So what's wrong with supermarkets anyway?

Supermarkets are seen by many as the ‘deliverers' of some of the worst aspects of our modern capitalist system, and the ‘cheap' food that they've turned into a national obsession comes at a high cost to us all.

• Supermarkets rely on cheap, disposable labour, exploiting workers both here and in developing countries. See Action Aid's recent report Who Pays.
• They have consistently been found to pay suppliers nearly 4% below the average price paid by other retailers. Cheap food for us, but ‘every little helps' clearly doesn't refer to Tesco's struggling farmers.
• They utilise and advance a highly industrial form of agriculture that relies on intensive production and heavy chemical use, compromising our land for future generations.
• They squander huge amounts of food, rejecting much on cosmetic grounds. Costs are often paid by the producers.

Yes, it's difficult to avoid supermarkets, and there's no denying their convenience, but do we need to rely on them as much as we do, when we know the costs involved?