How expensive the milk is allowed to be in the supermarket? What quality should you have? Consumers can now decide via Online Voting itself.

How expensive and what is the quality of milk is supposed to have? Consumers decide by Online Voting with photo: Martin Gerten/dpa

BERLIN taz | This "cheap, cheap", with the supermarkets curls – it just annoys the farmers, and the loads it. Also, many consumers have tired of it. For them, there is now a new idea: they should have a say in the assortment of the supermarkets and choose how fair it is to go. For the peasants. For the animals. For the environment.

it starts with the milk. For this purpose, a Voting network is currently running. Until the end of February, anyone can join under www.dubisthierderchef.de . How organic the milk is supposed to be? What is the packaging? How well farmers are remunerated? And: What, then, is to be paid at the counter?

Overall, the consumer can choose the eight questions. Depending on what you click, it shifts the price for the milk. You can see the the Voting immediately. Depending on the claim, he is at the end of between 73 cents and 1.46 euros per Liter. Behind Nicolas Barthelmé and his comrades-in-arms stuck. The Frenchman, 44 years, has worked 20 years in the food industry, most of the time at a cheese manufacturer, "a lot of Marketing, even sales," he says. In February 2019, he made it final.

Instead, he founded in the Hessian town of Eltville, where he lives with eight people in a club called the "consumer community" and a company that wants to bring the brand's "You're the boss here" in the stores.

The goal: "We want to give consumers the control over your diet back. You should know what you eat and how it is produced and how you can support the farmers,“ says Barthelmé. In France, it was already successful. From there the idea originates.

2016 was founded in Paris, "C'est qui le patron?!" Well three years later to be sold under the brand name already 35 products, for example, in the case of the large supermarket chain Carrefour. In addition to milk, some Apples and Butter. The Biobutter of the brand was the most sold in France, says Barthelmé.

3.000 farmers produced exclusively for the Initiative – and would be paid fairly. Only: France is not Germany, the Land of bargain hunters. And if the customer's majority decision, for the cheapest product, for the milk to go with the entry-level price of 73 cents?

Barthelmé sees "no risk". That foods are often too cheap, farmers of non-life, the environment and animals also could not save the many was in this country uncomfortable. The Chancellor has recently charged to the food summit, the sell off of the food has been much debated.

little Moved but. Barthelmé says: "I am convinced that most of the consumers do not pick up the cheapest product, because they believe that the more expensive is better." Otherwise, the only if you are sure that the quality put in and the farmers are paid fairly. It was a "great opportunity to change the market".

At the compensation of the farmers, there are four possibilities for the select consumer. First of all, The farmer's price on the market. Secondly, He produced to cover costs. Thirdly, He can invest the income in its operation. Fourthly, He should still have time for social projects.

Barthelmé has long since found farmers that want to produce the milk, according to customer's request. An advantage for you: The prices will be guaranteed for three years, you can expect to. In the industry this is rare. Two dairies want to join in. The retail groups, Rewe, Kaufland, Real, and globe are interested, however, only "".

But Barthelmé is confident. The first milk in the blue-and-white packaging to the latest available in may in the super markets. Because in a very short time 5,000 consumers had participated in the Voting. The had him "surprised," he says. Earlier than I thought it would be a meaningful result – and a sufficiently large potential clientele.