Arnolds Fined $1,200 For Veggie Swap
Arnolds Supermarkets Ltd. was fined $1200 in Magistrates’ Court today [Dec 16] for attempting to pass off imported vegetables as Bermuda-grown.
Arnolds’ operations manager admitted importing broccoli and carrots to Bermuda between January 24 and March 9. Carrots are embargoed in Bermuda to prevent the introduction of rust disease. Other vegetables are periodically embargoed to boost Bermudian farmers.
The Crown Counsel told the court officers of the plant protection section of Environmental Protection visited Arnold’s Grocery Store on St. Johns Road, Pembroke on March 9, 2010 after receiving a tip. “They found fresh imported carrots, broccoli and cauliflower that had been repackaged,” he said.
The supermarket chain was fined $600 on each count.
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how can a company be penalized for importing fresh veg? The stuff here in the winter is crap – and the six month long annual carrot shortage is ridiculous.
How can a person eat healthy in Bda when there are 6000 junkfood choices to a handful of fresh food and veg choices? And how do we instill good food choices in our kids when we don’t give any to them?
Worried about importing diseases? Then irradiate them (works for Australia!). Worried about hurting Bermuda farmers? Have the embargoes in place when they actually have some decent produce to supply. If they can’t meet the demand, then import. These silly laws date back to the 1960′s… might be time to update them.
And besides, wouldn’t the magistrates court’s time be better spent prosecuting the real villains… like the ones with guns and drugs, etc.
The veggies were being sold under the guise of being Bermudian produce.
Or did you not read the full story.
The sad thing is the fine…! Arnolds will make back that $1200 before the days over.
Grow your own crops and dont eat at the 6000 junkfood choices that you are talking about and you can always use frozen vegetables as some of the brands are healthy.
But I am glad that this was done and hopefully other stores will finally stop passing off imported as local. The enviornmental protection department should also check the fishermen that sell imported fish as local lobsters included along the roadside on fridays and the restaurants selling imported fish on the menu and advertising it as local. Whether these laws date back as you state to the 1960′s or not the law is the law and what you should be asking is how far back has this been happening.
Just my little input from where i sit.
The stuff may be crap, but that’s not the issue here. Nor is it a question of choice of vegetables or of embargoes against importation. The issue is when the company presents one product as something else. You may think it matters little but a consumer who wants to buy local products wants to be confident that the product that says ‘grown in Bermuda’ actually is. And frankly, competing with local produce is not an issue. It’s unfair competition. Just make sure it’s competing as what it is so that consumers can make appropriate choices.
Also, it’s also not exactly honest to import a cheaper product but change the label and charge higher local prices. If someone sold you a Megane with a BMW label and you found out you were charged an extra $10,000 as a result, I don’t think you would be so fatuous about wasting the magistrates’ time.
it was a honest mistake.At no time did we hide anything or call it local.
Honest mistake it says in the article they were repackaged!!!!! You need to look up both words in the dictionary so you can see the difference because as I see it,it was dishonest and deliberate… Please stop taking people for fools
good enough for them…greed has no limits it seems.
Well done to the Bermuda Department of Environmental Protection and the members of the public involved in ensuring that this breach in law was revealed and accounted for. Our Bermudian farmers need all the protection they can get from the introduction of food stuffs that would undercut their ability to sell, especially during peak season for harvesting specific crops. The prevention of the importation of plant diseases is extremely important so as to not cause further harm to an already fragile industry. Personally, I feel that the fine could have been larger so as to effectively discourage this practice which has undoubtedly negatively affected Bermuda farmers over the years. All in all, good job.
If only taxpayers received the same protection from politicians eroding the public purse for personal gain.
If only you could find fresh Bermuda carrots this time of year, then MAYBE we’d be hurting the farmers.
@ ANY RATE WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE..I’M SURE THAT THE VEGETABLES DID NOT JUST APPEAR OUT OF THE SKY AND SAY “LET’S GO JUMP ON THE SHELVES AT ARNOLD’S!” AREN’T REFRIGERATED CONTAINERS CHECKED BY CUSTOMS? SURELY THEY KNOW THE TIME FRAME FOR EMBARGOED PRODUCE…SO SOMEONE LET THEM IN.
Hmmmm. here in Atlanta yesterday, an airport Customs officer was caught in a ecstasy pill/money/weapons trafficking scheme. He (and his wife) sold themselves to the highest bidder, so it does happen, but I believe our Bermuda customs officers are very aboveboard and honest.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/16/customs.officer.arrest/
If you say so Mr. Raynor (Bermuda customs officers are very aboveboard and honest)…..because it’s not only vegetables that are getting in..Hmmmm
I agree with you as I was reading the article I was thinking the same thing about customs having to check the Container’s. as well as someone knew & still let them in.
So who on the Customs side did not check the manifest to see what was imported?
What if there was unwanted pests in that shipment? What if there was a higher level of pesticides used that made people very ill?
Imported Christmas tress have gotten destroyed for those very reasons.
Arnolds actions could have endangered the whole island tree/plant species.
I guess with the customs officer shortage, Arnolds (and others) are taking extra chances importing things illegally
Only $1200 fine, they can make that back in one hour on a major shopping day.
Questions, questions, questions.
Is it the first time they’ve done this…..or the first time being caught. They allegedly even tried getting rid of the contraband when they realized the game was up. Arnolds should be fined x 10 the price tag on every bag of carrots he was trying to pass off as local
No we were told to get rid of it by the Environmental Protection Officer.
