The price of food does play an influence on decision making. Yesterday I was bitten by the temptation to buy Breyers ice cream for a dinner that we are hosting with children. On every level the ice cream is not a good decision – health-wise it is loaded with refined sugars, high fat and stabilizers; environmentally it has plastic packaging on the lid; and, Breyers tends to be a higher priced ice cream.
But the price, oh, not a $5-$7 gouge, this was a mere $3.25! In a flash I found the flavor desired and I purchased away. At home, I now opened the freezer door to take out some legumes for dinner, and there it was, staring me in the face! How did I come to have this in the freezer?! Oh yes, you justified it through the price. Now I will face dealing with the packaging when we are finished; reflecting on the message and conditioning that I am giving to these children; and, I will face dealing with our son, who will ask for ice cream daily, once he knows it is there. Then I will have to employ more decision-making strategies!
So do I leave the ice cream where it is and let the children have some tonight, or do I return it to the store, and purchase, or make, a dessert that does not challenge so many levels of my personal value system? Cheap food elicits cheap decision making values. It would have been easier to walk by that freezer case if the price was higher.
Where and how do each of us draw the line around our food choices in a society where the poorest are also the heaviest?
Shanthi