Anyone read 'Shopped' - and has it made you change your shopping habits?

[dietstartstomorrow]

I am reading it for a Bookclub at the moment, it will be interesting to see how many of us will change because of it.

What's it about, diet?

Yes, we avoid bigger supermaekts now, though not that easy.
I use a local supermarket, and Lidyl (not that they are necessarily much better) and local market.
I htink it is a good book to open your eyes to what goes on.

Also Not on The Label, and Fast Food Nation.

Its about how Supermarkets are taking over - they used to have a 20% share of food sales in the 80's and that is around 90% now.

Also how they bully suppliers and farmers. Also food is picked too early and refrigerated so it 'looks nice', but tastes shite.

One thing that stuck out for me was about herbs, because UK farmers can only supply them about 6 months a year, they just bypass them completly and have them flown over from Isreal 12 months a year!

SM's have bullied most small food shops out of little towns now, and I am concerned (especially with the credit crunch) that they are going to start having an effect on shops like smiths with all the extra things they sell now.

10 years time it could just be Tescoland

Hm, but surely it doesn't help littler suppliers to avoid supermarkets completely, as many little suppliers can only get their products widely distributed by using the SMs.

One Trick is not to buy supermarket's "own label" and always cheaper item, but a brand name instead from an independent producer.

Thats only if the SM's use little suppliers - I am guessing most don't.

And the sms don't give them a fair deal much of the time.
Like if there is a promo on, buy one get one free, the sm makes the supplier absorb the costs, not the SM.

I hate british supermarkets.
In germany, they also have a big market share, but they dont rule your life. They dont even try to tell you how to live - they are just there and they dont really care if you buy or not (terrible customer service!). But I much prefer that.

Yes! I have not been into a Tescos since I read this book, and have drastically cut down my visits to other supermarkets!

Yes I did read it. I hated sms before so the book just reinforced that feeling. The more people read it the better as far as I'm concerned.