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The Myth of Variety

July 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Soft drinks on shelves in a Woolworths superma...

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Walk into some American grocery stores and you may be surprised at the sheer size of the place and the aisle after aisle of food choices. One whole aisle for bread, soft drinks, snack items, and more. The different labels lead one to believe that there are hundreds of companies selling their wares. The truth is that though the labels are different, many times the companies are the same.

Take the soft drinks for example, in a typical aisle there is Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Orange Crush, Hawaiin Punch and a host of others, what you may not know is that Coke owns 450 brands including Minute Maid, A&W, Mr. Pibb, Sprite and Nestea. So there is a good chance that 450 products you come across in the grocery store is owned by one company, Coca Cola.

Down the bread aisle you may find 5 different loaves from the brand Natures Own, which is owned by Flower Foods who also own the popular brand Sunbeam. The examples go on and on. The point is that variety within our grocery stores is often a myth. Should we be concerned? The answer is yes. This control within the food industry must point to stringent regulations that keep smaller businesses from competing. Mom and pop bakeries have no hope of competing with the “big boys” This should be disturbing to Americans who are largely against monopolies and all for equal opportunity. So the next time you peruse the aisle of your local grocery store, ask yourself, “how many of these brands are owned by the same company?” The answer may surprise you.

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Food as a Business

July 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Farming is big business in America. There is a need for farming to support citizens stateside, as well as a need for exports. The export market provides the Unites States with billions of dollars in revenue, and that helps to maintain many of the programs that are offered today for children, the elderly, and schools.

The Business Deal

Agriculture is a great way for Americans to literally see the fruits of their labor. The hard work and effort not only provides the food that is needed, but also provides farmers and corporations high amounts of revenue. Some of the highest demand food products are those of corn and potato. Much of this is because these two items are used for so much more than just consumption.

Corn is a major ingredient for ethanol, a fuel alternative that has take the globe by storm. Companies make huge money on the research and development of corn fuels, while providing a way to become free from the use of oil as a whole. Some of the greatest example of being free from the oil addiction or to the debt of oil, is by taking a look at the consumer demands. Many people have scaled back on their personal debt, making it a great example for companies to follow.

There are things like a reach prepaid card that help people keep their debt and credit in check. This model is the basic structure of the agricultural market in that it focuses on streamlining and debt awareness.

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Grocery Stores Get Wise to Gluten Free Products

July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Example of an American grocery store aisle.

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A leisurely stroll down the aisles of many well-known grocery stores will yield an interesting find. More and more grocery stores are including whole sections of “Gluten Free” products. A few years ago the average person would not have had a clue about what gluten is and whether it is good or harmful to the body. Now however with Celiac Disease on the rise consumers are searching for recipe ideas and ingredients that are gluten-free.

Celiac Disease is a digestive disorder caused by the protein called Gluten. This protein is found primarily in items containing wheat or barley. Victims of this disease can experience malnutrition digestive issues and a host of other complications.

Pasta, breads, cookies and many of our favorite snacks contain gluten but thanks to progressive producers now these items are found in the gluten-free section of grocery stores. Wheat is often used as a thickening agent however to make these products safe for gluten conscience consumers gluten-free flours such as sorghum, bean, and brown rice are used.

The cases of Celiac Disease are increasing so quickly that it may be worthwhile for the average shopper to be careful about wheat consumption and to even work some of the gluten free products and recipes into their diet. Great meals and good snacks can be prepared using gluten free ingredients and thanks to many grocery stores, these items are now readily available. Shying away from gluten may feel unatural at first but like kicking the salt and sugar habit it just might be worth the sacrifice.

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How to Avoid Grocery Store Manipulation

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
sprinkles

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Unlike Department Stores, there is something about grocery stores that does not seem like they are trying to get as much money from you as possible, but they are.  Grocery stores are strategically set up so that they can manipulate shoppers into purchasing the items that they want you to buy.  So, this mean, your grocery list that may have only had a few items on it, can quickly grow to a list that is double what you intended on getting.

In order to avoid becoming victim to grocery store trickery, here are a few tips to assist with your trip.

  1. Write a shopping list prior to coming into the store, and stay focused.
  2. Don’t shop when you are hungry.  Hungry shoppers tend to be more impulsive shoppers because they are enticed by the delicious smells radiating throughout the store.
  3. Store brand items are often made by name brand companies but are sold for a much lower price.
  4. The items around the checkout counter can be very tempting, and although another brand of the same type of item can be purchased elsewhere in the store, the most expensive type of a particular item will be located near the register.
  5. Just like hunger can fuel impulsive shopping, so can lingering.  If you shop when you have nothing else to do, there is no rush, meaning that you will spend more time in the store than necessary, which will lead to purchasing a few extra items.
  6. Items that “go together” are usually placed near each other, therefore some customers feel like they cannot buy one without the other, like chips and dip.
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How Your Grocery Store Affects Your Health

May 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Example of an American grocery store aisle. 

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The argument that your grocery store affects your health may seem unreasonable. After all, the average grocery store carries fruits and vegetables and the basic foods you need to stay alive and healthy. However, grocery stores do vary greatly from one another. Depending on your beliefs about food and nutrition, choosing your grocery store carefully can make a difference in your overall health.

Convenience and Affordability

Your average large grocery store offers you convenience, tremendous selection and affordability. By virtue of offering bulk products, such stores are able to deliver cheaper prices. The larger the packaging, the better price you generally receive per unit or weight amount. Purchasing giant bags of potato chips and multiple gallons of ice cream makes sense from an economic standpoint, but do they benefit your health?

