Has the credit crunch made you less green?
It was reported today that sales of organic food are in decline for the first time in years, and consumers are complaining that many foods sold as 'eco-friendly' - particularly those sold in premium food 'emporiums' like Whole Foods Market - are simply too expensive.
This got me to thinking on how else the current economic climate could affect our shopping habits, and whether we'll see a return to buying cheaper, less healthy and less ethically-produced food. But my hunch is that it need not: there are ways to eat organic all year round without visiting any posh delis: growing your own, for example, or ordering in a veggie box to make a week's worth of nutritious organic meals. And for non-food products, buying green is often a big money saver: greener gadgets invariably result in lower energy use, for example. But are we prepared to put in the effort when you can buy intensively-farmed chickent for a couple of quid? Yay or nay.
Related: Hippyshopper guide to saving money the green way | Supermarkets forced to electronically tag organic chicken
That's such a difficult question isn't it? I can easily say yes, but i'm not caught in the position where that extra £1 or £2 on a chicken is really going to make a major difference in my life. So I certainly would hate to judge someone that went for the cheaper option.
I do think that now is the perfect time for green companies to push as hard as possible. We're already in pain, lets push it through so we come out clean on the other side.
Posted by: Richard Millington | August 15, 2008 1:20 AM