Share with us the brands and products you avoid and why.
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Share with us the brands and products you avoid and why.
Anything with ridiculous packaging - so no dippity bix, indiviually wrapped cakes, multi packs of chips, and so on. Also I avoid things that are inherently aimed at a consumer-driven, fast paced society - pre-cooked rice for example.
I'd love to say I avoid anything with more than 4 ingredients in the list, but that hasn't been true since I discovered vegan Gingernut biscuits :redface: Yes, I should make my own.
I avoid:
Flavour Enhancer number anything (allergy)
Palm oil (habitat destruction)
Animal Products (environmental costs)
Nestle (partly because everything they sell has animal products, also because of the story i posted in brontide's boo hoo thread)
Not sure as there are a few threads going related at the moment, but there was a VERY interesting Question Time in the Senate over the last week about Food Labelling Laws and the requirements to use the phrases "Australian Owned" and "Australian Made"
Will find the transcripts and post here - I was alarmed to say the least at what the minimum requirements are to actually put that on your label...
For example - a company can put "australian owned" on a product, even if all of its manufacturing and produce comes from OS...And only 50% of the product needs to be grown and/or processed in Australia to warrant an "Australian Made" label...
Aieee Lime!
For me it's partly about avoiding products, and also going for what I see to be positive (even in part) products. And it gets compromised by budget sometimes.
I try to avoid Nestle owned products, because I'm passionately against their unethical practices.
I try to avoid cage eggs.
I try to go for fair trade products, like chocolate, tea and clothes.
I try to support Australian business, particularly local where I can afford to.
My personal choices tend to favour fair trade stuff first of all, I'm into humanity before I'm into the environment.
Nelle, fair trade stuff tends to favour the environment as well as humanity. So often people are forced to trash their environments to meet the demands of mono-cropping although they would prefer to farm in more sustainable ways. By paying people a fair price we reduce that pressure.
Whew its hard to narrow down for us...
We don't buy Nestle, J & J, or Proctor & Gamble products.
We have multiple food allergies and some intolerances so we have to avoid all dairy, some chemicals and preservatives.
We have our own chickens because I can't stand eggs that I don't know where they have come from.
I buy my meat from a butcher who can tell me where the cow or chicken was before it came to them & the conditions the animals lived in. I will not eat meat from a caged animal.
Awww I love these threads! As you all know... :redface:
Well as above... I also reject cleaners that are single use. I buy in bulk and make it up in spray bottles... It's all toxic free...
I have stopped buying grated cheese as I use veg rennet only and that is impossible with the grated version AND it's extra plastic.
All household products are toxic free (shampoos, deodorants, toothpastes, soaps, powders, cleaners, dishwashing powder etc etc...
I buy fair trade tea and coffee.
I buy organic locally farmed where possible.
I support organic dairy farming. (except for cheese - I buy Nimbin cheese and have had for about 10years )
I buy fair trade bits and bobs for my home and body where possible...
I had a big talk with my kids tonight. Just because I have been unwell DH has been doing the shopping. He has no interest in ethical shopping :wall: so the kids (not Immy) have been eating yoplait and packaged bikkies and Lord knows what else...
Anyway I looked on the yoplait label and showed them all the numbers and additives. Then I showed them the organic yoghurt that I had bought. They agreed that the yogurt tasted much better... They also agreed that yoplait had lots of stuff that they couldn't identify as food...
It was an excellent tool. They then went to the fridge and the pure maple syrup I buy as opposed to the Maple flavoured syrup their Dad buys... They were shocked. So they began looking at shampoo etc and googling.
It was so amazing to watch the story unfold - but they did all the research!
I talked about clothing and how it's made and what conditions folk are enduring etc etc...
I talked about the Earth and honouring it by putting our money toward ethical purchases. They agreed it was better to eat less yoghurt and more fruit at night to make the $7 per kilo tub spread further... !!! They came to that alone. I felt so proud of them! :D
This is a wonderful thread and I will come back tomorrow to add more!
Wow...I had no idea about Nestle :( Can anyone tell me more?
I would NEVER buy imported seafood, especially anything from Asia. The fungicide they use (malachite green) in those fish farms over there is scary!
I forgot that one FC thanks for reminding me!
I don't buy chemicals for the house. I clean with vinegar and bi-carb soda. I wash our clothes in Aware (1 tablespoon per load) or just plain bicarb and vinegar in the rinse. I wash our dishes using seventh generation eco products and ... you guessed it bicarb and I put lemon juice in the rinse cycle. I use a steam mop on the floors and we do not have any cleaning chemicals in the house at all.
