The Conscious Shopper: Healthy Food for Busy People, Vol. 1

Poor planning is the bane of many an otherwise useful informational video, and The Conscious Shopper is the latest entrée. Shot in an (open for business) supermarket, this nearly all talking-head video features "food coach" Lorinda Hill standing in the produce, dairy, and bulk foods sections delivering a somewhat stiff and apparently unscripted lecture on the pros and cons of foods in each of the main food groups. While Hill offers some very good advice concerning choosing whole foods, avoiding sugar and additives, the best cooking oils to use, and ideas for substitute sweeteners (such as rice syrup), the low-budget production values undercut the program. In-store announcements are occasionally heard over the p.a., Hill sometimes says she'll return to a subject (such as the importance of bitter vegetables) and then apparently forgets, and some of the brands which Hill recommends throughout appear to be local (the producer is in Chicago). Although more expensive, Shopping for Health (VL-1/98) is a better choice. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)