Creating a Conscious Consumer

A recurring theme throughout my research: the importance of consumer consciousness...

"Through their conscious purchases, consumers tell companies that they care about the farmers and workers who produce their products" {fairtradeusa.org}

"There's a golden mean of producing food that allows the conscious consumer to eat an ethical diet in a globalizing world" {James e. McWilliams, Just Food}

"Packaging is the first contact a person has with a product. Packaging thus offers a chance to tell people something they don't already know. In some cases, the message on the package might be something that only becomes important to the purchasers when they see it there in print on the store shelf. Until they see it and process it, they don't realize that it is something they care about" {Wendy Jedlicka, Packaging Sustainability}

Evidently, there's a lot to be said in the context of a store. I'm contemplating the idea of "creating a conscious consumer" by encouraging presence in the grocery store. What if the consumer contemplated her purchase instead of hurrying through the store on autopilot or on her iPhone. What would happen if we knew where our food came from or how it got to us? I want to advocate life and make people more globally aware/appreciative.