Grocery Chain Accused of ‘Racism’ For Locking Up Jamaican Fruit

ashley.rae | July 24, 2017
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Sainsbury’s, a grocery chain in the United Kingdom, is being accused of “corporate racism” because one location put Jamaican ackee in security boxes.

Toby Taylor, a 31-year-old, made two separate Facebook posts about seeing canned Jamaican ackee fruit in a security box at local Sainsbury’s location. In his initial post on his personal Facebook page, Taylor wrote, “Bet you don't security tag the f**king Hummus do you.”

In a subsequent Facebook page on the official page for Sainsbury’s, he wrote, “Nice slab of corporate racism on offer in one of your stores today Sainsbury's.”

Taylor told the Daily Mail that putting the can of food in security boxes is “corporate racism at its worst.”

“It's a metal can of produce that is very popular with a community that has huge issues with poor stereotypes permeated by bigoted old, white people,” he said.

He also told Metro.co.uk, “I thought it was a nasty, subtle, old school racist attitude. Every person I know who’s Afro-Caribbean has at some point been followed by a security guard in a shop. It’s bigoted and not OK.”

“I don’t think Sainsbury’s were racist by intent,” he added, “just racist by neglect. The statement sent out by that awkward looking tin is quite awful.”

He also mentioned the fact that Jamaican ackee was priced at only £3.80, approximately $4.95.

“Why would they not put high value items in security tags? Why put something so specific? It's just something very openly racist, it's subtle and frankly quite evil,” he said to the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail reports a representative for Sainsbury’s responded by asking where the photo was taken. The Daily Mail reports a spokesman said, “We take the decision on which products to tag on an individual store basis to protect high value or frequently stolen items.”

In a follow-up story on the incident, Taylor spoke about receiving responses from the “alt-right lot.”

He said, “I've been called a hipster, lefty, corbynista, ginger - the list goes on. It's getting to the folks a bit.”

“However, I fully stand by my convictions and I'm glad to have done it,” he said.

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