Which of these are important to you when fr... - Healthy Eating
Which of these are important to you when fresh food shopping? this is a multiple choice poll and please say what other is.
195 Voters
Hi Hidden ,
I picked cost, locally produced, organic and sell by because I have had gotten a particular item from a store once and it had a so-called good date. Unfortunately, the store must have labeled something wrong at the time.
Fantastic poll idea!😀👍
Great choices Leah 👍 😀 bad luck with poor labelling. 🤢
You’re right! That’s on the store manager and the employees.😀👍
When will supermarkets realise that a high proportion of their shoppers don't want multi packs because we either live alone or with our oh only.
Well said Becksagogo 😊
They rather have more choices for a wider range of customers. It costs me so much and I gather so much packaging if I have to buy mini portions as most of the time even the family size is too tiny.
I like multipack as it’s less expensive,
I'd like to go back to paper bags so that I can buy a potato, a couple of mushrooms, a couple of tomatoes etc. I'd like to buy custard for one not 4. I can only drink decaf but my local supermarket only sell a it on large jars. I try so very hard not to throw any food away and to recycle as much as I can.
If you're in the UK, you now have to bring your own little bags for loose fruit and veg in Sainsbury's. You can buy reusable ones there for 30p! The ones in Waitrose are compostible so I keep and reuse them. But I have a nice greengrocer who supplies paper bags and I take my reusable there too
I can remember as a child going to the green grocer but we don't have that luxury any more. No butcher or baker either so we are reliant on the supermarket in my area. I try not to use any bags for fruit and veg and those that I do get I give to my sister for her dog's waste.
In my county, we've had been charged every time we ask for any type of bag. We have to bring bags with us to any store (Farmer's Markets are omit from charging bag tax).
Do you leave any leftover food outside during the night for foxes to eat?
They will eat most things.
I throw out the meat bones for foxes but we have food bins for unused vegetables, feelings, egg shells, etc
Fruit and veg peelings should not be thrown in a bin they should be composted.
We take from the planet and give back to the planet.
I've a compost bin so agree with this as its so easy, I also put things out for the boars sometimes and had some apples given to me and was very popular...
I go to a group on a Friday morning and one of the members of this group once brought in a bag of apples and he said to me that other people could take some home and any leftover I could take home.
Near the end of the group, I was doing a little cleaning up and the lady running the group threw the leftover bag of apples in the bin!
Complete waste. I was well annoyed but I fished out the apples, they weren’t going to waste.
I think I only ate one cos only one was in good condition but I composted the reat of the apples.
Our food waste is not sent to landfill as it releases methane. It is collected every week in eco bags and goes to a special processing plant in Dorset where it's used to generate electricity to power homes locally and it goes towards as fertiliser as a soil improved.
Last year households in Bournemouth recycled nearly 4000 tonnes of food waste.
As a flat owner this is the best way for me to recycle my food waste.
I think our council does the same or similar thing to that but I disagree with the fertiliser thing.
Yes, it is a good idea I guess but that means you would have to pay for the fertiliser which might be added with additives.
Instead, why not create your own fertiliser for free that has no additives either, we do.
And this method would be a lot easier for garden owners too.
When you say “food bins for unused vegetables” are these compost bins?
Fruit and veg peelings should be composted. Throwing straight into a plastic bag that gets sent to landfill is basically starving the planet.
Humans take, take, take from the planet but rarely give anything back.
We can all give back by composting more.
I agree, I do live with my three adult sons but because we work different shifts and days and have different food preferences, we rarely all eat the same meal at the same time.
I hate wasting food but sometimes I have to think when I pick something up, do I really want to eat it 4 days running so I eat it all before it goes off?
As I was saying to Becks, do you leave leftover food out at night for the foxes to eat?
Ah well no, that’s a nice idea but I have a Greyhound so I wouldn’t want to encourage small furry animals of any type into my garden! It’s more that I don’t buy stuff that won’t get eaten before the use by date, or I have to adjust what else I eat that day to allow for higher calories per portion so it all gets eaten (things like hummus that say don’t freeze).
You don’t have to leave the unwanted food in the garden, you could go outside and lay it on the nearest flower bed or something like that.
