Homebrand //2

A few posts back I began exploring the ethics of homebrand. A friend very kindly directed me to some more articles on the topic (see here, here, and here), which helped me to develop my thinking a little further. But not too much. I have three reflections:

1. I do care if a product that I love is no longer stocked (as in John Birmingham's La Gina tomato problem). It's important for me to be careful with my money (I don't have much of it and I want to continue being able to not only look after and spoil myself but also give a little away), but if a product is awesome I will happily pay more (take Carmen's muesli bars as an example). If there are enough of us (middle class) people around to purchase great muesli bars, then my guess is that Carmen's will stay, even though there is a homebrand alternative. (Is my thinking right here?) And if I'm only one of a handful who appreciate this product and it disappears, then I'll suck it up.
2. But now I'm sounding callous, like I don't care if companies shut down and people's livelihood and life's work goes down the drain. I do care - it's a horrible reality. But I get so overwhelmed by the complexity of systems like food production that I need to assess coldly so I can actually reach an ethical decision. And I believe that the people who supply the homebrand label are equally deserving of a wage.
3. I've realised one major problem though - when the massive supermarket chains subsidise products so much that the consumer ends up paying below cost. This makes it impossible for alternative brands to be both competitive and break even. I've heard that the $2 two-litre milk falls into this category, so I'm going to stop buying it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!