	9,639,724	6,740,134	-30.1%
Mixtures	41,175,811	45,958,814	11.6%
Other Dairy Products	11,438,487	16,285,939	42.4%
Total	196,266,822	190,933,927	-2.7%

 

[Danger]

Of course the fact that Australian diary is majority foreign owned makes the argument for somewhat redundant anyway, ie Parmalat and in the news this week, Fonterra-CIC

I wouldn't call the fact that the (presumably) thousands of Australians the dairy industry provides work for as "redundant".

Nonetheless, I'm of the view that, yes, Australian made should be a priority but it should not be the be-all and end-all. If Qantas is to be the premium airline that we all want it to be (and the one it claims to be) then sometimes that will mean purchasing goods overseas. There's no shame in admitting that Australia doesn't produce the best of everything. In such circumstances I think the main priority for purchasing off-shore goods should be ensuring the goods are produced ethically, such as not in a Bangladeshi sweatshop.

 

[Shelf]

Lets have them use nuttelex, butter problem solved

I can't believe it's not butter!

 

[dajop]

It works both ways, often get served AU or NZ butter on SQ and other carriers. It does vary a bit by port though. Even can recall having perhaps NZ butter on some Chinese domestic flights. I am sure QF are making their decision on cost grounds, different to items like whiskies, sparkling wines etc where quality is a prime consideration. They, like other businesses are, and should remain free to optimize their supply arrangements as they see fit. (Personally I don't think the Lurpak butter is any better or worse taste wise than ANZ butter, but it may have characteristics that make it better in the air. Or it may simply be cheaper.)

OT and FWIW most of the dairy products on everyday supermarket shelves here in Singapore are of Australian origin. This is also reflected in middle class supermarkets in other parts of Asia as well.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thankfully the very pleasant and genial RedRoo is browsing this thread so perhaps, just perhaps QF may in time choose to run down its stocks of Lurpak and ink a deal with Murray Goulburn, Fonterra or others in Oz (who produce the mini servings of butter that airlines and similar businesses need - perhaps not all dairy manufacturers in Oz do).

If I was RedRoo though, I'd be more concerned about the repeated adverse exposure for QF of two critical letters in a row in 'The Age'/ 'SMH" Saturday travel sections, because not only is this section read in print and online in a week by a much larger audience than would view AFF in a year, it is also composed of many AB (socioeconomic) quintile readers who may not join specialist forums such as AFF, but who nonetheless in many cases travel extensively.

Granted, the choice of butter supplier may not be what the Yanks call a 'deal breaker', but nonetheless it's one of the quirky little things that people remember (and maybe even mention to their friends or family around the dinner table for a few seconds).

RedRoo seems to constructively take all sorts of matters 'on board', so perhaps this is one he can mention to the FF or passenger experience head at QF.

 

[TonyHancock]

Thankfully the very pleasant and genial RedRoo is browsing this thread so perhaps, just perhaps QF may in time choose to run down its stocks of Lurpak and ink a deal with Murray Goulburn, Fonterra or others in Oz (who produce the mini servings of butter that airlines and similar businesses need - perhaps not all dairy manufacturers in Oz do).

Let's hope not. Lurpak is a premium brand and something I much prefer over the Australian equivalents.

Those that write to newspapers tend to be the vocal minority.

That said if QF was to pursue a buy Australian policy my mates and I reckon we can knock out a "she'll be right mate" equivalent to the A380. How hard can it be? A bit of extra large tubing, some seats, some computer stuff and a bit of wiring. Oh and some wings and the pointy thing at the end of the plane that keeps it stable.

 

[mannej]

I agree with Tony on this one...

I would think that QF would hardly e concerned about 2 letters into a paper regarding its choice of butter.

 

[medhead]

Qantas do already have stocks of Australian butter in the lounges.

 

[elbarto]

Lets not forget that the next queen of Denmark comes from Australia. Since some of you think that Qantas operates at the whim of foreign influences, what's to say that Princess Mary hasn't use her clout to force Qantas to use Lurpak?

 

[moa999]

What next, someone complaining that the Qantas plane was made in America (Boeing) or Europe (Airbus) or Canada (Bombardier), or that the plane did not have an Australian flag on it (Jetconnect) or that the small Coke can (an American brand) they received was actually made in Thailand and had Thai script on it, or the Jetfuel was imported from Singapore and drilled from a well in Malaysia.

 

[under the radar]

maybe.....just maybe... oz manufacturers/suppliers/businesses (whatever)...can't meet the supply/volume/packaging/distribution required by QF (or VA) ...at an attractive price... ANY business will source the most suitable product to best fulfill its requirements

 

[under the radar]

Lets not forget that the next queen of Denmark comes from Australia. Since some of you think that Qantas operates at the whim of foreign influences, what's to say that Princess Mary hasn't use her clout to force Qantas to use Lurpak?

i luv a good conspiracy theory

 

[Brettmcg]

Wow, it's so great that now I can earn triple QFF points when I purchase Lurpak butter at Woolworths!

No?

Oh sorry, my mistake...I thought we were in a forum dedicated to using and gaining benefit from the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

 

[greenfish]

Another vote in favour of Lurpak. It tastes great - and is reasonably spreadable.

Of course, if QF should only sell / use australian products, by the same argument shouldn't australians "buy local", and exclusively fly QF (or other majority australian owned airlines)?

Is it unaustralian to fly a foreign airline?

 

[cirqueboy]

*This is a rhetorical question so please don't post your answers here or PM them to me.

Seems that not the only one getting lengthy PM's from Melbournian1. He's been a bit busy of late.