Other is quality. I haven't chosen Animal welfare but I am pure vegetarian so never arise a question of Animal welfare as it is already imbibed in our Indian culture
Absolutely Ashka9 and thats admiral about your cultural respect for animals I hope it spreads as we could with some of that. 😊
My other is the opportunity to have non pre-packaged items so you can have the exact amount you need. No wastage that way.
This sounds like a great idea! 😀👍
Definitely Freesia3 😊
No waste of food and of packaging. Good point. I try to bring home as little rubbish as possible and reuse the ones I couldn’t avoid. Buy I am not a waste warrior just sensible I think. I am in the Tidy Club, though, which I like . ✅
I don't pay much attention to things like sell by dates, as I think you need to judge the food individually. I'm starting to pay more attention to where my food hails from, as that also impacts the sustainability, quality, whether it's GMO or not.
‘Sell by dates’ don’t really need a lot of attention anyway. It is the date that the supermarket (or the like) want to get rid of a certain item.
‘Use by dates’ is more of a factor.
If you were to consume the item after the date you could make yourself ill.
i try to get the biggest variety of fruit / veg better for my biome , so try range of veg when available
Hey I agree the more the merrier as far as selection goes Wulugu 😊
What a practical and money saving idea. That’s great!😀👍
Other = being vegan
Other is nutritional value, sugar and additives
I love locally produced fresh seasonal veg but I also buy fruit or veg sometimes just because it looks so nice.
Animal welfare is very important to me and I buy local free range eggs. I buy organic as a first choice but won't go without as I love lots of fruit and veg.
I do go for the freshest unless its a sudden death sale and its eg: a bag of parsnips for 10p and I know that I'll be roasting them to have with dinner later. 😊
If Animal welfare is important to you, how can you eat eggs as well?
Vegans would argue that the egg is an unhatched chick.
Do you believe that chickens lay eggs for us to consume?
Hello Matt, chickens lay eggs every day and if they all grew we would be over run with chicken, as long as they are local and free range I don't have a problem ethically.
This was something I was talking to a vegan friend of mine about.
If we just let nature take it’s course, would we not be overrun with animals?
But I was told that if nature took it’s course then there would be no human interfering and therefore no purpose breeding.
Like with the Amazon fires, vegans and some sources I have read say that areas of the Amazon were being deliberately burnt down to create more breeding ground for cattle.
To live well and longer ,we have to think more of what we are eating and come back to ours grandparents diet genuine food a km zero
To live longer and for the benefit of the planet this is true Louiseparet 😊
Definitely agree there, Louise.
The saying “You are what you eat” springs to mind here. That doesn’t mean you could eat a chicken and look like a chicken but eating unhealthy foods reflects an unhealthy body.
I have a brain injury and I blame that on my terrible diet I had as a kid.
Hey nice neighbour Hidden this is interesting and you make the most of things thats for sure. 😊
To be honest all these things would be (are 
) important to me but cost tends to be an issue due to not being particularly well off. If I had the money I would eat much more organic food and buy locally produced food from the farmers market or farm shop (super expensive)
So for me cost and the best quality I can achieve under the circumstances would probably the main thing.
I was in my local supermarket earlier today and they had one of those buy two for £3 offers - I picked up some cherries to look at out of curiosity, and they were from Chile. I wouldn't buy out of season cherries with food miles all the way from Chile personally.
Isn’t it funny that the closer they produce fruit and vegetables the more expensive they are? I know the climate is not brilliant in the UK but it’s a pity that farm shops are for the elite or shopping there is a special treat.
I know. My brother knows the people who own his local farm & farm shop well and there is no doubting their ethics and their organic and welfare standards. They aren't rolling in money either, their dream of an organic farm has plenty challenges. But the truth is a lot of their produce is beyond my budget except for a special treat. Sadly I think true animal welfare and organic food is primarily available to the wealthier elite. That is one reason why we rarely eat meat.
I think there is a reason for that and I think it boils down to politics.
It reminds me of how UK veterans serve our country in wars and after return to our country and get treated like crap while immigrants get pampered. Makes me angry.
Sick and twisted world we live in.
?
I think it’s much more complicated Matt.
I voted “Other” - which is high food value ( minerals vitamins etc’ ) and freshness,
Oh, sorry to hear that you have to limit the shopping like that.
Is there a sushi kit available so that you make your own? That would be so lovely.
