Henry and I have been making a point of popping in to M&S outlets as we have travelled around the country in order to spend our money on healthy sweets, pastries, crisps and fizzy drinks. We’ve done this because M&S, for a long list of good reasons, decided, last year, not to sell grouse meat in a small number of London stores.
M&S are being rather coy about their position on this matter this year – their social media say they are still thinking about it and enquiries to their PR department get the same answer. One gets the impression that someone in M&S is quite keen to sell grouse even if this isn’t for purely commercial reasons.
If M&S are considering selling grouse then they will face questions about how things have changed since last year? Generally speaking, the case against the sustainability of driven grouse shooting has strengthened in the last year so it would be odd for M&S to change their minds.
Last year M&S were talking to the G(W)CT and RSPB about the criteria which could inform their choice of estates to supply them with grouse. We, the shopping public, would be interested to hear the source of sustainable grouse meat that M&S might think they have found – and would expect these details to be revealed.
It would also be interesting to hear whether the G(W)CT and RSPB were each completely happy with the sustainability and legality of any grouse meat food chain that M&S think they have identified. I’m sure both organisations would want to comment on any M&S decision.
And then there is lead. An organisation like M&S would surely either stick a health warning on any grouse meat shot with lead (surely they would even though Iceland haven’t?) or would ensure that their grouse meat is shot with non-toxic shot. It wouldn’t be that big an ask or too difficult to police – although whether it would be worth it to sell a few grouse in a few shops I wouldn’t like to say.
All in all, M&S took such a sensible stance last year that it would be difficult for them to switch back to selling grouse without a very good case. If they have a watertight case then I’m sure they’ll be prepared to share it with their customers. At the moment I am an enthusiastic shopper at M&S but I could switch my custom very easily if M&S do the wrong thing.
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Wonder if I’ll still be shopping at M&S this time next year ? If Grouse come back on the shelves I won’t be – but in the meantime I’ll be supporting M&S’ decision not to stock grouse last season – and with the state of my pants (elastic coming out) that means sales, Mr Bolland !