5 ways to make greener choices at the grocery store- let's help reduce our footprint on this planet by making smarter decisions when we're grocery shopping!
Hi friends, we're back with the sequel to 5 Ways to Reduce Plastic Waste in the Kitchen...and this time? We're talking about the choices we make at the grocery store!
I've felt compelled to share these tips because I'm sick of feeling helpless about the way our planet is being treated. Sometimes it feels like all you hear is bad news, but that's not very helpful. My goal is to give us a few simple, actionable tips so that we can actually do something helpful for the planet. Let's fight back!
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Honestly I've been really nervous to publish this post for a couple of reasons.
Number 1, I don't ever want to come across as preachy. I don't look down on anyone who picks convenience over a green choice...heck I do this sometimes too. You gotta survive in this crazy world.
Number 2, I'm not 100% there all the time with making green choices. Sometimes making the greenest choice is not straight forward, and sometimes I make mistakes, I don't read the labels or end up with something with a lot of packaging. I am trying every day to be more conscious, and that's all we can really do, right? Each day try our best to make the right decisions with what we have on hand.
Today we're talking eco-friendly decisions at the grocery store!
I hope that you can get at least one tip from this post that won't drastically affect your grocery bill, but may alter the decisions you make about certain products.
Let's get into it!
1. Avoid excessive packaging
When picking your groceries, consider the packaging. Does it have three layers of packaging? (Like a box of cookies with a sleeve wrapped in plastic inside). What are the alternatives? Is there an option with less packaging?
Here are some of my guidelines for choosing products at the store:
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- avoid produce in plastic trays- (like tomatoes, spinach etc), I will pick a bag or even better, use my own reusable produce bags!
- avoid single use packages- ie: individual snack portions: cheese strings, yogurt cups, bags of cookies or crackers, etc. Often you can buy a larger portion or container and divide them out yourself when you get home and save some money.
- avoid produce on styrofoam trays- I see jalapeno peppers, corn, pre-chopped veggies and more packaged on trays. I try to avoid styrofoam at all costs and if there is an alternative I will always pick that.
- pick paper or cardboard over plastic-ย I'm on the fence about this choice now, as I just found out that the paper vs plastic debate is actually quite controversial! What do you think about this?
- bring your own produce bags to the grocery store
- bring your own shopping bags or bins to the grocery store
- place produce in the cart without a bag (I would probably only do this for things I will peel)
2. Shop local and in season
This one can be hard sometimes, especially here in Canada in the winter. I've been making an effort to spend a bit of time reading labels more often, and gauge which item has traveled the least amount of distance.
The better option? I should be shopping at farmers markets, or using a local produce box. It's something I am aiming to get better at!
3. Avoid cans and bottles
Wait, cans? Yes. Cans are recyclable, but consider the energy cost associated with recycling. Wouldn't it be better to avoid them completely? We've swapped our soda water habit for a SodaStream
and I can't recommend it enough! You can make your own flavored sodas with it as well.
And bottled water is another easy swap. Get a Brita water filter
, or simply use a re-usable water bottle.
4. Buy in bulk
Admittedly, I need to work on this one. Buying in bulk is a really simple way to reduce your plastic waste without having to increase your grocery bill.
- buy a larger-sized package if available- I recently purchased a 5 kg bag of quinoa (which we'll absolutely go through!) and was thrilled because it's going to require fewer trips to the grocery store to replenish, and will replace the FIVE 1 kg bags I would have had to purchase otherwise.
- visit a zero-waste store and bring your own containers- again I need to be better at this. I plan on stocking up on steel cut oats, nuts and seeds in a big mama jamma container. Look for a post on my adventures in zero waste shopping in the future!
5. Buy what you need
Food wastage is a serious issue, and I have been guilty of it myself in the past. These days I write out a weekly meal plan, which means I know exactly what we need for the week and don't get distracted with things we don't need when shopping. Not only is it a more efficient shop, but we don't end up throwing a bunch of things out!
Another way to ensure you eat the food you purchase is to meal prep. You are far less likely to throw your ingredients out once you've put the effort in to cook them!
You can read all about my weekly meal prep routine, and how to meal prep. Stay tuned for a detailed post on how to write a meal plan!
Those are my five tips to make greener choices at the grocery store! I didn't even tackle buying organic and don't get me started on GMOs (you might be surprised to hear my stance on GMOs but I'm not sure I want to open that can of worms).
