The Ethical Shopper's Guide to Canadian Supermarket Products

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Would you by tomato soup from a company that discriminates against women
or buy your favorite brand of chocolate chip cookies even though the
manufacturer has dubious labor practices?

One of the oldest and truest principles of life is “you get the
behavior you reward.” By buying a product, consumers reward the
producers of that product for doing whatever it is they’re doing now.
If they’re doing things right, great—their behaviors are rewarded by
sales, they stay in business and continue doing those good things. If
they’re doing things that are ethically dubious, that too is rewarded,
and perpetuated, by a purchase of their products.

This paperback puts the powerful tool of reward through choice in the
consumer’s hands. The shelves of supermarkets are packed with two
types of products. There are those manufactured or processed by
companies that harm the environment, take jobs out of Canada,
discriminate against minorities and women, exploit their workers, and
commit similar sins. And there are those produced by companies that care
for the earth, their workers, their communities, and their country.
Which companies thrive and which disappear is determined entirely by
shoppers. This handbook helps individuals make purchases according to
the business practices they wish to reward.

The book provides notes on the policies and practices of 83 companies
whose products appear in Canadian supermarkets, along with charts that
rate more than 1200 products. The ratings-at-a-glance report cards are
intended for in-store use, sort of a field guide to the shelves. The
company profiles provide facts on location, size, ownership, and brand
names, and a narrative evaluation on nine key issues: candor, women’s
issues, charitable giving and community involvement, staff policies,
labor relations, environmental management and performance, management
practices, and consumer relations. Strikes, layoffs, plant closures,
Canadian content, animal testing, involvement with South Africa, and
similar topics are noted if relevant. For each of the nine main issues,
there is an honor roll of companies with high scores. Shopping will
never be the same again.