Do you normally hide things you want to resell in the trash?
Thats where they were put when we found out.
Get your facts straight.
It was a honest mistake
There it is again look at those words Get your facts straight it was a honest mistake, don’t ever use them again in that text!!!!! Does repackage mean anything to you… The Environmental Protection Officer great job keep up the good work and don’t take your eyes off this company. Customs officers check all manifest for this company strip the containers if you have to it was not the first time and it won’t be the last..
Anyone else find it sad that if i got caught with 2 grams of cannabis id get a much bigger fine then this?
WOW.So you are saying cannabis is the same as Carrots and Brocolli that was a honest mistake?
How can you import cannabis and say it was a honest mistake. Really?
Wow. So your saying Carrots and Brocolli were not on the embargo list can you honestly say now that this was an honest mistake. Really?
More importantly is the fact that the management was being dishonest when it imported the prdoduce and tried to pass it off as locally grown.
If this is the sort of management culture that is being cultivated, what else is being done illegally?!
Even more questions, questions, and questions.
Mr. Simmons,Please get your facts straight before you call my company dishonest. It was a honest mistake by a member of my managment team. I asure you i am above board in all my business dealings as i fully back my honest Staff and Managment team
Please your so arrogant the facts are straight your company imported merchandise on embargo repackaged it got caught fined £1200. anything else I missed are you Red Faced with embarrassment or just Red Faced with anger at getting caught please look up those 2 word Honest Mistake you clearly have it wrong…Would you put your head on a chopping block for your staff??
Perhaps the management of Arnold’s should run for public office. They seem to have the ability to mislead us. Nothing else required.
HA HA….yawn
BIGGER FINE PLEASE!!!! Time to update the books….The impact of this rust disease would hurt Farmers a whole lot more than $1600….that’s chump change to a grocer, let’s multiply this by 10!
If any grocery store was going to do this it would be price gouging Arnolds
I am sorry you feel that way.
I asure you we in no way gouge our customers in our pricing.Take the time and do real price comparisons around the island and you will see for yourself. I promise
Book’em Dan-O! Looks like the department of Bemuda-50 put those veggies on ice! Don’t you all know local produce holds it vitamin worth much better than foreign veggies which often have travelled long distances and also during refrigration they lose potency aswell. I agree it’s a big no-no trying to pass foreign produce off as local and charging the same prices. Kudos to the one who tipped off the authorites, Santa Claus has an extra nice gift for you this year! Peace Out!
Bda Skink
Bda Skink,they were never tried or passed off as local produce ever.
They were imported by mistake . End of story. It was a honest mistake
First of all people let’s get this story correct! There were no bags of carrots or bags of broccoli like the story head line picture portrays. No not true!!! They were imported in a vegetable mix, they just happen to have carrots in it. A customer that works at the D.E.P came to the store liked the item and purchased it. Not until taking it back to their office when they were informed the mix contained imported carrots. Arnold’s wasn’t trying to pass off imported vegetables for local vegetables that’s the true story .I’m sure Arnolds has learned their lesson and will be paying close attention to their future produce orders.. BERNEWS I’M SHOCKED!!! USUALLY YOU HAVE THE WHOLE TRUTH OF A STORY
wow you’re either a Loyal Customer or Mr Arnold himself…lindos here i come
No this is Mr. Arnold himself.It was a honest mistake and i am just seeing these coments made about this story and my company.
Thank you Loyal customer for getting your facts straight
Loyal Customer {LMAO} What part of the article don’t you understand? The veggies were repacked and sold as local, they had plenty chances to get rid of these non-allowed veggies but they were resold anyway. Just like someone said, that poster maybe someone who just works there, same like the big wigs who go to wikipedia and change articles so it reflects better on themselves. All the people crying about drugs are more important, well should they just the lesser offences pass because they are not as important, breaking the law is breaking the law, if a bug started to infest all our local crops cause of these illegal imports you’ll be crying then it’s a big deal!!
Bda Skink,the items were and have never been sold in my stoers as local if the were forigh.I am the son of a Bermudain farmer and i know better than that. Please get your facts striaght
We got weed comming in in containers and carrotts are the topic. Get a life people.
Sh#t..next you’ll be complaining that whole milk is white and Alaskins import hamburger……………………..
Pure Bermudian GREED!!
Nothing more…GREED!!
ok, just to inform the people that don’t know, customs doesn’t check every container imported since most fresh produce & meat containers come in on the sunday boat if they unloaded & checked every container there wouldn’t be any fresh produce or fresh meat on the store shelves on Mondays or Tuesdays.
Also at present there is way to many containers for customs to check on a weekly bases this is why they are putting in a x-ray machine to scan every container.
Carrots are on the premament embargo cause if imported in the whole form they could bring in bugs that would cripple the local farmers.
@ “In the know” maybe they should..the dock workers work on Sunday and so do the customs officers…like I said its reasoning like the one you have given that things other than vegetables are getting in..because the containers are NOT checked….as for the reason for the embargo we are all well aware…..
Yes i agree.
It was a honest mistake. The carrots were slithers in a bag that had been prosessed in a sealed bag.
Arnolds’ please keep your prices low and I will shop at your store more often. I went last week and I got a good selection of meats and got nothing to complain about. Your staff at Pembroke location were quite pleasant.