Vote with Your Fork...and Your Money

Although elections only take place twice a year, you can vote everyday with your wallet! This concept just occurred to me recently as I started learning more about genetically-modified food. I read somewhere that we can “vote with our fork” against practices like genetic-modification, and for organic and sustainable agriculture. It’s a powerful concept, but it’s really ruined my ability to shop!

I’ve been fairly nutrition-conscious for the last several years now, ever since I spent six months seeing a nutritionist for IBS (which I’ve had since I was a child). Gretchen opened my eyes to healthier foods, new ways of cooking, and a shrewder eye for shopping at the grocery store. I became a label-reader, which is an exhausting task when you’re shopping alone, and even more burdensome when you have an impatient baby in tow. Still, I try not to buy any processed food without scrutinizing the label. Before now, a lot of things failed the inspection. I knew which brands to trust and would buy those even if they cost more, because I felt like they were better for my health and the environment. But now? Almost nothing that isn’t certified organic (i.e. expensive) is fit for my cart! It’s not heathy to eat, and it’s not beneficial for the environment.

This is complicated even more by the realization that with every dollar I spend, I’m sending a message to the store, the distributor, the company that owns the brand, the processing mill, the farmer, and the whole country, that this is a product I want them to keep making. So how can I buy something that I know was probably made with genetically-modified food when I feel very strongly that I don’t want them to keep growing and making that kind of food? The two are absolutely intertwined. So even if I could sometimes make an exception and let some inferior food make it’s way to my table because it’s cheaper/faster/easier, I can’t bring myself to keep sending that message (thereby voting) that this is a product I am supporting. Unfortunately, it’s really crippled my ability to make a decision at the grocery store. Just ask Silas; our grocery trips last a lot longer now!

The bottom line is, remember that with every dollar you spend, whether it’s on food or any other kind of product, activity, or charity, you are voting with it. You are sending a clear message to someone that you want to see that product/activity/charity continue and flourish, as well as others like it. I never thought about my money that way, but now that I am, it’s going to change the way I spend it.

~Jen

The Birds and the Bees Happy 1st Birthday Silas!