Thrifty Grocery Shopping Secrets for the Environmentally Conscious

Uh—oh, here she comes again, it’s ‘organic girl’, or in some circles, ‘organicspice’…I know that’s what some people say when they see me coming.

But the truth is that as much as I’ve pledged my liberal arts environmental degree to supporting local and organic food, I am also a savvy, thrifty food shopper. And I think you really need to be these days if you want to eat well and not break the bank.

It’s all about purposeful shopping. As always I think of my mother and thank her for teaching me early some key basics to navigating around the supermarket. Here are some of my key picks.

1. Keep a shopping list. This is very helpful for keeping you on track when you’re in the supermarket. I also find it useful for planning several meals at once, or stocking up to make future meals.

2. Always buy in bulk when available. This is one of the benefits of shopping at Whole Foods. You can get really good prices for staple items like flour, sugar, nuts, and oats and you can even recycle by reusing previous bags and containers. A place like Costco seems wonderful for bulk, but think about it, do you really need a 10lb jar of mayonnaise? Costco promotes bulk impulse buys which I believe leads to increased consumption in general, and that’s not very green is it? Like the strange time my mother showed up at my home with a jumbo pack of prunes, err, I mean dried plums. I’m still not sure what inspired her to bring those for me, a mother’s love I guess.

3. Don’t do one-stop shopping. Use different stores for different needs. I know convenience is a major factor in today’s world, but you can keep several lists going and rotate your visits to different stores to get the best bargains. It can even be a fun way to explore the city, or plan an outing. For example, make one big veggie trip per week to a green grocer where you know the prices are good. Visit an Asian grocer to get Siracha (Vietnamese hot sauce, or ‘cock sauce’) and curry pastes and resist getting those items at a gourmet store. If you pass a middle eastern bakery, stock up on bulk olives which last forever, and freeze pita bread and spinach pies for a quick dinner some time. I always use Trader Joe’s for cheap paper goods made from recycled paper and won’t buy them where they cost more elsewhere.

4. Avoid pre-prepped produce. Do you really need pre sliced apples? Have you ever timed how long it takes to cut an apple vs. open a plastic bag of pre sliced apples? OK, I understand pineapple is a little more complex to slice, but really people, be intelligent about how you spend your money. Often pre-prepped produce can cost up to 25% more than regular produce. Broccoli is another example, really, I promise you, it won’t take you more than 5 minutes, maybe 3 minutes more to wash and slice your broccoli yourself rather than pay extra money for a machine to do it. And, don’t get me started on pre-washed and sliced lettuce vs. good old-fashioned head lettuce. Next time take a moment to compare the prices at the supermarket and think about how you want to spend your money.

5. Organics
Finally let’s talk organics, the smoking gun of the food industry. I think most consumers today tap into organics because of the health benefits they provide. Certainly the organic dairy industry has moooved forward (sorry couldn’t resist) as we discover the effect that consuming synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and genetically modified feedstocks found in conventional dairy have on our bodies, especially pre-pubescent girls.

The benefit of consuming organic produce is a little harder to measure, although many a convert to organic swears by it. People even claim you can taste the difference. Here’s an experiment for you- this June when strawberries are in peak season, I want you to buy three things. 1. Regular conventional supermarket strawberry 2. Organic supermarket strawberry 3. Farmers market strawberry. Lay them all out and compare flavors. What do you find?

I imagine both supermarket strawberries taste similar, sweet with a firm texture (can you tell with your eyes closed which one is organic?), while the farm-raised strawberry is probably more aromatic, softer, and more tart. This will give you a lot of food for thought about the industry and what you are paying for when you buy conventional, organic , and local. Of course all supermarket strawberries are carefully calibrated to retain quality through time and travel, while at the farmers market throughout the season, you may be choosing from as many as 10 different varieties of strawberry, each grown for its unique flavor profile and quality. These lovely little gems are a reminder that farmers still tend the earth and food is still grown for its authentic food-like qualities rather than its ability to be modified to withstand a trip around the world.

So, what do you do if the farmers market is not your constant source of produce? Organic produce is generally more expensive. Should you buy everything organic? Can you taste the difference? In terms of your health, the Environmental Working Group has designated a list of produce that is known to be heavily drenched in chemical pesticides, fertilizers as ‘the dirty dozen’. These are items that you should prioritize as organic on your grocery shopping list.

Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Grapes
Lettuce
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries

I purchased some non-organic romaine lettuce the other day and I could definitely tell the difference. After eating organic lettuce for so long, this stuff actually tasted like chemicals to me and it was a real turn off. Leaves and outer parts of vegetables absorb the most chemicals and are areas that have the highest concentration.

Usually produce that has a thick skin like bananas, or produce that naturally has a protective cover on it like corn, absorbs fewer chemicals. These items can take lower priority on your organic shopping list.

Most tropical fruits like bananas, mangos, papaya, avocado, and pineapple.
Citrus, unless you are using the rind
Corn
Peas
Onions
Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower

It would be a wonderful world if we didn’t have to worry about ingesting chemicals with our produce, but in many ways it is a cog in the wheel of a food system that fulfills an immediate need for a cheap and efficient food. Until the environmental and health impacts of this kind of conventional farming catch up with us, and the liberal use of petrochemicals in farming is reduced, you can still make a difference to your body and environment buy buying organic where possible.

Of course, supporting a local and organic farmer is the best option of all. They call it the triple bottom line, it’s buying a strawberry and knowing you’ll get authentic taste and good nutrition, you’ll support a family farmer, and you’re protecting the planet. Now that’s sweet.