At the grocery store are we being forced to make healthy choices?

oldaunt said:
I buy healthy food at regular supermarkets quite a bit cheaper for the same items o as is charged by "health food" stores.
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That's true but the health food store is 2 minutes from where I live while the regular grocery store is much further away. Gas prices are still a problem for me too. So I go to the closer store and buy healthy food which is better for my body anyway. I'm in a lose, lose position at the moment. :(
 

Don't trust those stores. Take your time and read the labels; slowly and very carefully. Who knows? The salmon you buy just may be a slimy "mudpuppy." The stores are always working very hard into making you think that you have a bargain but really what they want is for you to lay your money down at the till and get out of their store ASAP. They call this "Customer Service."
 
Well, We were"forced" to give up incandescent light bulbs to buy only LED.
We were "forced" to all buy "smart" phones and give up Ma Bell.
We were all "forced "to buy "smart" T.V.s.
I'm not going to mention vaccines.
Now, Fake meat and fake milk?

I think you're right Chic! We are being induced to buy whatever brings the highest profitability .
When I went to the grocery, a clump of celery was $7.89. That's the only celery they had in stock.
I mentioned it to the cashier and she said, "Well, You bought organic!" Kinda high, I think!
 
"we don't have much choice about it except to leave and shop at another store." That's exactly it Chic. I don't view it as being forced when that choice is available. Now if one lives in the boonies and there are no other stores with an unreasonable amount of miles, then that's another story. I live in a city and organics don't go over big in my area, so the local supermarket doesn't carry them. But it's larger sister store with several locations does carry some organic products. So does Costco, also several locations we can go to. Then there's Whole Foods. Easy enough to get to by car or train but they are too expensive, so I rarely go there.

I am noticing that non dairy and lactaid free ice creams are being offered at our local supermarket. But so are several other choices. It would seem that the store you are referring is making a profit by selling the types of products you mention or else they would discontinue them. Perhaps many of their customers have deep pockets.
 
I just question it so much. They say organic, grass fed, free range, non GMO, no hormones. I don't believe all the hype, I think everything is the same unless you raise your own meat, keep your own chickens and grow your produce. I don't pay extra for a label. (I have grown veggies and my sister keeps chickens and a garden.
 
Paco Dennis said:
We buy the most nutritious foods we can find at the local super markets.
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Me too.

oldaunt said:
I buy healthy food at regular supermarkets quite a bit cheaper for the same items as is charged by "health food" stores.
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The average grocery store usually has the very same products as the health or specialty stores. They also have more choice.

They also have more turnover so food is fresher.

Blessed said:
The trick for me is shopping loss leaders on everything.
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Me too, on almost everything.

@chic, you could limit your grocery shopping to once a week or two. The other option is delivery depending how far you have to drive to the store. I never drive one place without another goal in mind.

Speciality stores are expensive and know they can charge whatever they want because they mostly cater to a specific demographic.
 
We are not being 'forced' to buy anything. Instead we are presented with goods that the shops want to sell you, not what you want to buy. Well, you go elsewhere. In the office, we had a sign that read "Customers make your payday possible". Shops should take heed!

What annoys me is finding acres of "can't be bothered to get off my butt" ready meals, but fresh herbs are virtually impossible to find. We are not being 'forced' to eat healthy food - we are being enticed to eat unhealthy food.
 
Gaer said:
Well, We were"forced" to give up incandescent light bulbs to buy only LED.
We were "forced" to all buy "smart" phones and give up Ma Bell.
We were all "forced "to buy "smart" T.V.s.
I'm not going to mention vaccines.
Now, Fake meat and fake milk?

I think you're right Chic! We are being induced to buy whatever brings the highest profitability .
When I went to the grocery, a clump of celery was $7.89. That's the only celery they had in stock.
I mentioned it to the cashier and she said, "Well, You bought organic!" Kinda high, I think!
Click to expand...
Ma Bell still supplies my landline. No cell service here. And there's too much deer and turkey here to bother with fake meat.
 
worked in the industry for a long time .......
simply put stores do not automatically get bigger to accommodate every diet / or fad and with all products available ......
so they cut down selection to work in all the NON everything in ......... non meat /plant made fake stuff takes over in the ground beef section making it so if not real items are not continually stocked the shelf is bare...
every try to fake ice cream /non dairy / non sugar/ soy etc takes up more and more space in freezer etc etc etc
Example throughout most stores and only getting worse ........ many think why bother stocking it maybe they will finally BUY the non foods that are all overly processed trying to pretend to be Meat / cheese or ice cream ......

most of this stuff is bought by a fewer people and eventually taken off and marked way down if demand does not warrant space on shelf......
then people searching for these raise a fuss about not finding them ......
I have tried a few of the fake ice cream that taste like chalk and some non dairy cheese that does not melt well and sets up like plastic IMO so there are many ONE time buyers just how many regular buyers keep the item on the shelf.
 
Gaer said:
Well, We were"forced" to give up incandescent light bulbs to buy only LED.
We were "forced" to all buy "smart" phones and give up Ma Bell.
We were all "forced "to buy "smart" T.V.s.
Click to expand...
Not really forced, these are decision we, in the corporate sense, made in our purchasing. Businesses just respond.