I'd love to hearย how you make greener decisions at the grocery store! Let me know in the comments below ๐
Fran says
Great article! I have been following you about a year.. have learned so much. Came up with some of my own prep ideas. We do a compost for the garden and try to reuse as much as we can...
Ben says
Thanks for your support, Fran. I bet your garden grows great with that fresh compost.
Wendy Lorenz says
I am working on being more conscious of where my produce comes from. I recently noticed at my local store that the red peppers were from Mexico and the green and orange ones were from Canada. Lol! I would have assumed they were all from the same place until I read the labels!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Wendy, so interesting - nice work on opting for more local food! ๐
Sarah says
hi Denise,
You make some good suggestions. I also try to take my own bags for buying tomatoes, etc. and also buy in bulk. A greener choice is to make one or two non-meat meals per week (or more if you can manage).
Whenever possible avoid food with palm oil in it. This is harder than it sounds because palm oil derivatives hide behind lots of fancy names. Basically, if it contains "palm" or "laur" or "glyc" or "stear" it may well have palm oil in it.
Take care, Sarah
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Sarah, thank you for your suggestions - all great ones! And for your tips on avoiding palm oil - I know it is found in so many things. So glad that you are on the same page as us with making more green choices are the grocery store.
Inge says
Thank you for the lovely post with some great reminders! I could do much better when it comes to things like plastic bags, but I do throw away very little food. Itโs easier when you buy whole veggies you still need to peel/slice yourself because those last longer. Plus I try to have leftovers for lunch. Cold leftover rice is great for fried rice the next day. Cooking from scratch also helps reduce packaging etc.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Inge, So glad that you enjoyed this post, and hopefully pulled some inspiration from it! You're right - buying whole veggies instead of pre-chopped or pre-made salad mixes in plastic is another great way to reduce plastic waste. That's where meal prep comes in handy ๐ Cheers!
Jim says
Here, in Greater Victoria, we do most of our grocery shopping by bicycle and trailer; often on our tandem bike. For items that we use on a regular basis, like 10 kg whole wheat flour, bathroom tissue, and others, I will venture over to Costco; (only) 18 km each way. Other times, we will shop at several Farmers' Markets for local, fresh produce. Similarly for local wine or beer. BTW, the local tap-water is just as pure as the better bottled stuff, and a whole lot more affordable. I make our own bread, in a bread-maker, about a couple of loaves per week; some for our daughter and granddaughter, and some for my wife and me.
As you are quickly finding, there are lots of local vendors of local products, in and around Greater Victoria.
Happy local-shopping.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jim, oh that is amazing! It sounds like you get your grocery shopping and workout done in one trip! Shopping local is the best, and it sounds like you have all your favorite spots figured out. ๐ Great tips!
Dee says
Thanks so much for your post exploring more sustainable alternatives. As someone smarter than me said, we need millions of people tackling this issue imperfectly, rather than a handful tackling it perfectly. Letโs keep it going!
Denise says
100% agree! I think sometimes there's so much pressure out there to become completely zero waste and it's just intimidating. A few simple swaps is a great place to start. Thanks, Dee!
Pam says
Hi and thanks SO much for this post! I couldn't agree more with you!! In fact, I agree so much that I write a blog all about easy ways to live greener in a world that doesn't make it easy!! Thanks for helping to spread the word! ๐
Denise says
I've got to check your site out, Pam!
Ad says
Denise where do u buy ur 5kgs of quinoa here in Calgary? Also do u have a place where I get spices in bulk apart from. Bulkbarn? Thanks
Denise says
Hi! I purchased it at Costco. Sometimes you can find spices in bulk at the grocery store, but I'm planning on going to Bulk Barn next time I need to stock up ๐
Jennifer says
So here at bulk barn you can take your own containers. You take them to the counter and get the tare weight put on it before you fill it. I have put stickers on any of my containers I take with me so when they get to the till the cashier enters the tare weight before weighing so it subtracts off the total. Added bonus is it saves time when you get home.. just put it in the cupboard!
Denise says
Oh I need to update this post! I have started shopping at Bulk Barn once and month and LOVE it! Thanks for your comment, Jennifer ๐
Tricia Berkow says
This is a great post! Sometimes we need to get โpreachyโ so people will โwake upโ! I know I need these reminders. Thank you!
Denise says
Glad you enjoyed the post, Tricia ๐ THanks so much!
