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Anorak News | Supermarket Rebranding Gives Shoppers Colin And Chips

Supermarket Rebranding Gives Shoppers Colin And Chips

by | 6th, April 2009

SAINSBURY’S has renamed Pollack, the unlovely fish, as colin.

Anorak’s readers – the institutionalised and hacks – will be aware that not long ago cable TV channel UKTV 2 changed its name to Dave.

Viewing figures have gone up as many people tune in wondering what Dave is as they watch Jeremy Clarkson and his yes men on reruns of Top Gear and circle life’s plughole as the hideously unfunny Little Britain commands us to agree and laugh.

So pollack becomes colin, the grey, dependable, unthreatening fish with the name of a life-pummelled school teacher. Unless you American, in which case colin is co-lin, a butch, no-nonsense fish that take will very possibly declare war on your before you can eat it. In the States, pollack is called tim.

Says an Alison Austin, “environment manager” at Sainsbury’s:

“At Sainsbury’s we’re passionate about sustainable sourcing and protecting dwindling fish stocks. We want to help highlight that there are species to eat other than cod and haddock, which are just as tasty and often cheaper. Many people have said that they can’t even tell the difference in taste between cod or pollack, so we urge everyone to try ‘colin and chips’ on a Friday.”

To seal the deal, Sainbury’s has created “Jackson Pollock-inspired packaging by the designer Wayne Hemingway”.

Colin and Wayne. If British food ever became flesh and bone, Colin and Wayne would be it, two cagoule-clad, moist-handed flotsam, trotting out entire episodes of Monty Python as they wait for their Playstation to fire up.

Jackson – no, he’d be dining out with friends…



Posted: 6th, April 2009 | In: Money Comment | TrackBack | Permalink