7 tips for sustainable grocery shopping
A couple days ago, a friend texted me asking for tips on how to tackle sustainable grocery shopping. I get questions similar to this a lot, so instead of texting it back to everyone every time, I have compiled a list of the easiest 7 tips for sustainable grocery shopping. But before we jump in, I also want to quickly address another question I get frequently: what is the most important cause? Fair trade? Free range or vegetarian? Is being eco-friendly the most important? What about supporting local farmers? The fact is all of these things are important, but most of us can't afford to buy everything fair, natural, eco, local, etc, all the time, for all items. So for some things I buy fair trade - like gift ware, jewelry, chocolate, coffee, and tea. I buy natural or eco-friendly cleaners, and free-range or free-run meat (I tried to be a full-time vegetarian but unfortunately meat is one of the only things my finicky body doesn't freak out over). There is no absolute answer about which cause is more important, so you'll have to decide what is most important to you and what you can reasonably maintain given your budget, time, proximity to resources etc.
Skip the really big stores. It has been my experience that smaller and more niche chains such as London Drugs, Choices, Safeway, and Save-On-Foods carry more locally sourced products, as well as more eco-friendly and socially responsible goods. Local means less resources used to transport the goods, and likely better distribution of the profits as well as boosting the local economy instead of siphoning profits off to random rich people who don't really need it. Yes, the prices might be a bit higher (not much), but if you can afford it, it’s a great way to make your grocery shopping more sustainable.
Bring a reusable bag. I know it can be hard to remember, but with some trial and error you can find a system for remembering it that works for you (at least most of the time, haha). Here are two ideas that have helped me: buy a roll-up-able reusable bag and keep it in your purse or glove-box. Hang a reusable bag on your door handle at night so you’ll remember it in the morning.
Ditch the plastic with fruits and veggies. Grab yourself a reusable mesh veggie bag so you don't have to use plastic for your fresh produce.
Search out low or zero waste grocery dispensaries and farmers' markets, and anywhere that offers refillable goods. You’ll probably have to do a little Googling ahead of time for this one, but the experience can be so much fun and the people in the shops or booths are usually so friendly and helpful. If it feels intimidating to try a dispensary for the first time, invite a friend to go with you and make an adventure out of it (and then buy yourself a treat — you deserve it!)
Buy more environmentally friendly or natural cleaners. There are a lot of brands out there that claim to be natural, but unfortunately a lot of this is just fancy marketing. If you’re looking in-store, you’ll probably need to venture out of the Walmarts and Superstores to find truly natural cleaners, but thankfully there are also a host of healthier and more natural cleaning options available through Amazon. I recommend checking out Attitude, Method, 7th Generation, or Ecover.
Buy fair-trade, free-range or organic when possible. Some fair trade goods are crazy expensive, because they're just breaking into the market. Some organics aren't really necessary when it comes to food that doesn’t tend to have many pesticides. Sometimes you just can't find free-range meat within a reasonable distance. In these cases, focus on what you can find and don’t beat yourself up for the rest. There are a lot of things out of our control when it comes to being conscious consumers! But to get your sustainable grocery shopping started: stores like LUSH support fair trade and recycling with many of their personal care products. London Drugs and Save-On foods are good places to look for fair trade chocolate and coffee. If always buying organic produce is too expensive, focus on foods that are most often covered in pesticides.
Don't feel like you need to change all your habits, all at once. I've been figuring out sustainability for years. So give yourself time. Make it an ongoing thing. You will likely just tire yourself out if you walk into the store and go, "ok! Today I will walk out of here with fair trade coffee, all new cleaners, organic everything and all free-range meat and not a shred of plastic!" Trust me — as admirable as it is to try to change everything at once, it will not work. You will spend $184745337.95 more than normal and you will go home and want to die. But make it gradual and you can do it!
So, ready to try sustainable grocery shopping? Maybe you've already started? Share your thoughts below!
