Please leave the politics and do your job!

husband's (mixed) family

Grantanow

The Co-op is the only general food shop where I live so it's taken a decision I have to live with given the awful public transport. I recall being asked to boycott South African oranges in the 1960s. Moroccan oranges were often the substitute but the regime there was bad too. I think it's often posturing for virtue.

Clever use of words, 'posturing for virtue'.

My husband's faily had to leave SA due to Apartheid in 1947. And the rest of the family had to endure almost 50 years of terrible hardship due to this dreadfuk, cruel regime- the family split up based on hair curl (the dreaded pencil test) and skin tone, and parental heritage A sick, horrible regime- and many lost all, houses and communities bulldozed, jobs gone, and worse.

We were proud to boycott all SA goods, and it was NOT either 'posturing for virtue' or 'virtue signalling'.

If anyone had gone out of their way, not to boycott but to intetntionally buy insupport of this regime? Best if I don't write down how I, or others so severey affected, would have reacted.

The countries on the list:
Afghanistan
Belarus
Central African Republic
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Haiti
Iran
Israel
Libya
Mali
Myanmar
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Yemen

The Co-op is the only general food shop where I live so it's taken a decision I have to live with given the awful public transport. I recall being asked to boycott South African oranges in the 1960s. Moroccan oranges were often the substitute but the regime there was bad too. I think it's often posturing for virtue.

All countries can is some way or form be defined as abusing 'human rights', Some times this is a question of definition.

However there are a number of countries where there is state organised systematic abuse of rights and those are the countries on the list. I trust if Israel is on the list, and I think it should be, so should the West bank and Gaza strip.

The governments of both warring nations in the Middle East are equally unpleasant, that one is bigger and has more noney and arms than the other, should not be allowed to hide who started this current conflict and how they did it. Not by an attack on armed forces and key faciities but the murder, rape and hostage taking of innocent civilians in an unprovoked attack. A plague on both their houses and both should be on the list.

Mt61

I can’t stick GL so I don’t buy walkers crisps, too expensive anyway.
When he was paid millions as a football pundit, he should have stuck to that.

If he had done we wouldn’t have the excellent The rest is politics/history/entertainment podcasts.

fancythat

Google says "73% of members backed a motion to boycott.."

How come so many of us here did not hear anything at all?

Probably because you don’t actively engage as a member with the decision making processes, which are all available to all members. This was passed at the AGM in May.
www.coop.co.uk/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-our-2025-annual-general-meeting

Oreo

What Israeli goods apart from occasional oranges are there on the shelves, out of interest ? If anyone knows, otherwise google is my friend.
I never have time to check country of origin but I may do now in major supermarkets in order to buy Israeli goods.

Avocados, peppers, herbs and dates apparently.

fancythat

Google says "73% of members backed a motion to boycott.."

How come so many of us here did not hear anything at all?

Relatively speaking that is.

Something doesnt sound right to me.

What Israeli goods apart from occasional oranges are there on the shelves, out of interest ? If anyone knows, otherwise google is my friend.
I never have time to check country of origin but I may do now in major supermarkets in order to buy Israeli goods.

Google says "73% of members backed a motion to boycott.."

How come so many of us here did not hear anything at all?

The motion to remove Israeli goods from shelves was passed at the Co-op AGM on 17 May 2025 with support from nearly 73% of its members.

www.coop.co.uk/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-our-2025-annual-general-meeting

Voting results here (shortened as it’s a very long URL)

tinyurl.com/33ts3vxd

Motion 13

Individual Member Motion – Trading with Israel

We ask the Board to demonstrate fairness and consistency in its ethical decision- making, and cease all trading with Israel. The Co-op was the first supermarket to boycott Russian products in March 2022, a week after the invasion of Ukraine. Since October 2023, Israel has completely destroyed Gaza and wiped out its key infrastructure - including schools, hospitals and universities. By July 2024, it was estimated that at least 186,000 Gazans – mainly women and children - had died as a result of the bombing, destruction of health facilities, and denial of essential aid (The Lancet 20.7.24). The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel has a ‘plausible case to answer’ for genocide and that Israel's laws in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 are 'tantamount to apartheid'. Israel has invaded the sovereign nations of Lebanon and Syria. We urge the Board to show moral courage and leadership, apply the same ethical principles and values it did to Russia, and take all Israeli products off the shelves.

assets.ctfassets.net/5ywmq66472jr/3t5zeE9NtECWOcbwe6EbFl/cb688a2ccd70c908325f4d6ebe96011f/Motion_13.pdf

GrannyGravy13

I am a member and I definitely was not consulted.

Same here.
I just use them as a local shop to pop into for things I run out of, my main shop is done elsewhere.

nanna8

So you think the UK doesn’t ignore human rights then ?

The UK does not ignore human rights nanna8.

If you have evidence to the contrary, perhaps you could enlighten me.

I am a member and I definitely was not consulted.

EkwaNimitee

This is why I am a Co-op member!

Out of interest, did you get contacted?

Casdon

They aren’t virtue signalling nanna8, they are doing what they have always done, and responding according to the principles on which they were founded. It is the press that picked up that Israel is on the list of 15 countries.

I think people forget that the Co Op is not a traditional supermarket, it is owned by its members.

As far as I know, I am still a member.
I dont remember getting consulted.

So when my grandfather refused to continue to make German uniforms in the late 30s, despite them being one of his biggest client and boycott would severely affect his business at the worst possible time (after the big commercial Crisis of the 30s) because of what was happening to Jews- he was 'virtue signalling'.

Ah well.

David49

LThe Co-op is to stop sourcing goods from Israel, Iran and 15 other countries where it says there are “internationally recognised” rights abuses and violations of international law.”

So they are not stocking Chinese goods either. Or India or Vietnam and many others where cheap Labour is exploited routinely

Exactly.

I do go in there occasionally. About once a month. Next time I do, I will start noticing countries of origin!

nanna8

Virtue signalling. Why don’t they just do it if they feel that way, why the need to broadcast it ?

Hate that expression too. But that is the whole point of boycotting a regime that is behaving very wrongly and unfairly- to broadcast it. There would be no point otherwise.

I agree with the OP.
If I wish to show my displeasure with a particular country I may show my displeasure by refusing to buy their goods. I do not need a company to do it for me.
As it happens, I would not choose to boycott Israeli goods, but their management decision, that is people with vested interests bullying influencing the Board, means I will avoid their stores.

I can’t stick GL so I don’t buy walkers crisps, too expensive anyway.
When he was paid millions as a football pundit, he should have stuck to that.

David49

Casdon

David49

LThe Co-op is to stop sourcing goods from Israel, Iran and 15 other countries where it says there are “internationally recognised” rights abuses and violations of international law.”

So they are not stocking Chinese goods either. Or India or Vietnam and many others where cheap Labour is exploited routinely

Have you understood what this ban is about David49?
‘The Co-op said the new list had been compiled by independent assessment of “where there is agreement across respected assessments, such as by the UN and others, that there is consistent behaviour which would constitute community-wide human rights abuses or violations of international law”.’
Guardian.

So you think that the countries I mentioned do not ignore human right, they probably have laws that uphold rights but then ignore them.
Many countries have anti corruption laws, routinely ignored too.

You haven’t read up about this have you David49?

So you think the UK doesn’t ignore human rights then ?

They aren’t virtue signalling nanna8, they are doing what they have always done, and responding according to the principles on which they were founded. It is the press that picked up that Israel is on the list of 15 countries.

I think people forget that the Co Op is not a traditional supermarket, it is owned by its members.