Elisabeth3 I won't bother with making sushi, lol, I just consider it my "big treat out" that day when I go shopping at that Kroger store, which also has a pet store by it--guess who gets something there i.e. new toys/catnip? 
--and a Salvation Army store, which is where I get sheets to make clothes/quilts from AND the SA store is my closest book store and I've found some gems there too! And this is the Kroger store with the bank in it, so it's my "one stop" shopping center! But, as I think you figured out, this Kroger store is a distance from me, so it's every six months or so, and the (real) fluffy gets her birthday coupon in March, so guess where I'm going in March? (sushi, here I come....)
Ah, I'm with you. It's a treat.
The thing I look for first, before cost or origin, is appearance - of freshness, not necessarily perfection, I DO like to buy the wonky versions when available :))
Hey PandQs I love wonky veg too as they taste the same when cooked and look funny. Good choices too. 😊
Hi Jerry
A very good poll, I chose everything apart from sell by and other, we can all look at a date and discard it even if it looks ok, I hold my hand up to that as I too have been driven by the date.
Alicia😀
Thanks Alicia I buy cartons of organic mushrooms and go the latest so they still fresh enough by the time I finish them.
Jerry 😊
Yes I buy the organic ones as well Jerry, I try and buy organic for most of my veg.😀
Well done Alicia I wish I could get more organic fresh veg locally. 😀
I wish I could as well. My local farm sell organic fruit and veg but as a friend commented and I had noticed not much of it is local even if it's in season.
I agree I’d like to see more local organic produce, instead we have veg grown hydroponically in giant polythene tunnels in Holland the scale of which is almost unimaginable...
That is sad and we do need to go back to basics, it's all driven by so much demand and being able to buy produce cheaply now.
Hidden ,
What if the date was labeled wrong? Does your store give you a refund or exchange the bad one for a new one from the same type of item?
If I bought something that was labelled wrong and then upon opening the packet something was wrong then I'd take it back. I've taken stuff back to my local Tesco store before and they were really good.
That’s good to know! Some places don’t take things back.
The ‘sell by’ date doesn’t need a lot of attention really, it is the ‘use by’ date that is more important.
The ‘sell by’ date is the date that the store would like to sell the item by.
People can still eat the food if it expires.
If it has a ‘use by’ date then you should consume the food within that date.
Eat it after that date and you might become ill.
Hi Matt
Yes I know the difference between the sell by and use by dates it's just that some produce that have earlier dates on them can look old.
WE tend to shop for grass fed meat and buy an Irish grass fed butter , as our children have fled the nest cost though still considered is not an overriding factor .
When it comes to fresh food, I often go for the fruit/veg that’s in the reduced section first. I hate the idea of food going to waste
Good for you DS14 I do as I know I'll cook it/eat it the same day 😊
Hi, I eat only plant based foods at present, so animal welfare isn’t affected ironically.
Hi Tudee ethical shopping in action...😊
yes, as a child we would only have had berries in season, for example. We would have had Scottish strawberries and Egyptian strawberries weren't available then I'm sure. Mind you it shows my age. Many younger folks probably think its a good thing they can get a blueberry when they want one
I can even remember my granny bottling raspberries from her garden. I can still remember the flavour. when we ate them in the winter. I really do think a lot of fruit doesn't have the same flavour now.
I heard that strawberry gets rotten because there's not enough people to pick it.
Which seems not the case in Egypt then.
to be honest I wouldn't know. I expect fruit picking is hard labour, so maybe not so many folks want to do it now. I think a friend's student son did some sort of harvesting a few years in a row and it was pretty hard work, but the pay actually wasn't too bad for a summer job at least in that instance.
We always have a few trips to those pick-your-own places in the summer.
Definitely local and even still i wash and rewash again lol. I also look for sell by, as well as animal welfare. ☺
This is another good point as we are used to buying washed veg from the supermarkets so good for you Kathush 😊
Fairly traded where possible too. I have started taking needless packaging back to the shop such as plastic around a cucumber or cabbage. I always have Onya bags with me so that there is never any need to buy plastic carrier bags.