I suppose at the individual level some people were "forced" but it was because not many people were interested in sticking with incandescent lights, Ma Bell, the old phones, or tube TVs... We, or many of us anyway, probably made these decisions without really thinking them through.
 
I do not shop the aisles. Couldn't tell you the brands sold in the frozen section if you offered me $1K. I'm in and out of the supermarket and I spend 99% of that time in the produce dept. I don't cook pastas or rice of any kind. I enjoy my my mostly plant based food (with limited chicken & wild caught fish) and always have the energy and desire to cook for one. I'm a fruit lover. My supermarkets include Kroger, WinCo, Albertsons, Target and Walmart. A good variety and the prices are contained by competition.
 
I shop at regular grocery stores and health food stores. The health food stores have more of the food I'm looking for. Wherever I go, there's no shortage of junk food. I'm not into fake food or meat substitutes of any kind. I avoid foods that are artificially flavored and colored, are trans fat and sugar-laden, and have a plethora of chemical additives. Not only that, I buy the best whole foods that I can find and prepare them myself, and will continue to do so as long as I'm able. That way, I control what goes into my body, and that's important to me.

People with very limited income have to make tough choices when it comes to what they'd like to eat as opposed to what they can afford. They do the best they can with what they have. The way prices keep rising, it gets tougher every day.

Bella āœŒļø
 
Jules said:
Me too.


The average grocery store usually has the very same products as the health or specialty stores. They also have more choice.

They also have more turnover so food is fresher.


Me too, on almost everything.

@chic, you could limit your grocery shopping to once a week or two. The other option is delivery depending how far you have to drive to the store. I never drive one place without another goal in mind.

Speciality stores are expensive and know they can charge whatever they want because they mostly cater to a specific demographic.
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The health food stores I use are major grocery players like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's so there is good selection but it hit me in the face when I couldn't buy a sweet potato that isn't organic. The extra money does add up. Because I eat so much fresh produce for my health I do go shopping more than once a week because produce doesn't last. It's just a problem and an observation. :unsure:
 
Capt Lightning said:
We are not being 'forced' to buy anything. Instead we are presented with goods that the shops want to sell you, not what you want to buy. Well, you go elsewhere. In the office, we had a sign that read "Customers make your payday possible". Shops should take heed!

What annoys me is finding acres of "can't be bothered to get off my butt" ready meals, but fresh herbs are virtually impossible to find. We are not being 'forced' to eat healthy food - we are being enticed to eat unhealthy food.
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I grow my favorite herbs in pots on the windowsill. Can't get them fresher than that. Easy and cheap too.
 
chic said:
Or record profits for themselves during the worst recession in 80 years? It would fit the script of the past two years and all the future control they plan to strangle us with. I don't like not having a choice especially when I need to save money. So do many others. šŸ˜–
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If the closest grocery store has ridiculously high prices, it might be time to find another store. Even if you spend $5 in gas to get there, your lower grocery tab will more than offset that cost.

Gaer said:
When I went to the grocery, a clump of celery was $7.89. That's the only celery they had in stock.
I mentioned it to the cashier and she said, "Well, You bought organic!" Kinda high, I think!
Click to expand...
I cannot imagine the scenario where I'd spend $7.89 (in current dollars) on a single stalk/head of celery.
 
I don't cook. I've been eating frozen foods for 20 years, and I ain't dead. But like Chic, I noticed food prices rising. At our county fair, I always get this meatball sub, every year. About 5 years ago, it was $3, which, to me, was a rip off, but, come on, it's the fair. Two weeks ago, it was $11. and $4 for a diet coke.
 
StarSong said:
If the closest grocery store has ridiculously high prices, it might be time to find another store. Even if you spend $5 in gas to get there, your lower grocery tab will more than offset that cost.


I cannot imagine the scenario where I'd spend $7.89 (in current dollars) on a single stalk/head of celery.
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Ouch. I can't afford to spend five dollars extra on gas with gas prices as high as they are. Only one station offers gas for under $4.00 per gallon that I have seen. I'll cope with my nearby store and high food prices. At least they have sales there. :giggle:
 
Remy said:
Another thing, when I heard Hidden Valley Ranch was putting out a plant based salad dressing, I looked for it at WINCO and they carry it! I think it's $2.97 and appears to be selling. I'm sure buying it.
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How can they make a decent tasting ranch dressing without some sort of dairy? Hidden Valley Ranch Original for me!
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I don't cook. I've been eating frozen foods for 20 years, and I ain't dead. But like Chic, I noticed food prices rising. At our county fair, I always get this meatball sub, every year. About 5 years ago, it was $3, which, to me, was a rip off, but, come on, it's the fair. Two weeks ago, it was $11. and $4 for a diet coke.
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I haven't been to the local fair, but heard they have interesting products like "deep-fried butter on a stick"... :ROFLMAO:
 
Once I was in Meijer's grocery store and wanted to buy some fresh mushrooms. All I could find were expensive organic mushrooms, so I asked the produce clerk where the non-organic mushrooms were. He got all huffy for some reason and informed me "ALL mushrooms are organic". Since he seemed to have an attitude problem, I then suggested he go to Walmart and check out their produce section where they have the non-existent regular mushrooms as well as organic. (That didn't go over well.)

I wonder where that clerk got his information about mushrooms and how he got to be his age with never seeing non-organic mushrooms anywhere before.
 

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