There is no doubt that the growth of supermarkets have changed our lives. They have introduced a lot more “convenience” into our lives, but at what cost? A lot has been written on the subject, and consumers are now starting to seriously fight back against the universal presence and power of the supermarket.

If you buy your shopping from a supermarket you are effectively buying into their ethics, and most supermarkets have poor ethical and environmental credentials. The major problem areas are:

• increased traffic – supermarkets tend to be situated in locations with low land values, i.e. on the outskirts of towns, necessitating a car journey (the solution is to buy online and have your shopping delivered for a smallish extra charge)

• distribution system – goods are bought from suppliers, transported to centralised depots, and re-distributed to stores. Goods can travel hundred of miles only to be sold a few miles from where they were sourced

• perceptions of what customer want – resulting in standard sizes being specified for produce which is naturally varied, which mean lots of waste, chemicals and intensive production methods

• food miles – sourcing goods from overseas because of cost, when the same produce is available locally

• energy use – have you noticed the amount of chiller space in your supermarket? Supermarkets are estimated to require 3 times the energy per square metre to operate than a conventional greengrocer

According to Ethiscore, no supermarket scores better than 7 out of 20 on their rating system (5-9 being “poor”). The best of the bunch are Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, and Waitrose.