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I recently saw the documentary movie Food, Inc. It made me hate the quality of food we’re being offered in supermarkets and served in restaurants. What can we do as consumers to force businesses to improve the quality of food they give us?

As consumers, we have the ultimate power that kill any business. We have the power of choice. We can choose to buy a specific product and not the other. If you don’t buy low quality products, the businesses will lose money and they’ll be forced to change what they offer or go out of business. It’s all about the numbers at the end. The problem in many markets worldwide is that consumers complain to their family and friends, but they don’t usually tell that brand face to face what their complaint is about. Yes, companies will eventually figure out they’re not doing well because people are not buying. However, they wouldn’t necessarily know why.

If you don’t like a certain dish in a restaurant, don’t just return it or leave it on the table. Talk to the manager. Explain what’s wrong with it. Once they’re aware of the problem, they can think of solutions or ignore the issue and bear the consequences. Tell the supermarkets managers what you want to see available. Tell them why you’re not buying certain products. Most of them will oblige your needs if other consumers are saying the same thing. They’ll do it not because they care about your desires and needs, but because they don’t want to lose your business, which is fine. As consumers, we can do many things about brands we don’t like. Complaining to each other or keeping it buried inside is not one of them…and that’s just my two cents.

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