The Power Of Your Dollar

You might think that you as an individual can do little to change ... well... anything.  The truth is that your spending can influence what products are stocked at your supermarket, how they are packaged and their content.  If you stop buying imported fresh produce (citrus, grapes and garlic just to name a few) importers will stop importing it.  Modifying your purchasing behaviour can go a long way to keeping our farmers on viable land and reducing the food miles that the produce has travelled. Buy only Australian seasonal produce where possible, visit local markets or growers co-ops and see what's in season.  Farmers should be celebrated, supported and rewarded for the role they play in producing our food and managing our natural resources.

Look at the labels on all pre-packaged and processed foods.  Check to see if it contains 'Product of Australia'.  Is it Australian owned ?  If every Australian changed their buying behaviour and spent just $50 each week on wholly owned Australian companies instead of wholly owned foreign companies we could reduce the crippling debt Australia owes by $50 billion a year.  This demand will increase productivity and reduce demand on imports.  (Visit http://ausbuy.com.au/ or http://www.onlyoz.com.au/ ).  Where product has been imported it's a moral imperative to support fair trade initiatives in economically colonised places wherever possible.

Are you worried about GM (Genetically Modified) product entering the food chain through our processed foods ?  It's already there.  Visit http://truefood.org.au/ to find out which manufacturers have publicly declared their content to be GM-Free and those that won't or can't.  

View the Greens policies on food and agriculture at http://qld.greens.org.au/election/policy/food-and-agriculture