Hi salab Fair trade is a very important ethical stance so well said. 😊
For me, 'other' is shopping in local independents rather than supermarkets, when possible
Good for you ChubbieChops use them or lose them...😊
That's an excellent idea and feeds the animals at the same time. 😀
Try to buy locally produced beef, poultry and fish. Also in season fruit and veg, Tastes better and keeps the local farmers in business. Also lessens the carbon footprint.
Excellent choices Hidden we have to lessen our carbon footprint. 😊
Also check contents, cals, fat ,sugar ,carbs etc
Absolutely. And why would you want to eat imported tasteless strawberries in December anyway? Fresh English asparagus (if you're in England) in May/June - such a treat
Eco packing is a concern to me. I don’t do the grocery shopping but I do buy things for myself and I also shop online.
One thing about buying some of my things online is how they pack them.
If I were to buy cartons of oat milk from Amazon they would likely be lined with masses of plastic to cushion the item/s.
I have spoken to Amazon about the plastic problem before, as they use pointless amounts of plastic, and they did tell me that at Amazon they are environmentally conscious and do what they can to protect the environment which is absolute garbage.
All the plastic Amazon use could very well be recyclable plastic but this does not make the problem any better.
Plastic, recyclable or not is still plastic and it is still a threat to us, animals and the environment.
I prefer more locally produced foods and also buying from local businesses too.
I try not to buy from supermarkets and well known brands and go for local businesses. Local might be a little more expensive but I don’t want to support supermarkets taking over what people want/need.
I once used to shop at a vegan bakery but that has gone now because the lady who owned the bakery could not compete with the supermarkets bringing in ton loads of vegan items and selling them cheaper.
But the thing is though, you would likely not see a vegan wagon wheel slice in ASDA.
Something I used to buy regular at the bakery. They are lush.
Non GMO is an importance because, to put it simply, it’s gonna ruin your health in the long run.
Can you give us a link to scientific research results that confirm this?
I can give you a link to one video talking about the dangers of GMOs and there are a load more links to websites and videos too but I can’t really see what providing you with a link to some video is going to do. You might disregard the information like most others and I think it’s also for other people to make their mind up on what they think.
For me, I don’t trust GMOs at all.
But the thing I would want to know is, if GMOs really are safe to consume then why do we get foods saying “GMO free” on the packet?
If they were safe then there wouldn’t need to be a label.
According to Monsanto (Who make GMOs), they say that they make GMOs to feed the planet. They say that if we all rely on nature, there wouldn’t be enough food to feed us all.
This is incorrect information from Monsanto. According to reads there is enough natural food for us all.
Read about Monsanto’s 100 year history and you’ll find a lot of deception and corruption.
GMO
GMO is a PR disaster. They had been "genetically modifying" plants for millennia - through selective breeding.
If they had spent a bit on PR - highlighting disease resistance, decreased requirement for pesticides, drought resistance, ability to stand colder climates etc., we might not have such a vehement anti-GMO lobby.
Dear S11m,
Disease 'Resistance', Drought Tolerance and Higher Yields....just some, of the benefits of Genetically Modified food. Along with, the ability, to produce Medical Drugs- actually inside- the very plants.
I'm NOT, in any way, 'poo-pooing' the anti-GM lobby....they can, and do, have a point- to a point. However I think that, at least, some of the 'objections' are perhaps 'Fear Of The New'. If you 'look at' cloning, when it was first performed, some people objected- just as strongly. Now cloning is being 'almost considered', as a way of saving some species, from extinction.
By the way an Interesting 'name', you have, can I ask how/ where you got it please?
I'm off to bed, very shortly, I have a fairly early start..... Best Wishes
AndrewT
Taste!
Before we had "cool chain" transport, my father used to say that what was cheapest was often what was fresh, local and best!
This sounds just about right to me S11m . Wise words indeed. 😊
More important than 'Sell/Use' By, is the appearance- in other words how, the food, Looks. Something a couple of days, or so, past a 'Best Before' date might, very well, still be wholesome....and cheaper! Have I bought food, that has been, 'reduced', simply because, it is close to a Sell By Date? Yes I have- my best 'find' a huge tray of Best Mince, that had to be Sold that day....all fresh, and freeze-able too!
I'm, very definitely NOT, advocation buying 'gone off', or bad, food- just Using your Loaf...even when buying bread😋.
Another 'Interesting' poll Jerry, thank you.
AndrewT
Wise words AndrewT and thank you.
