The Consumer
Eat up before you shop
By Linda Bolido
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:33:00 09/02/2008
Filed Under: Lifestyle & Leisure
MANILA, Philippines—It may seem like a joke, but experts say you should not do your grocery shopping hungry if you want to avoid unnecessary purchases and stick to a budget.
Such purchases, according to Tara Mardigan of the Harvard Health Publications, is unwise in more ways than one.
In an article published online in MSN Health & Fitness, Mardigan said if you went shopping hungry, not only would you be spending money on something you might not really need but, if you were trying to eat healthy, you could end up with stuff filled with empty calories and very little nutritional value.
Another expert interviewed on an American television program pointed out that placement of products on shelves was in fact one of the subtle ways merchandisers influenced customers’ shopping decisions.
He claimed that manufacturers paid retailers extra to have their products displayed in areas where shoppers were most likely to see them.
This practice is particularly challenging for parents who bring their children shopping.
Products displayed at eye level are meant to be chosen first. Merchandisers discourage purchase of certain products by putting them high or low on shelves. Many shoppers will not want to reach up or bend low to get a product when there is a comparable item right in front of them.
Sometimes you even find moveable display racks placed right in front of where your preferred brand is. If you do not feel like “negotiating” that obstacle, you will probably just try something new instead of getting your usual brand.
And, of course, the way to the checkout counters are filled with tempting goodies, mainly things you do not need but are offered at seemingly irresistible prices.
With prices going up almost every day, Mardigan stressed the importance of having a budget before you go shopping and sticking to that budget to save money and avoid unnecessary expenses.
It has been said before and it will be said again—shop from a list. This will help you stay within your budget. Buy in bulk if there is a good bargain and only if you have good, safe storage space for your purchase.
No to GMO
The environmental group Greenpeace said it had teamed up with some of the country’s top food establishments “to protect rice, the Philippines’ most important staple food, from the threats of GMOs (genetically modified organisms).”
The campaign, the group said, aimed to encourage food establishments to serve only GMO-free rice. Among the first signatories is the Bistro Group of Companies that includes Fish and Co., Italianni’s, TGI Friday’s and Flapjacks.
Greenpeace said GMOs were plants or animals whose DNA had been manipulated to accommodate genes from entirely different species, such as a rice crop inserted with genes from a bacteria or an animal.
“They are entirely different from crop varieties developed through conventional cross-breeding techniques,” the group said. GMO crops, Greenpeace said, were highly regulated because governments recognized the dangers in them.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia genetic engineering campaigner Daniel Ocampo said the program aimed to assure consumers that the rice they were eating was free of the “risky organisms” that posed “serious threats to biodiversity, farmers’ livelihoods and human health.”
Lisa Ronquillo, Bistro Group marketing director, said the company’s participation was consistent with its Going Green initiatives and its commitment to conserve and protect the environment.
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