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German Supermarket Strips All Its Shelves Of Foreign Foods

German Supermarket Strips All Its Shelves Of Foreign Foods

A German supermarket chain removed every single foreign item from one of its stores over the weekend to make a serious point about diversity.

Customers visiting Edeka’s outlet in the northern city of Hamburg on Saturday were only able to buy a handful of nationally sourced or produced items, reports The Local.

It meant that foodstuffs including olive oil from Spain, French wine and pasta from Italy were all temporarily off the menu.

Shoppers also encountered various signs which explained just why staff had almost emptied the store.

This shelf is pretty boring without diversity,” read one, according to The Independent. Others stated “We will be poorer without diversity” and “Our range now knows borders.”

Videos and photographs of the near-vacant counters are now going viral.

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A spokesperson for Edeka said the company had “received a lot of positive feedback” from its anti-xenophobia stunt, which aimed to promote tolerance of difference.

Noting how the chain stood for “variety and diversity,” the representative said it sold “numerous foods which are produced in the various regions of Germany.”

“But only together with products from other countries it is possible to create the unique variety, that our consumers value,” they added.

Twitter users were mainly delighted by the campaign, and encouraged other businesses to be similarly socially responsible.

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