UK Supermarket Chain Sainsbury's Rejects Charles' `rotten' Organic Carrots

British supermarket chain Sainsbury's has rejected organic carrots grown by Prince Charles, because they were found to be rotten.

According to The Independent, the rejection of the vegetable, which Prince Charles sells under his Duchy Originals brand, came on the same day that figures revealed the Prince of Wales is investing more than ever in his organic farming and gardening enterprises.

Annual accounts published by Clarence House show the Prince received a record income of more than 14 million pounds in 2005-06 and that he spent 37 per cent more on his organic gardens - 41,000 pounds in total.

Sainsbury's has also rejected carrots supplied by the head of the Soil Association, Patrick Holden.

The supermarket was at pains yesterday to point out that the issue was not the shape of the vegetables but the fact that the royal crop was rotten because it had been kept in a cold storage centre since being harvested last year.

When asked to define "quality issue", a spokesperson for the chain said:"It was rot."

Mr. Holden, however, said the issue of bad quality could partly be attributed to transport-related problems.

He said that his objection was on supermarkets adopting a policy of centralisation of supply, which made both Prince Charles and him "casualties" of the system.

Source-ANI
LIN/M