They say every cloud has a silver lining. And in these tough economic times, that lining may actually be green. As more and more people feel the effects of the recession, there is increasing demand for low-cost food. Interestingly, the most cost-efficient foods oftentimes just so happen to be those that are the least processed. I’ve come across a number of websites and magazines that offer suggestions for consumers to tighten the budget belt at the grocery store.
Here are the most common suggestions I’ve encountered:
Tip Number 1: Shop the periphery of the grocery store where you’ll find the fresh, generally less processed food. Grocery stores tend to place less perishable items in the aisles. It just so happens that those items are typically also the most highly processed, packaged, and preserved “food” in the grocery store. The environmental costs incurred in producing products like these are obvious. There’s the transport of the produce from the farms to the factories. There’s the use of energy by the factories in processing the produce into some other form. There’s the environmental impact of the production and shipping of the plastics used in the packaging. There’s the shipping of the product from the factories to the grocers. Then, after the “foods” are consumed, the packaging is thrown away and finds its way into the landfill. Obviously, there are transportation and environmental costs related to the shipment of fresh produce, but generally, many of these layers are cut out. And, if you compost, you can use all of your food, rather than throwing away voluminous amounts of plastic packaging.
Tip Number 2: Try dry beans and grains (preferably from the bulk section). Bulgur, who knew? Couscous, you’re so easy to make. Polenta, how fulfilling and easy. And the beans! With just a minimal effort at planning, using dry beans in place of canned is so easy. Using dry beans and grains cuts out the increased transportation costs of shipping heavier canned products, as well as reducing the use of cans. And when beans and grains are purchased from the bulk section of the grocery store, packaging and its related environmental costs are reduced.
Tip Number 3: Consume less meat. The financial and environmental impact of consuming less meat is substantial. Meat is expensive and unless you’re buying your meat directly from the free-range, environmentally sustainable farm, it’s likely that the environmental costs of the meat are huge. First, the corn has to be grown and shipped to the factory farms to feed the cows. The feedlots are often huge fenced areas without shade where cows wallow in their own excrement. Their waste is then washed off the land by rain and often finds its way into waterways, contaminating the ecosystem. After the cows are large enough, they are trucked to a slaughterhouse, then packaged and shipped again to a distributor. Finally, the packaged meat makes its way to grocery store shelves. The same questions of environmental cost and humane treatment arise with chicken and pig production, as well. For more information, read this article from a 2002 edition of E The Environmental Magazine.
Tip Number 4: Shop with an open and creative mind. Buy produce that is on sale, rather than shopping directly from a recipe list. When perusing the produce choices, try to be creative in coming up with multiple combinations using the same basic ingredients. By using a little creativity, you can reduce the amount of waste from purchased but unused food.
Tip Number 5: This isn’t really about shopping, but it does help to conserve money and environmental resources. Consider growing some of your own food. Even if you don’t have a backyard suitable for gardening, there are many online resources with instructions on how to grow vegetables and herbs in containers.
Tip Number 6: Buy fruits and vegetables from local farmers’ markets. This is where real bargains–and real freshness–can be found. Plus, you get the chance to speak with the people who grew the food, allowing you to learn a little about their farming practices. To locate a farmers’ market, go to www.localharvest.org.