Catie says
Great post Denise! I try my best. I absolutely LOVE that we can compost, easily, now. We maybe have four Safeway bags of actual garbage every two weeks. We compost and recycle a lot. I'm 50/50 when it comes to bringing my own bags or using the store ones. I don't buy garbage bags so I reuse the ones I get from the store for that. When it's nice enough I walk to the store and then I use my reusable bags. They're from Trader Joe's and are about 15 years old. I love them! They wash up great and have nice long handles so you can put them over your shoulder. I also use reusable produce bags. And yeah styrofoam is the worst! I wish no one used it. There are some produce items I question - like why do they have gala apples from New Zealand when BC and Washington are so close?? One of the more bizarre things I noticed was my jar of jalapeรฑos is from South Africa. WTF? lol We've been a Brita house for 20 years. And I always buy the bags of spices to refill my containers and keep the extra in a freezer bag in the freezer. Anyway, I really enjoy posts like these. Keep 'em coming!
Denise says
I am so grateful we have such an amazing composting service here in Calgary! I have a feeling that we can only get apples from NZ certain times a year since they are in the Southern Hemisphere and have the opposite apple season as us. LOL at the jalapenos! I couldn't believe my lemons were from South Africa. That's so far to travel!! Thanks so much Catie ๐
Libby F Fife says
We have Costco (Big box store) here and the packaging makes me crazy plus I have to drive 45 minutes to get there. Your post reminded me though about using recyclable cotton grocery sacks for produce and bulk items. The only thing I haven't figured out exactly is for the bulk items, the clerk at the grocery store needs to see the code of what the item is. There is a paper tag to use so that could work but that is waste also! We do get a produce box with local produce delivered once a week which I think is helpful. The stuff is fairly local (CA and sometimes WA). I still fret about how far some of it travels. I hate getting out of season produce from Mexico too but then I remember that the people producing it are employed. Honestly, the whole situation can be paralyzing. It's a wonder anything ever gets cooked at my house!
I am a new reader and I enjoy your posts a lot. Thank you for such a great effort:)
Libby
Denise says
Hi Libby! I know some bulk food stores are zero-waste friendly and encourage you to bring your own bag/container (In Canada, we have Bulk Barn)...they will weigh your container before you fill it so you don't get charged for the weight of the container. I don't have much experience with them yet but am excited to go explore soon! It really can be paralyzing if we think about it too much...we can only make the best choice with what we have. Thanks so much for your comment.
Barb says
Hi Libby
If you have c ell phone, you could put the codes into your phone and as they ring them up, you can tell them the code at that time. Most bulk places also have a list at the check out. Of course that won't work if some of the stuff you buy is similar but maybe bring a marker with you and mark the bag as you are filling it?
Barb
Mary // Chattavore says
Love these tips. My biggest complaint around here is the lack of stores with a bulk section - only the one Whole Foods and then another "natural foods" store have bulk sections even worth mentioning. I wish more "regular" grocery stores had these!
Denise says
I do too! I know here in Canada we have Bulk Barn, which I'm excited to go explore...you can bring your own container for zero waste shopping! Thanks, Mary ๐
Nora says
I totally agree with all of these. We try our best to do the same - I still struggle with things like you said, too.
I think itโs really hard to be green in todayโs western world when youโre busy with kids, work etc. Convenience is SO tempting. Iโm 100% guilty of buying individual yogurt cups because then I donโt have to deal with my kids whining who gets more or if I put it in the wrong bowl for them ?
On the other hand, I absolutely avoid things like cans (HATE CANS!!) and plastic bottles. We shop at the farmerโs market whenever we can and are mindful of what we purchase at the grocery store.
But itโs still not easy. I mean for things like mozzarella or feta cheese, some frozen stuff and meat our only choice would be not to buy it. And while I admire people who can do that, Iโm definitely not one of those people. There are also a lot of other things packed in plastic I could only avoid if we had a bulk store/zero waste store, but thereโs just nothing like that anywhere near us, and I refuse to drive 4h to go there.
Though I just recently found out we produce less than 1/2 the trash the average person here does by weight, so weโre doing something right. Still, I always strive to do better!
That was an interesting article about paper bags vs plastic bags you linked. I knew paper wasnโt the best choice either, but not in detail. Thanks for sharing!
Denise says
It is SO hard to be green in this world of convenience items, and I pretty much broke all my rules above a few weeks ago when we were camping. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. You are definitely ahead of the curve, Nora! You should feel really good about all the green choices you are making. Hugs, friend!