Blog backlog - given up shopping at Tesco

In the months I didn't blog recently, one of the things I have done is given up shopping in Tesco. I've popped in for a couple of emergencies but rarely go there (even though there is a massive superstore on my way home).

How do I eat? Well I get my vegetables delivered from Waterland Organics (a local smallholding). This gives me a tasty supply or organic veg and lets me make my own 'ready meals'. I've been surprised at how much this has saved in packaging too - I hardly ever need to put my garbage bin out now.

For supermarket things I always shop at the Co-op, which is quite a different sort of supermarket. They are very ethical and are not just about making money. They have recently banned a number of pesticides on their farms because they are worried about bees (a very valid worry). I try to buy relatively local stuff too - so I don't buy australian wine or californian since french wine is from nearby and tastes pretty good. French wine is often produced on small scale organic farms too!

There is quite a lot to worry about with shopping at Tesco. For one thing they are such a powerful buyer that they have too strong an influence on farmers and fix prices unrealistically low.

Here is a website highlighting some of the issues: http://www.tescopoly.org/.

I'm not saying that Tesco, as a supermarket, is particularly bad. It's more that I believe supermarkets in general are bad. The co-op is different; local shops are different (particularly farmers outlets); so they all get my vote, and my money.