Ethical shopping versus economy

vfairbrass

I was faced with two ethical dilemmas today in my quick whizz round Sainsburys. I'm sure there were more but these were the ones that had me standing by the shelf debating with self and husband.
Mushrooms were on the list and they were about 50 pence per kilo cheaper if I bought them ready packed in a large plastic container than if I had bought them loose without the packaging. I realise I could reuse the container but already have loads of these.
Eggs - free range were more expensive than caged bird.
In each case I went for the more expensive item.
How do other OS shoppers balance this and other financial/ethical equations?
I know there was a similar discussion when considering whether to continue with doorstep milk deliveries so apologies.
Valerie

embb

I go for the cheapest (but not poor quality) option everytime I have to say, ethics and morals have no place when I'm shopping, especially when I'm on such a tight budget. Hope I don't get lambasted for that

Addiscomber

Not sure about the mushrooms as I rarely buy any, but I always buy free range eggs because I cannot justify the idea of hens being trapped 3 or 4 to a cage, with only the space of an A4 sheet of paper each, to provide me with cheaper eggs. I know that organic would be better, but that is a step beyond what our budget will allow. Hens in the garden would be even better but there are urban foxes here, and I need to source the feed, so I am still pondering that one.

Cazzdevil

I don't think buying Organic is an ethical decision, I think that's more of a personal wellbeing preference. I always buy free-range or barn eggs and I always buy my fruit and veg from a local greengrocer which works out cheaper than supermarkets and doesn't get pre-packed anyway.

On the odd occasion I DO buy veg from a supermarket I just go for the cheapest, the packaging goes in my recycling bin anyway.

squeaky

I think this thread would be well suited for our Green and Ethical Board, so I'll move it across for you.

tr3mor

I'll only buy free range eggs.

I'll just buy the cheapest veg though.

Ken68

Free range everytime, they taste better and get 'em from a neighbour....

liz545

I always buy free range, and after doing the TMF on Clarence Court eggs, I think I'll switch to them, so not only free range but premium happy-chicken free range! Mushrooms, I'd buy the ones in the box and chuck the box in with plastic recycling. Are there any good markets/farm shops you could go to instead?

Daisies

I get an organic veg box delivered fortnightly and get free range eggs along with that. It has actually saved me a fortune as the veg is cheaper than the local supermarkets (for their normal veg, let alone organic), plus much fresher! It has also made me change the way I cook, so I wait until the box arrives and then decide on some recipes, which makes me more organised when I do go shopping. I tend to eat much less prepared/processed food now because of the box, and as this tends to be more expensive, I'm spending a lot less!

Justie

it's always a problem being ethical and shopping in supermarkets

Personally I won't ever buy battery eggs and if I have any choice I won't buy anything but organic chicken or eggs either - I just eat it less frequently so it doesn't get too expensive and I'd rather go without than buy battery.
I would say there are ethical considerations in buying organic vs free range eggs (and chickens), firstly just because the chickens have access to the outdoors (a requirement for free range eggs) doesn't mean they take it - if space and food are restricted then no chicken is going to give up its spot indoors to have a wander in the great outdoors. Also organic chickens only get antibiotics etc if they need it they are not given them just in case nor given anything to increase size etc. I think the difference in taste is enough to justify treating them as humanely as possible even though it costs more. It is an individual choice though.

I get most of my veg in a box scheme but otherwise I tend to buy whatever's cheap and prefer locally produced whatever the packaging (it gets recycled anyway) to anything flown in.

Cardew

I sometimes wonder what planet people live on with regard to their views on Free Range egg production. Rather like an earlier thread where someone(unbelievably) claimed they only eat meat from animals that had lived a happy and contented life!!

I am a confirmed carnivore - in case anyone thinks I am a vegitarian - I just don't delude myself that free range hens have other than a ghastly existence or try to salve my concience by claiming otherwise.

Most consumers believe that the hens who produce ‘cage-free’ or ‘free-range’ eggs spend much of their lives outdoors, warming themselves in the afternoon sun, enjoying dust baths and laying their eggs in individual straw nests. But to British egg producers, ‘cage-free’ and ‘free-range’ mean something entirely different. ‘Cage-free’ means only that the animals are not in cages; beyond that, anything goes, and the animals are often crammed inside faeces-ridden sheds, with no ability to engage in any natural behaviours, for their entire lives. ‘Free-range’ birds also generally spend the majority (if not all) of their lives inside a dark shed with thousands of other birds. These sheds have ‘popholes’ which allow birds access to the outside and the producers to label their eggs ‘free-range’.(1) However, because birds are territorial, the stronger ones monopolise the area around the popholes, while the weaker ones may never cross these territories to get to the exits. These weaker birds may never get outside at all. The areas around the popholes are, not surprisingly, the most desirable areas of the shed, and consequently fights break out amongst the congregated birds. Because aggression, injuries and even cannibalism are rife under these stressful conditions, free-range hens may still be debeaked, a painful practice in which the ends of the birds’ sensitive beaks are sliced off.(2)

In their natural environment, chickens can live into their teens and form friendships and social hierarchies.(3) But hens on commercial free-range farms are ‘spent’ or unable to produce enough eggs to remain profitable within two years.(4) Instead of being allowed to retire, these worn-out hens are usually sold to slaughterhouses, where their bodies are turned into stock cubes, soup or baby food. The hen who laid your ‘humane’ free-range egg yesterday could easily be shackled upside-down and headed for the scalding tank tomorrow.

Don’t be fooled by the label ‘free-range’ or by Freedom Foods. Birds reared under this scheme do not necessarily have access to the outdoors, either, but instead may spend their entire lives in a shed, rather like a broiler shed, with no fresh air, sunlight or space to carry out their natural behaviours. There is one scheme that does ensure all the birds can walk around outdoors, dust bathe and enjoy the fresh air. That is the Soil Association’s scheme, and they stamp their approval on the egg boxes. However, these birds, too, are sent for slaughter after just two years, ending their vastly improved lives in the same terrifying, violent manner.(5)

EU law allows the term "free range" to be used if the hens have access to pasture (range). In reality, this often means that four thousand birds with 25 birds per ten square feet of space (one square metre) are confined in a building with a single small exit accessible only to those birds in the immediate vicinity. The hen house floor may be made entirely of wire, discouraging movement toward the door even more. The "pasture" may be nothing but a fowl sick mud yard saturated with droppings and intestinal coccidia and other parasites, further discouraging the chickens' interest. For free range to work, the land must be kept fresh. Hens spend much of their time close to the house, scratching, dust bathing, and wearing away the grass. A static house and pasture become unsanitary when hundreds or thousands of birds are collected in a small area.