In my parents’ house, by the telephone in the kitchen, there’s a small white and purple button that reads, “Boycott South African Grapes.”
The button is at least 15 years old. When I first saw it, I was 10. I didn’t understand the word boycott and I certainly didn’t know what apartheid was.
I remember asking my father what the button meant. He explained he was refusing to buy grapes from a country mistreating its people.
He said thousands of other people were also refusing to buy those grapes and maybe, that would pressure the South African government to change its discriminatory policies. Whether or not the strategy worked is debatable.
However, the case for another button is more clearcut. This one also has a picture of grapes on it, but this time the grapes were from California.
In the 1970s, activist Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers organized boycotts to pressure grape growers in California to increase the wages of their workers. Many of the boycotts resulted in workers becoming unionized and signing bargaining agreements with their employers.
Early on, I learned there is power in being a consumer. What I buy or don’t buy can influence the lives of people in other countries. But can one person really make a difference? That may be open to question.
But there is no denying there is strength in numbers. When thousands of people decide to boycott a certain product that decision can have a tremendous impact.
A trip to the grocery store is all about choices. Which apple looks juicier? Which strawberries look riper? But it’s not just about finding the freshest or most nutritious products. It’s more complicated than that.
We choose products that reflect our identity, our ideals and our culture. Our political beliefs about issues such as workers’ rights and protecting the environment often influence our food choices.
These days, Canadians have a wider selection of food than ever before.
We can buy organic or genetically modified vegetables. We can buy generic coffee or fair trade coffee. We can purchase regular chicken or free-run chicken. We can buy soy milk or regular milk.
With all of these options, it’s never been easier to choose products that reflect our political beliefs. If I worry about the treatment of animals, I’ll buy soy milk and free-range eggs. If I think workers are paid unfairly in other countries, I’ll put fair trade coffee in my grocery cart. Matching food to political ideals is a cinch.
But these options also make shopping more confusing. Is there a difference between organic and pesticide-free? Are pesticides as dangerous as some people claim? Should I choose wild or farmed salmon? How modified are genetically modified foods?
In this section, our reporters try to sort out the confusion. We spell out the risks associated with farmed salmon. We talk about Canada’s standards for labelling genetically modified foods. We hear how fair trade products are taking off in Ottawa. And some Ottawa residents tell us how environmental concerns prompted them to become vegetarians.
For some questions, there is no clearcut answer. In those cases we present each side so you can choose the argument you think makes the most sense.
Regardless of political ideals, the food we bring to the checkout line often depends on one thing— price. At Loblaws, a regular head of romaine lettuce costs $2.49. At the Herb & Spice Shop on Bank Street, the organic equivalent costs $3.49. The higher price is enough to turn some people away.
After reading this section, you may not convert to organic fruit or buy fair trade rice. But next time you’re at the grocery store, instead of automatically reaching for a certain product, hopefully you’ll stop and think for a second about the other options.
The choices we make at the grocery store have an impact beyond our own kitchens. Even a bunch of grapes can slowly change the world.