The Agony Of Choice

There’s far too much choice in supermarkets these days. A short while ago, Dan identified 17 varieties of Colgate toothpaste alone in his local Sainsbury’s (though perhaps even more unsettling is the fact he stood there tippy-tapping them all into his phone for later transfer to his blog).

Beans are another example. In any decent supermarket you’ll find pinto, cannelini, black-eyed, haricot, lima, green, runner, flageolet, magic… (well, maybe not the last one though aficionados of the world of canned pulses may rank the superior quality of Heinz among this category).

Talking of Heinz, you don’t just get Baked Beans any more. Now there are Mexican, Sweet Chilli, Tikka, BBQ, Curried and Jalfrezi varieties, not to mention Organic, Weight Watchers No added Sugar, and Reduced Sugar & Salt, and even “Hidden Veg” (to help you on your way to five-a-day by concealing the less palatable ingredients behind a smokescreen of tomato sauce). It’s a minefield (or beanfield).

On the off-chance you manage to locate a normal can of beans to use as a little lunchtime toast topping, you’ll then have to further navigate a bewildering aisle stretching as far as the eye can see which contains a huge number of variants on the humble loaf (including reduced fat, wheat-free and crustless varieties. Crustless bread! The world’s gone mad…)

Consumer choice is all well and good, but it’s much to the chagrin of indecisive individuals like me for who a shopping trip can turn into a weekend break.

[Also, please tell me I’m not the only person who mentally starts singing “Invisible Crust” to the tune of Genesis’ Invisible Touch when spotting a loaf of it on the shelves.]