Since I am the main grocery shopper and cook in our home, I’ve used many ingredients over the past 8+ years. I’ve gone from the mentality of buying as cheap as I can get, to a more healthful approach with more though on choosing ethical ingredients. You may see recipes on Busy Mommy that involve processed ingredients or desserts with way too much butter or sugar, but that’s because I’m a big believer in moderation.
Like me, you may be in charge of the day-to-day shopping, which means we have great purchase power. Your food choices can change the world. We can change things and choose better products that will have a positive effect both socially and environmentally.
According to the CNN Freedom project, child slavery in chocolate is all too easy to find in our favorite brands, with kids as young as 5 working long days for the billion dollar chocolate industry. The United States Department of Labor has a list of goods produced by child or forced labor, including coffee, rice, sugarcane, tea, vanilla and many more.
Below is a list of ethical ingredients that are environmentally and socially responsible products.
Sugar: Simply Nature 2 lb Org. Sugar from Aldi
Brown Sugar: Simply Nature Light Brown Sugar from Aldi
Powdered Sugar: Wholesome powdered sugar
Coffee: Simple Nature Organic Guatemalan Light Roast K Cups from Aldi or Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company.
Chocolate Chips: Costco has developed a partnership with US-based Blommer, for all of their Kirkland chocolate products. I use the Kirkland brand chocolate chips which are labeled as environmentally and responsibly sourced.
Cocoa Powder: Divine Chocolate Cocoa Powder
Quinoa: Alter Eco Quinoa (different varieties) I have seen this brand at Whole Foods as well.
Peanut Butter: Good Spread peanut butter For every product sold, they donate nutrient-rich food to kids suffering from malnutrition.
Granola Bars: This Bar Saves Lives All-natural, non-GMO snack bars. For every bar you buy, they deliver a packet of life-saving food to a child in need. I have also seen these at Target.
Mixes, Marinades and Rubs: Women’s Bean Project offers Gourmet bean soups, chilis, cookie and brownie mixes, bread mixes, salsa and spice rubs, marinades and sweets. The mission of Women’s Bean Project is to change women’s lives by providing stepping stones to self-sufficiency through social enterprise.
Drink Mixes: Everly No calorie, all natural drink mixes that come in flavors pomegranate maqui berry, peach mango and green tea passion fruit. For every packet of Everly sold, they provide ORS (live-saving powder packets that rapidly rehydrate victims of waterborne diseases) to communities that lack access to the life-saving medicine.
