::A Geek in Korea::

I ran into an interesting experiment online. It challenged people to look through their refrigerators and find all the foods owned by subsidiaries of companies that were in some way connected to cigarette companies. I never really considered the company or their practices before buying food items before. Contents, nutrition, price, and need usually were the factors I used to choose what lines the fridge. What about ethics too? Since I lost a grandfather because of illnesses related to smoking and tobacco, I thought this was an interesting idea.

While other people were reporting refrigerators filled with products that supported cigarette companies, albeit indirectly, it seems that I was spared the dilemma of deciding what to do with all that ethically questionable food. I own only two items produced by the Altria Group of companies. I have some Oreo cookies, and some Kraft horseradish, but everything else was either Korean made, or (gasp) actual non-processed home made food or ingredients! Thank goodness for family members that can cook from scratch!

While shopping at the local superstores, there are plenty of alternatives that to my knowledge aren’t owned by Altria, which means that I can get different kinds of cookies, and even a different type of horseradish (!) for now. Hurray choice! This means that I don’t face any real sacrifice from this "challenge" until I hear about Korean  food companies acting unethically. I’m sure if I methodically went through news sites and worried enough, I’d be locked in a consumer quandary and never purchase anything again. For now, I’ll keep my little shopper’s crusade to myself and hope that my string of luck in finding alternatives continues.