Xtra Foods, TruValu, JTA, others join Ramsaran's boycott

SIX more supermarkets have joined Massy Stores in boycotting Ramsaran’s Dairy Products after racist comments from a family member - who was also an employee - went viral.

After Monday’s general election results, Naila Ramsaran – said to be a close relative of owner Rishi Ramsaran – posted on Facebook calling PNM supporters cockroaches, saying contraceptives should be added to their water supply so they do not multiply.

She later apologised after backlash, saying she was just angry. She has since deactivated her account and has been fired by the company.

On Wednesday afternoon, Massy Stores announced it would be pulling all of the company’s products from its shelves.

It said, “Massy Stores Trinidad operates as a responsible retailer and we make every effort to align ourselves with partners who hold similar values. We have listened to our customers and have taken a decision to remove Ramsaran products from our shelves at this time and temporarily suspend ordering of this product.”

After this, the Supermarket Association issued a release calling on all of its members to boycott the company until further notice.

Xtra Foods then posted to Facebook: “As a responsible retailer, Xtra Foods makes every effort to align itself with partners who hold similar values to ours. We value our customer’s feedback, and we listen to them. As such, we have decided to remove Ramsaran products from our shelves at this time and suspend the ordering of this product at all our stores.”

West Bees Supermarket then posted, “Subsequent to feedback from our customers and listening to sentiments expressed by the wider community, the Westbees Supermarket team has decided to remove Ramsaran Products from our stores at this time and temporarily suspend ordering from this vendor. We at Westbees believe in the message enshrined in our national anthem that ‘here every creed and race find an equal place’ and look forward to the continued partnership with our vendors who feel the same.”

This was followed by yet another Facebook post by Persad’s D’ Food King which said, “We have been an organisation based on equality and built on the foundation of our core values. We have respect for the laws of TT and the fundamental rights of all citizens. We embrace our national watchwords of discipline, tolerance and production and we embrace every creed and race finds an equal place. As a responsible corporate citizen and a member of the Supermarket Association, we join in listening to the clarion call of our customers and we have removed from our shelves – with immediate effect – Ramsaran products and temporarily suspended ordering of this product.”

S&S Persad's Supermarket joined in saying it "operates as a responsible retailer" and will also be pulling the products from its shelves.

JTA Supermarkets and TruValu were the last to post to Facebook to indicate same.