Becoming an Ethical Consumer
| February 16, 2013 | Posted by Nada under Veganism |
Good morning dear readers! Before I get into today’s post which is a little less food-centric than usual, I just want to say I’m so glad you enjoyed last week’s recipe my Super Chunky Lentil and Zucchini Soup! It seems a record number of you made it and that makes me so happy – thank you for commenting back and posting pictures too 
Proof once again that delicious vegan food can be simple and non-fussy.
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Anyways, moving on to the topic du jour. You may or may not know this, but I’ve been a fan of soy milk for years – back when I was just starting middle school, my mom started following a mostly macrobiotic/organic diet under the tutelage of Mariam Nour (a somewhat whackadoodle TV personality at the time). Interested and eager to join my mom on her health craze I went along for the ride. We switched out white rice for brown, frosties for organic rye muesli, and skimmed milk for soy.
I won’t lie and say that all those habits stuck – I had years of atrocious high school and university eating habits ahead of me still, but one thing was for sure, I liked my soy milk. So much so that when it came time to axe all the dairy from my diet (long before I went vegan) I didn’t think twice about switching back to soy.
When I was living in the UK, I was always a fan of the Alpro/Provamel brands, purchasing everything from their milks to pouring yogurts and even soy creamer for those slightly more decadent recipes. In Bahrain I’ve grown accustomed to buying Silk Organic, which I’ve grown to love.
So imagine my disappointment when I stumbled across a post on Reddit, which informed me that Silk is actually owned by Dean Foods, the largest producer and distributor of Dairy in the US. And if that weren’t bad enough, it turns out Dean Foods is one of the many companies that spent millions trying to block Prop 37, California’s Right to Know’s ballot initiative to label genetically modified food. Needless to say I was shocked – but even more upsetting was a little tidbit of information I found when I did some more digging: Dean Foods had actually acquired Alpro back in 2009. So in all my years of being a soy milk devotee, I’ve been unknowingly supporting a largely unethical dairy conglomerate. Needless to say I was beside myself in frustration.
Am I being a little extreme? I don’t think so. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: veganism to me is more than just diet – it’s a lifestyle whose ethos are at the core of defining who I am as a person and what I believe in. If I claim to eschew animal products due (in part) to the horrifying conditions and maltreatment of animals, exploitation of resources in modern day agriculture and my overall commitment to be an ethical consumer – then how can I continue to knowingly support a company like Dean Foods (whose track record by the way, isn’t exactly stellar)?
On the other side of the coin, some would argue that by “voting with my dollar” when I buy a non-dairy item from either Silk or Alpro, I’m showing the company that there’s a higher demand for vegan friendly products, which should be seen as a good thing as far as raising awareness goes and making vegan diets more mainstream.
Unfortunately for me the negatives outweigh the benefits in this case. I would much rather continue to seek out and support smaller, ethical (and preferably local/regional) brands when it comes to my choices as a consumer.
The sad truth however, is that so much about the way food is produced in today’s world can be deemed unethical in some way shape or form.
Palm oil for example been deemed taboo in vegan circles for example due to the fact that harvesting it results in the destruction of rain forests and the death of indigenous orangutans.
More recently, quinoa-eaters have been put in the ethical hot seat, as a controversial article in The Independent highlighted how the price-rise of highly coveted pseudograin has damaged the livelihood of the Bolivian farmers who can no longer afford it.
And lest we forget about cacao (an estimated 43% of the world’s chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast, where child slavery and unsafe working conditions are the norm), coffee beans, bananas, coconuts, sugar and every other crop that is typically harvested unsustainably.
The harsh truth of the matter is that if I were to eschew every unethical product or foodstuff, I’d essentially be unable to consume anything except the food grown in my backyard.
So where does one draw the line?
One thing I’ve learned in my short time of being vegan is that it isn’t about perfection, and it isn’t a competition. Even the most careful person will mistakenly purchase or consume an animal by-product at some point, and there’s no need to beat myself up about it. Mistakes will happen, it’s just about doing what you can. Veganism to me, is striving to lead a lifestyle that is cruelty-free, compassionate, and ethical to the best of my ability.
This week that meant rotating a few new non-dairy milk options into the mix to find an apt substitute for my beloved Alpro. No big deal, in the grand scheme of things, but a step forward to becoming a more ethical consumer nonetheless.
Great post and really interesting points, I think it is difficult to see where to draw the line, but I like you would not buy prefer brands that have good ethics. I love your quote: Veganism to me, is striving to lead a lifestyle that is cruelty-free, compassionate, and ethical to the best of my ability.
