Waste Not, Want Not: Buying Organic Economically
by Bonnie Alter, London 
on 07.23.08
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been lambasting the nation for wasting food--apparently the British throw out 4.1 million tons of good food each year--wasting an average of £420 (US$832) per household. This has struck a note with newspapers as disparate as the Times ("How to cook without wasting food") to the Daily Express (a popular tabloid) musing on the effects of the credit crunch and the soaring price of food.
Here is a succinct reflection from the Independent: "More effectively than any save-the-planet propaganda, financial pressures are forcing people to rethink they way they behave as consumers. The old-fashioned idea that waste is harmful, personally and socially, is returning. The absurd over-packaging of food in supermarkets has begun to seem absurdly profligate. There is a new interest in allotments, in growing vegetables, even in rearing poultry in the back garden."
One of the first places to cut back has turned out to be organic food--in some supermarkets organic chickens are being electronically tagged, due to theft.
The press have published lots of good ideas about cutting back whilst maintaining quality. Here are some ways to continue shopping organically, but more economically.
Shop around
Keep an eye on prices in different stores--supermarkets aren't always the cheapest since their prices go up and down to attract customers. Local shops often have more consistent prices.
Check the Sell-by Date
The dates on food packaging warning of the dates after which food goes bad are set by the manufacturers and tend to err on the side of caution. One researcher said " They have to be extra cautious because they don’t know how the food is going to be treated after it has left the supermarket.” Use your judgement on this.
Take a different cut of meat
“Avoid chicken breasts, especially if skinned and off the bone. Opt for thighs instead. Almost all meat is cheaper if sold on the bone and you often get added flavour and texture.” Buy cheaper hamburger meat; brown it and skim the fat off with a slotted spoon.
Grow Your Own
Treehugger has written about this one...
Use your freezer
It's not heresy. According to one chef: “Frozen fruit and vegetables are much cheaper than fresh items. There’s no evidence they are less healthy. When you buy them frozen they have often just been picked so can be fresher and better for you than food left at the bottom of the fridge for a week or more.” :: Daily Express
More on Economical Food Shopping
:: Cooking Basics
:: Growing in the City
:: Allotments Week
:: Is the Economy Affecting Your Habits
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Isn't that quote from The Independent, not the Financial Times?
It must be stressed that British broadsheets (inc. FT) often provide transparent and balanced arguments so why this quote from the FT is 'astonishing' i really have no idea.
Let's leave the Express out of it though. We have young people waiting to kill you on every street corner, no one's found Madeleine yet and worse still there are no 'suspects' to harass - Diana isn't even here to help us sort it out. The Express has a lot more to worry about than food shortages.
Treehugger makes me feel light years ahead of the general public when it comes to living efficiently. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and then it sends a chill up my spine.
If you're buying the less expensive ground beef, browning it, and disposing of the grease, what percentage of what you've just purchased are you disposing of?
definitely shop around for well priced organics. i've been really surprised to find some of my favorite organic/natural brands at grocery outlet stores - the dating may be relatively short but like the article says, producers err on the side of caution anyway so i don't worry about those. buying in bulk for items that you use all the time makes a big difference too. stuff like rice and beans last years... bulk packaging means less wasted in the landfill as well. and as for comparing prices, i've done some comparing between my regular supermarket's 'healthy' section, whole foods and shoporganic.com and was suprised to find a lot of my staple foods to be cheaper purchased online. just got a shipment with red quinoa (econo-sized, i love the stuff) and i'm really happy with it.