Ethical choices when shopping - how do you decide?

[Bathsheba]

I can be whimsical about this. I agree, so often priorities seem to be in conflict. However on the whole I buy things which:

1. First priority is that it's a company I trust not to actually damage health. I don't trust J & J for instance so I don't buy their products. Also Nestle damages the health of millions of children all over the world so I do feel guilty buying products from them. I bought a bag of Allens lollies today and when i got it home i saw the Nestle logo on the back I don't usually buy lollies so wasn't in the know about this connection.

2. Second priority is the environment: food miles, packaging etc. Animal welfare etc. I generally stick to free range eggs. Equal to this is quality. I find that there is a correlation of quality and a companies "care factor" so usually this isn't hard to choose between.

3. Third priority is cost. We go through phases where our budget is tighter which means i tend to stick to the tried and true instead of experimenting... like I said in the other thread on organic food: I do find it hard to "go back" once I know that there is something pricey but high quality. I like fair trade chocolate and will stock up when it's on special. I am prepared to wait until some expensive things are cheaper... I'm flexible.

4. and then there are other factors like making sure we aren't eating the same foods week after week. I try hard to make sure we don't get in ruts which are unhealthy and increase risk if the foods you eat have limited nutritional value. We don't eat red meat so i have to make sure we include tempeh/tofu proteins as well for example... and to reinforce that variety is a good thing with our kids. This is really important... I see alot of families who eat the same thing week after week end up with weight issues... which I think means that their bodies must be craving a missing nutrient but they are just eating more of the same old stuff. (But that's another thread!)

I'm starting to go OT but essentially I find it hard to stick to rigid disciplined rules when it comes to grocery shopping but at least I vary my purchases so if I am making a poor choice one week at least I'm not making it every week.

I also think accumulating the knowledge to shop wisely (according to your priorities) takes time to establish... it would be hard to start a regime over night... I think most peoples buying habits evolve over time. I just hope I am evolving into a being a more environmentally/health conscious/politically correct/responsible buyer... I think I am compared to say 10 years ago.... and BB has played a large role in my education.