Said a third: ‘I am a little disappointed finding this out. Somehow it just seems to go against the whole idea of what the promotion is about. 🙁’
Added one more: ‘Disappointing to read “Assembled in Poland from imported components”. They should all be Australian and more importantly, packaged here.’
But speaking to New Idea Food, Woolworths were quick to point out that while the kits are packaged in Poland they include a range of components from around the world - including Australia.
The soil tablets contain ingredients from Sri Lanka but are produced in the Netherlands, while 11 of the seeds were sourced in Australia - with the other 13 coming from Europe and New Zealand. The pots, meanwhile, are from Denmark.
‘We always look to source locally first. Unfortunately, there is no manufacturing capability in Australia to produce the pot, the soil pellet, the seed mat to the quantity needed for this community program,’ a Woolworths spokesperson tells New Idea Food.
‘So bringing Woolworths Discovery Garden to Australia was a global effort. All components have met strict biosecurity regulations to enable us to import seed kits to Australia. These have all been cleared and imported in line with the requirements for the Australian Department of Agriculture.’
But despite Woolworths explanation, others say they’re ‘disappointed’ they couldn’t make the kits 100% Australian.
‘I have friends who have a small business making similar pots.....so I’m sure there’s lots of other companies that do the same thing in Australia 😔,’ said one. ‘This is disappointing,’ added another.
Other fans, however, have been quick to defend Woolworths, saying people ‘are never happy.’
‘Doesn't matter what we do someone will always have a problem with it!’ said one.
Added another: ‘You got to be kidding me. I swear people whinge about everything.’
Said one more: ‘You’ve got to laugh. Everyone goes nuts for Aldi special buys & Kmart hacks, elbowing each other to get there first, when ALL of that stuff is made overseas, then when you get something free, it’s absolutely terrible cos we’re “throwing small toys into the ocean” and Woolies imported these plant kits.... 🤦🏼♀️’
Says the Woolworths spokesperson: ‘The Woolworths Discovery Garden limited edition sunflower seed which is still available is sourced from a number of local Australian farmers across New South Wales.
‘Ten of the seeds in the full collection are sourced right here from Australia too.
‘All of the seeds are quality non-GMO.
‘As the fresh food people, Woolworths Discovery Garden is a natural next step for us to engage families and empower Aussies of all ages to understand how their food grows.
‘After planning this program for the past year, we are watching excitedly as our customers gardens begin to flourish across the country.’
