Strawberry Fields and ethical dilemmas

The berries that I did not buy today.

Apparently awhile back I yelled at some family member or another about buying Driscoll's berries even though the workers were asking for a boycott because of a labor dispute.

This is way before the cancer happened; we were actually eating non-organic California berries which embarrasses me now, but whatever. We don't think about what could happen until the thing happens.

At least some of us don't.

Well, I don't, apparently.

We glance at the numbers and think, why change how I live because of a statistically low chance of getting cancer?  And organic is so expensive (believe me, I know. I still get sticker shock every time I buy organic groceries.)

At any rate, I don't buy non-organic fruit or veg any more. And berries are, as I've posted before, high on the list of most important daily foods for us. Ellagic acid, anthocyanedine and proanthocyanedines are the anti-cancer phytochemicals found in berries (and I just read that 90% of the ellagic acid found in raspberries is in the seeds...so much for my strategy of filtering the seeds out of Lindy's fruit treats for greater enjoyment.) And those benefits are in addition to the antioxident properties.

Berries, especially strawberries, are on the Dirty Dozen, or fruits and veg that hold on to the highest content of pesticides. Organic is important.

And the only kind available at the co-op this week has been Driscolls. So I bought it. Twice, apparently. Then Francie (daughter, age 17) reminded me that I yelled at other family members for buying Driscoll's when there was a boycott on.

So what do I do when there aren't any organic berries except for Driscolls available at either the Co-op or Hannaford's, our grocery store? OK, I have frozen strawberries and they are fine and dandy according to Lindy, but how do I know, really, that the workers for the other companies are treated better? At least they aren't exposed to chemicals in the fields, which makes them sick, and they carry home on their clothes, making their kids sick.

Well, it's only the workers at Driscoll's who are asking people not to buy the product (I haven't been able so far to find an update to see if the boycott is still on). I did put up a fight, saying my priorities had changed since being all righteous over the Driscoll's boycott. But I have capitulated.

I'm not buying them anymore.