You have made many valid points, and I am glad to have seen all of the companies which were supportive as well as those against… Now I know which companies to buy from… Once again thank u for the info
Thoughtful take on the subject. One thing that this discussion (the larger one, not just yours) needs to incorporate is the fact that many vegans and people aspiring to eat healthier and more ethical diets live in small marketplaces, where a large variety of local non-dairy options just aren’t available. So if Silk (or Alpro in the UK) is the only option available, isn’t that a “better” option than dairy (esp. if the organic dairy option is Horizon, which is on the bad side of your graphic too!)? And I think it’s important to note (though may not change the outcome), that Silk wasn’t originally owned by this corporate conglomeration – it was purchased by them because it was a successful independent company (which suggests that many of the smaller companies on the “good” side of the graphic will eventually be bought up by larger “evil” corporations). So as the global marketplace consolidates – which is the trend always – people are left with fewer and fewer choices (in the sense of the larger corporations that own the products with smaller names).
I completely agree with you on this Sarah. I actually count myself extremely lucky that despite it’s small population and market size, there is an overwhelming amount of options available to me in terms of non-dairy milks (and vegan items in general) here in Bahrain. It’s a fine line, but I would say that yes a non-ethical non-dairy option is definitely better than a dairy option (by the way, Horizon Organic is also owned by Dean Foods – go figure).
You also make a valid point with regards to smaller companies being bought out and marketplace consolidation. I place no blame on the actual companies themselves, I particularly love Alpro’s ethos and their advertising and social media campaigns in the UK. But I can’t say I don’t feel a bit deceived in some way – I feel these companies owe it in some way to their customers to be clear about who’s running the ship. To me this is just as bad as buying from the Body Shop, knowing full well that their parent company Loreal actively participates in animal testing.
Yes, exactly. And it makes me sad to think that these parent companies buy up successful independent companies with good ethics just so that they get the sheen of “ethics” (and the money from consumers wishing to make the right choice) without actually making any large-scale changes to their own practices.
Brilliant article and good responses. As a vegan for just over 20 years I don’t think that there’s any doubt that a vegan product from an unethical company is a better option than a non vegan product from an ‘ethical’ company (is it possible to be ethical but not vegan?).
The argument quoted in the article that buying from Silk or Alpro shows these big companies that there is demand for vegan product is one that I largely share. For sure I’ll always buy from smaller ethical companies given the choice, but I’d hate to turn the clock back a couple of decades to when there often was no choice. Mainstream veganism has to be good.
Thanks again for the blog. I love reading it
Hi Nada! First, this is an incredibly thoughtful and articulate post, as all of your posts are! Second… just wanted to say hi! I’m a longtime reader and I think you have a lot of lovely things to say
this is a pretty interesting topic you brought up Nada. Although I am vegan or even a vegetarian, we live in a society where the food market is so dominated by politics and big corporations. Your compassion towards following veganism not just for health but other ethical reason is very very impressive
all we can do as a consumer is to support small business owners, local companies and try to be ethical depending upon own beliefs and whatever makes us happy!
Wow, I didn’t know until now that alpro has been taken over by Dean Foods. And I just researched that Provamel is owned by Dean Foods as well. That’s bad news for me since this both brands were my main sources for plant milk (especially the hazelnut milk from Provamel is my favourite
).
Well, I’m sure I will find replacements or maybe that’s the reason I needed to produce plant milk myself
Never stop educating yourself!
Great post! I wrestle with these questions all the time. This article really helped me think through the quinoa question (and the idea of consumer citizenship more generally—the idea that, as you state, we can “vote with our dollar” and make a difference): https://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/02/15-4
Thanks for writing this!
Thank you for this post and wonderful info-graph. It’s always so enlightening to see exactly how money influences policy- and specifically where that money is coming from.
I won’t be buying any more products made by Silk, Goya or any of the other opponents to prop 37 if I can avoid it.
Great post, I totally agree, although I think most people think I’m crazy for being so strict about my purchases. I feel to lax, as I don’t usually go out of my way to find out about companies, I just avoid any when I learn they have offensive practices. Either way, I think the power of our dollars is totally underestimated in our consumer-based society.
I agree, it’s no fun when you discover things like this.. However, from what I have heard and read Alpro has it’s own policy, which is pretty good. When it is possible, I will probably buy something from a brand which I love and support all the way. But, as you mention yourself, sometimes this is ‘the best option’.
It’s too bad that Alpro actually is in the hands of such a bad company, because Alpro / Provamel itself has a good ethical background, quality products and is widely available..
Great blog…keep it up! Wut u think of Muller products, as its my fav