Tips for Grocery Shopping

If you don’t have local farmers markets or CSA programs in your area, or winter limits the supply of available fresh food, you will likely shop the local grocery store or supermarket. To help promote healthy eating and support sustainable agriculture, keep in mind the following tips during your next visit.

Shop the perimeter of the store for fresh food. Most stores put the bakery, produce, meat, and dairy departments around the perimeter of the store. These sections typically have the freshest foods in the store. Avoid the center, which is typically filled with boxed and canned foods.
Read the labels. Understand what food labels mean and how to read them. Make sure you know how the food has been raised and where it is coming from. See Food Terms & Labels for more information.
Ask for what you want. If something isn’t labeled or the store doesn’t offer what you want, don’t be shy about asking for organic, local foods grown through sustainable practices. This can mean local produce, fresh bread, and dairy products without added hormones and antibiotics. If the store doesn’t have what you want, maybe they’ll get it in the future, if enough customers ask.
Buy in season. It might be tempting to buy strawberries in the dead of winter, but try to buy produce when it’s growing in your area. It’s fresher and more likely to be local.
Avoid products with more than five ingredients. Packaged foods typically have unwanted preservatives or ingredients that are unhealthy and unnatural. If you can’t pronounce it, or don’t know what it is, find an alternative. Just remember that whole foods with fewer ingredients are typically better for you.
Go with local and/or organic whenever possible. It may cost a bit more, but the benefits are worth it.
Shop with a list and a full stomach. Just like any diet program, it helps you avoid binge buying of the bad foods you might crave.
To learn more about grocery shopping, see the shopping guides from the Center for Food Safety and Environmental Working Group.