Strained family ties in aisle five

Every time you buy one brand over any of the others you’re making a choice, whether you’re conscious of it or not. Sometimes it’s an easy choice. Other times, it might feel like there’s something for everyone’s tastes but your own. Some go with what’s tried and true while others are always looking for what’s new. Sometimes the stakes are high and sometimes they’re low. We are complicated creatures….even in the cereal aisle.

Enter California Prop 37, which is making the choice about what cereal to pour into your bowl a bit more complicated than oats vs. o’s. Those in favor of the measure want brands to fess up if they’re using genetically modified ingredients and to label their products accordingly.

This measure presents a big dilemma for a whole spectrum of brands. Up until now, those who wanted to avoid genetically modified foods could buy organic products. But some of the most popular organic brands, like Kashi and Cascade Farms, are owned by much larger companies, like General Mills and Kellogg’s — the same companies putting hundreds of thousands of dollars toward a lobbying effort against the proposition.

There are surely a wide variety of reasons why people pay more for organic products, but I have a feeling that funding the opposition to what they believe in is not one of them. Branding extends far beyond logos and packaging to a deeper philosophy about the world we live in and the role a brand plays in peoples’ lives.

How’s that for a complete breakfast?