An ethical policy?
Been thinking a lot about products, and how we should best approach the selection of our product range, our suppliers, etc. I definitely think our members and customers need to be closely involved in the development of policy on these issues as we go forward.
At the basic level we need to offer a range that means the shop will be a viable and sustainable business on a simple economic level. For me this means offering appropriate quality, a fair price, excellent customer service, consistency and reliability.
Beyond that we begin to look at issues such as food miles, animal welfare standards, labour standards (often notoriously poor in agriculture), use of agrochemicals and farming/growing practices. Should we offer organic produce? Is there a sufficient market? How do we balance these issues against each other (e.g. is it OK to stock air-freighted cherries from South America because they are fairtrade and we have customers that will buy them?)
Do you care?
I would be really interested to read some opinions on this stuff, so why not weigh in with your thoughts?
Comments
Food miles
This is an important one for me. I always try to look at where fresh fruit and veg comes from when I buy, and I'll choose produce from this country over others, even if it limits the range of fruit/veg that I buy. I think it's important to support local farmers and food producers, and I think an emphasis should be placed on limiting packaging to a minimum. No more strawberries/rasperries in plastic boxes please! I'd also love to see more organic, local veg if that's possible - worth paying a bit more for.
Packaging and strawberries
Laura, I agree with you wholeheartedly on the issue of soft fruit in plastic boxes. Having been to the wholesale markets on several occasions now I have yet to see any soft fruit - strawberries, raspberries, etc - that is not packaged in plastic boxes, with one exception being blackberries (I think) that were in small paper pulp cartons (like egg boxes).
We will of course ask for soft fruit that uses more environmentally friendly packaging methods, but I fear that we are a very small voice. I accept that things like strawberries when grown and marketed on any commercial scale require some sort of protective packaging, but I'm sure the decision to use plastic is driven by economics coupled perhaps with some laziness.
Maybe we need to recognise, as consumers, that the best way to reduce use of packaging for soft fruits is to grow them ourselves and stop buying commercially grown fruit?
Countries to buy from
Personally I will not buy food or wine from the following countries:
France - because they set fire to 200 live English sheep on a wagon at the docks.
Israel - because they attacked Lebanon for no obvious reason,
Zimbabwi - because they have a tyrant in charge.
Nigeria - a country that will not let its population grow food, but produces cash crops so that their leaders get rich.
We should buy seasonal goods from suppliers within 30 miles for vedge, and a bit further afield for fruit. Fruits that are not grown in this country should be selected with care. I have not had a decent peach or plum for many years, except when abroad, where they seem to be available in good quality.
One problem with ethical policies for a business is that if you conform to lots of them, then you are guaranteed to make a loss - a point worth thinking about.
ethical policy
Ethics are clearly important, but you still have to make a profit (or at least break even)!
For me the priorities in order are local, organic, fairtrade
Keeping it local
I do thnk that you should keep as local as you can for most stock. I know that this is not possible for items not grown in the UK, for this please be sure to check the supply chain.
Keep away from packaging as much as you can too!