Supermarket’s ‘empty shelves’ stunt makes a point about xenophobia

A German supermarket has cleared all of its shelves of foreign products in an effort to tackle xenophobia.

Source: Instagram: @heinzinger

For those who argue against immigration, a common rebuttle often begins with the line, "without immigration we wouldn't have..." 

A German supermarket has taken the argument to the next level, removing all foreign-made products from its shelves.

The non-German produce was replaced with signs that read “our range now knows borders” and “this shelf is pretty boring without diversity”.

For customers of Edeka’s Hamburg store, dinner options became very limited - there was virtually nothing left of the shelves. 

One customer posted this video on Instagram, showing the result.

A spokeswoman for the supermarket said: “Edeka stands for variety and diversity. In our stores we sell 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. We are pleased that our campaign caused so many positive reactions.”

And as Germany gears up for for federal elections next month, with immigration topping the agenda, the supermarket is expected to ramp up the campaign.