I don't buy J & J products. ( no way! )
I don't buy Nestle products as I read about how they endorse the use of formula to poor countries etc hence women over there aren't BF'ing and instead buying formula.
I stay away from Aspartame (diet drinks)
I try and buy Australian Made even if it means I pay more.
I always buy enviro cleaners over nasty chemical cleaners!!
Um there is heaps more but I can't think of them right now.....
Household cleaning chemicals (bicarb and vinegar all the way!). I use Aware Sensitive to wash the clothes.
Diet drinks (aspartame eww!)
Cage eggs
Yoghurts apart from Jalna
We only drink water and rice milk in our house.... oh yeah ... coffee.... better check that out.
I'm pretty much the same - well and truly making an effort to avoid Nestle!:
Never buy soda drinks, I buy Australian made as much as possible, tho I've seen the odd American creep in.
The only thing I wish I could avoid is Domestos, I can't handle the smell, it makes me sick but its the one thing that I can't seem to keep out of the trolley, speaking of which is hardly ever full as I try to buy my stuff from the local smaller shops.
Yes! But how do we know for sure that just because the "Product of Australia" sign is there its really from Australian waters?:
I am strictest about avoiding Coca Cola products, this company has contributed to so much disease (including conributing to obesity) in the world it's frightening.
Actually I am even more strict about not buying red meat but that's not just for ethical reasons, it's personal as well so it probably doesn't count in this thread. But having lived on a road that included a cattle feed lot if i did eat red meat it would NOT be the supermarket variety.
I don't buy johnson & johnson products. Don't trust their chemical ****tails.
I try to avoid buying supermarket soap and shampoo... also too many harmful chemicals. I mainly now buy only MooGoo and MiEssence.
I try to avoid Nestle products but after reading the list of companies they own or part own this is proving to be hard. But i will be consciously looking for alternatives.
I avoid buying multi-packs within a pack eg bags of chips within a big bag... ridiculously wasteful packaging.
I buy toys that last ie Lego in preference to cheaper and breakable toys (the worst ones tend to be the cartoon character licenced toys). A toy that breaks after only a few uses is unsafe and such a waste of resources.
I buy from Op Shops not just because it's cheaper but when i do this it reduces 'demand' for new products and thus saving the worlds resources.
We avoid buying too much petrol. DH and I use a lot of public transport. Our car is often not driven on a weekday... generally only on the weekend. I have never used a petrol pump.
We dont buy Nestle products (whihc can be hard because Nestle owns so many other companies...)
I only get free range eggs, I never buy cage eggs. Same goes for chicken, I always buy the free range chicken (Lilydale brand), never the caged chicken meat.
I dont buy products that have heaps of packaging.
I never buy soft drinks. So bad for you.
I buy the environmentally friendly cleaning products, or sometimes I make my own with vinegar, lemon juice etc
I buy organic fruit and veggies from a family owned green grocer (rather than a big chain).
I buy fair trade coffee (for hubby - i HATE coffee) and fair trade chocolate.
I buy presents and books from shops like Oxfam because of the whole fair trade thing they have going.
Maddisun, Nestle are promoting formula in third world countries in unethical ways. This is resulting in babies dying due to formula made with contaminated water, and also mal-nutrition as the mums can't afford the formula once the free samples run out so water the formula down. It's very sad.
My purchases and reasonings are similar to everyone else's listed above.
I avoid products based on unethical practices, irresponsible environmental practices, abuse of human rights and for health reasons. I check the ingredient labels and steer clear of products containing nasties. I buy locally-produced or owned products as often as possible and avoid the 'big brands'. (I'm still educating myself on the range of products owned by the large corporations such as Nestle, Coca-cola, J&J, etc - so still I mess up from time to time.)
The only thing which makes me sad about boycotting Nestle is that I love Milo and have fond memories from childhood - but I won't be purchasing it when it contributes to making someone else's childhood miserable.
I'm trying to purchase as little packaging - especially plastic - as possible. Partly because of the environmental impact and partly due to health concerns. I refuse to buy bottled water - it's a waste, and I don't want to be ingesting any of that horrible Bisphenol A. (Stainless steel water bottles do the trick nicely.) Sad that the Aussie Government won't follow Canada's example, and introduce bans on that stuff.
(Our Government sucks when it comes to regulating for the sake of protecting our health - BPA, GMO, artificial colourings/flavourings, pesticides... the list goes on.)
I don't buy nasty chemical cleaning products any more. Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and a little good ol' fashioned elbow grease are making a comeback in this house - although, I currently share with others, so I can't control that completely.
