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While U.S. consumers struggle to cope with steadily rising food and energy costs, a billion rural farmers and low-income families are suffering from what can only be described as a global food crisis.
The New York Times reported last week that at least 29 countries have sharply curbed or completely cut-off grain exports to make sure their own populations have enough to eat.
According to the article, "When it comes to rice, India, Vietnam, China and 11 other countries have limited or banned exports. Fifteen countries, including Pakistan and Bolivia, have capped or halted wheat exports. More than a dozen have limited corn exports."
[HYPERLINK@www.organicconsumers.org]
With increasing food costs and the worst economy in 40 years, many shoppers are questioning whether they can afford to purchase organic foods. One of the quickest ways to reduce your organic grocery costs by as much as 15-20% is to buy in bulk. This doesn't only mean being limited to buying food from bulk bins at your natural food store (although that is an equally effective way to reduce packaging and costs on foods like cereals).
Many people don't realize that most grocery and natural food stores welcome customers to special order cases of food in bulk. It's the same premise as buying a 12-pack of soda or juice instead of just buying an individual can.
When you think about it, most of the time you grocery shop, you are buying the same foods, so why not make a list of those foods, buy them by the case, save money and reduce your visits to the store? For example, a case of 12 cans of your family's favorite soup typically costs 20% less than what it would cost you to buy those cans individually. Make a list of your favorite foods and go to the information desk next time you are at your grocery store to find out which ones you can buy in bulk.
How to Shop for Organic Foods Without Breaking Your Budget
Most of us would love to have a fridge full of fresh organic produce and meats. But because pesticide and hormone-free products often have a premium price tag, going organic can seem like a luxury for anyone on a tight budget. So how do you make sure the green on your table doesn't drain the green from your wallet?
Craig Minowa, environmental scientist with the Organic Consumers Association, has these tips: First, learn to buy big. Many health-food stores have bulk sections, and if you fill a bag with, say, organic cereal, you may end up paying less for it than you would for the nonorganic variety, since you're not paying for packaging costs. Second, form a buying club. If a bunch of people pool their grocery lists, they can often special-order directly with the store, he said, and that, in turn, can lead to much lower costs.
Another path to frugal but healthy shopping is to choose your battles carefully. If you can't afford to fill your entire shopping cart with organic food, you can still feel good about what you buy. Sarah Bratnober, communications director at the Organic Valley Family of Farms, advises following the 80/20 rule-80 percent of the benefits come from 20 percent of the purchases. Think about what your family eats the most of, then go from there. For example, if you have a choice between organic milk and organic mayonnaise, and your kids go through a gallon of milk in a week but only two tablespoons of mayo, go for the milk. Fruits and vegetables are also good choices, especially the ones your family eats lots of. And if you have the option, get into community-supported agriculture, where you own shares in a farm and get a share of whatever it produces.
Finally, buy fruits and vegetables in season and focus on what's easily available, says Barbara Houmann, spokeswoman for the Organic Trade Association. That way, she said, you may find that the prices are just about comparable with nonorganic fruits and veggies.
If you do manage to get more organic into your diet, you won't regret the extra effort. Organic produce isn't just healthy and better for the environment, it tastes better, too, according to Charles Benbrook, chief scientist for The Organic Center. And that flavor boost might just make it easier to convince your children to eat their veggies, or to introduce them to new foods.
There is one caveat: While most organic items, like produce and milk, have a similar shelf-life to their nonorganic counterparts, bear in mind that organic breads and pastries tend to go bad faster than nonorganic baked goods because of the lack of preservatives.
we buy the organic breads an dpu thtem in the freezer [when they are on sale]. i started suing green bags to prolong the life of fresh organic veggies. turns out those work well in the freezer too.
hopefully by next year i can host an organic food co-op in my hometown... till then i am least doing my part by prparing to have chicken eggs and goats milk available locally...
here is anothe rtip, if you shop organic foods online, often when you buy a case online, the shjipping for your whole order is free...
