Grocery vs. Health Food Stores

Grocery vs. health food store

I wonder if perhaps I am just a snob. But no, there is more to it.

I tend to mostly shop at health food stores. I buy organic for the most part. At the grocery store I will buy the occasional bit of fruit (mostly pineapples and avocados) and toiletries – vinegar for washing, toilet paper and tissue paper. Then again if it’s cheaper at the pharmacy I will buy there.

Now with the coupons from Canadian tire and Sobey’s I am attempting to buy more from Sobey’s because you have to spend at least $30 in order to be able to use the coupons. Though I spend close to $200 a week in food I have a hard time figuring out how to get the bill up to $30 at a grocery store.

Who would I rather support?

Health food stores mostly have people that care about their environment, less packaging (though definitely not always), more organics, more contact with the farmers.

Grocery stores are the large corporations that rule the food world. I recently heard that there is Sobey’s and Loblaws and the A&P. Anything else is owned by one of them. Organic standards are being affected and created by the grocery stores. These high standards with copious amounts of paper work are prohibitive to the smaller farmers. They just can’t compete. The grocery stores have too much control, larger corporations, and can charge cheaper prices.

Farmer’s Markets or Farm stores would be one of the best places I would have to say. Perhaps they have prepared food that one can get as well. Supporting those that are local. Less transit time. What I really like is getting to know the farmers themselves. Great people I have met that really care about their land and their animals and their customers.

We brought our coupons and gift card to Sobey’s in an attempt to see what I could buy. Pineapples were on sale. How do I feel about buying Dole? Well bought lots but not totally comfortable with it. Persimmons are a treat at this time of year (coming from Israel – ugh that’s a distance). Nuts in the shell I wouldn’t mind buying but we already have lots. Organic cheese perhaps – not any of the kinds I would like to buy. We got organic butter and nut butter. Felt like a lot of work to get to $30 but we did.

I could tell some of the products labeled ‘natural’ were of an older variety than those at the hfs (older packaging on certain items).

In a perfect world I would be able to eat locally year round and never need more than the farms in my area or the farmer’s market. I still eat too many fresh greens in the winter time. Like the coconut oil that really puts a dent in shipping to get to Canada.

So I guess like everything else, it’s a journey and my way is no better than anyone else’s. We’re all just doing our best and grocery stores have a lot to offer and many will argue that the more organics get out there the better it is for all of us. Ho hum…