As for personal products, I avoid those with petroleum-based ingredients and hormones. My toothpaste is also fluoride free. Instead of buying shampoo and conditioner, I now wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with vinegar, which works a treat. I also no longer purchase antiperspirant deodorant in order to avoid aluminium, using either nothing or baking soda - still in a trial phase for that one, as I have a well-ingrained paranoia about the possibility of being stinky! So far it seems to be going just fine.
There's more, but I think I've waffled on enough. :D
I have recently been buying fruit and veg at markets, but I keep coming across these dilemmas:
- I know organic costs more to produce, but I can't help wondering if they use that to their advantage and 'jack up' the prices a bit extra (ie people expect it to be expensive, so they add a bit on top)
- I wonder about the legitimacy of some of the stalls, which are clearly making a motza, and in particular if they are paying tax (because if they aren't they are essentially stealing from me!)
- it's even harder than in a supermarket to know the country of origin of produce
I'm really enjoying MooGoo products - will be ordering some more shortly. Am trying to only have MooGoo body care, bicarb & crystal deod, bicarb and vinegar for cleaning. But I still have random creams and other products, and I can't bring myself to just chuck them out - seems so wasteful.
I won't buy garlic from Mexico or China.
I try to avoid Nestle but as others have mentioned, they're everywhere!!
I buy organic if it's not much more
I try to buy Australian owned/made
I will only buy Nimbin cheese (non-animal rennet)
I pay a bit extra for electricity and get 10% renewable energy.
I wonder if the Aldi brands are any better? There's not much info on them. I believe some are made by other brands (eg Aldi baby food = made by Heinz)
Surprised- The Aldi nappies are supposedly made by Huggies...I've been using them for the last 2 weeks and cant tell the difference (other than in the price :) )
Maybe i've missed the reason but i dont understand why Nestle are giving them the formula to begin with? What are they (the company) getting from it?
Madissun, what the company gains is extra profit. If you give away 1 tin of formula and sell 50 0r 100 tins that 1 tin is a pretty good investment.
Store products are always kind of iffy because you have no way of knowing who is profiting.
I have some Palmer's moisturiser and I noticed that on the bottle they say "Palmers does not manufacture any store products". I'm not sure why but I guess that in some places they sell too there must be more awareness and concern about store products if they feel that it's worth a mention.
I still dont get it :redface:
Aren't the countries that they are giving away the free ones too, to poor to purchase more?
I am reading this thread with interest and while I admire you all for your conviction I'm curious as to how it affects the family budget? I buy shampoo, soap etc etc from the supermarket because I can't afford the expense of the organic, chemical free stuff. Same with chicken, can't really afford free range so we buy it from the butcher.
How do you manage it?
Willow it can be a struggle and you are quite right to question the expense. It is more expensive.
I have stopped eating red meat - for cruelty/spiritual reasons and for health reasons...
I only eat organic free range chicken but I use less. So, the bulk of the meal is vegetables or rice/legumes and a small portion is the chicken.
Organic yoghurt the same - rather than large scoops I use smaller amounts and larger amount of fruit added...
Cleaning products I would actually argue are cheaper. They are super concentrated and work superbly.
Shampoos are more exxy - however some supermarkets are now selling SLE free, paraben free etc products.
SLE is a vile cheap addition to products to make them foam. It is in everything. If you get in the shower use soap and shampoo that's two doses - then clean your teeth that's anotehr dose, then do the dishes that's another dose, then the washing, that's another. So on it goes. For me it's about healthy choices. We are so used to using these ingredients we often don't question it... I feel it's personally important and I hold the image of a society who shuns these toxic ingredients on mass so that toic free personal and household products are "normal"...
I try to use products that leave a light footprint - rather than a heavy one. Sometimes that costs more - for me I have that commitment so it's the norm iykwim?
As far as beauty products go, I use MiEssense and find that it lasts longer than supermarket brands so ends up costing about the same.:
Deb - you would seriously shudder if you saw the shampoo and conditioner I use :redface:..I guess this is something I could change. It's really only me that uses it.
Can someone recommend a good chemical free shampoo for children? Mine both have a tonne of hair but I must admit it doesn't need washing very often so shampoo lasts them a while.
Willow I wouldnt shudder darling nor would I judge you we are all learning. :hug:
Natural Instinct is a great brand. A litre costs $20 and chemists sell it. It lasts forever for my kids.
If you are looking for a great shampoo "I love my Hair" is divine 500mls is about $20 but it seriously lasts months and it smells glorious!
Willow: I use MooGoo shampoos and conditioners (made in Australia) for both myself and the kids... and DH uses it sometimes too when his psorasis gets bad. Maybe checkout the very informative MooGoo website. They say their products are as harsh as water... I don't know if that's true but it smells and works beautifully and that's all that matters to me.