The Alternative Grocery Store

As society establishes the link between nutrition and health, alternative options are appearing. Larger health food stores that carry healthier food are becoming more prevalent in larger cities. Organic and pesticide-free produce allows you to avoid harmful toxins that have the potential of accumulating in your body through repeated exposure. Healthier, non-chemical sugar substitutes are made available, along with alternative options for the lactose and gluten intolerant.

The Mom and Pop Grocery Store

The smaller health food stores have their unique advantages as well. When management is deeply interested in learning about and promoting health, this is reflected in the foods stocked and sold to the public. When visiting these stores, you often find individuals who have studied the impact of food on the human body and have carefully selected healthy options for your consumption.

 

 

 

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Choosing the Best Grocery Stores

May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
"The New Fred Meyer on Interstate on Lomb...

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Grocery store choices are plentiful. The traditional supermarket, organic grocery store and your corner grocery market are some of the possible options. You may be choosing grocery stores based on matters of price or location. When it comes to choosing the healthiest options, you might consider a few other factors.

Shopping at the Corner Store

One of the conveniences, particularly for city dwellers, is shopping at the corner grocery market. If you’re coming home late from work and are hungry, these stores are often the most attractive option simply because they’re nearby. However, the corner market generally offers fewer items at higher prices. Additionally, a smaller store may not be frequented as much, so you’ll want to make sure to check the expiration dates on items such as milk and bread.

Weekly Trips to the Supermarket

Traditional supermarkets typically offer better prices and a large selection. This type of store is your best bet if your concern is stretching your money as far as possible. With a larger selection of foods from which to choose, you also benefit from greater access to nutrition. Keep in mind, though, that unless your supermarket is located in a highly health conscious part of the country, you may not have access to organic foods and alternative food options, such as Stevia for sugar avoiders and almond milk for the lactose intolerant.

Occasional Trips to Health Food Stores

To guarantee greater access to organic products and wholesome nutrition, visit large-scale health food stores. The extra dollars you spend there may be offset by the savings you gain in fewer visits to the doctor.

 

 

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Every Grocery Store Is Different

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Grocery stores offer all kinds of food for you and your family to enjoy and replenish themselves with. Your local grocery store that you go to all the time might not have the best deals on everything. This might not be news to you, but for the people that don’t know how grocery stores stay in business you should start to understand a few things. Not all grocery stores are the same, again this is not news to you, but do you know how they are different? Also grocery stores provide different services for people that come to shop at their store.

The first thing you know different about the store is the name, most of the stores today where once small family owned stores. The store names usually come from the last name of that family way back in the day when you didn’t have all these chain food stores. The different grocery stores also focused on one food section to be the best in when they first started out. They could have either focused on meat, grains, produce, or dairy products. This comes from where the store originated from usually the town that they started in had abundance of one of these items.

Some stores offer service like helping you carry your groceries out for you and grocery pick up, to find out more about the kind of services that your store offers just ask a cashier. The cashier should be able to tell you or at least point you into the direction of someone that knows. A lot of store services are built in the stores themselves. A good store will have a pharmacy, a bakery, and something like a butcher shop to along with the rest of the foods. The best way to find out what kind of different things different stores offer is to shop at each one yourself.

 

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How to Read Nutrition Labels

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you buy food items from a grocery store there are some things that you should take a closer look at. When you buy food you should always look at what is on the nutritional label. This little label can tell you a lot about what is in your food and what you should expect out of the taste. The label will also tell you if the food that you are purchasing is just full of filler or has real nutrition to it. Getting to know what the food label means will drastically change how you shop.

High fructose corn syrup is almost in every kind of food that we buy from a grocery store today. This syrup has a very sweet taste to it and as Americans our bodies are familiar with ingesting it. It’s in so many foods that our bodies will even crave it if it doesn’t get it for a while. You should look for foods that don’t have any high fructose corn syrup in it or has very little. You will know how much is in the foods that you buy by reading the nutritional label. The highest amount of ingredients in the food will always appear at the top of the label.

You want to avoid foods that are high in saturated fats this nutrient can give you a sluggish feeling and make you feel sick if you eat too much of it. Foods that have high amounts of saturated fats are things like oils and shortenings. If you want to get flavor from your food look in the produce isle and pick out some veggies. If veggies don’t do it for you then you will have to flavor your foods with things like spices. Spices have very low calorie counts to them and will make your food taste better than oils or shortening.

 

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What You Need to Know About Your Grocery Store

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Here are some things to remember when you go to a grocery store to find your food or other house hold items. Most grocery stores print out coupons to bring in business to their store; the coupons usually come out with the paper and you have to cut them out and bring them to the store. If you don’t have any coupons to use for shopping then you are losing money.   The store marks up prices for the day or week that coupons are used and if you don’t have any then it will cost you. It will cost you more to shop on coupon day or week than on any other day or week. Coupons can be found easily with the use of laptops and the Internet.  Make sure you have them handing and ready to go.

When you are shopping at a grocery store they always put the most expensive food where it can be seen the easiest. This is a great strategy that store owners use so you will buy the more expensive foods from their stores. The off brand foods are in places that you may not expect to find on the shelves. They are kept closer to the bottom of the floor and closer to the entrances and exits of isles. Most of the time you will walk right by these brands and they taste just as good as the brand names.

Grocery stores lower the prices on foods that don’t really fill up when you eat them. They will also sell these kinds of products in pairs or quantity so you think you are getting a good deal. The foods that do fill you up and are really good for you are usually more expensive, because your body doesn’t need to keep taking in the calories. Sometimes a smart shopper means knowing what your body needs to feel full for a long time and not just at the moment.

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The Farmer’s Market is Better Than Chain Food Stores

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A local farmer’s market is one of the best places to find all of your produce, because chain food stores just take money out of your community. The farmer’s market is also a great place to get organic foods that use little or no pesticides on the produce. Local farmers come together at these markets to sell their food and to trade with other farmers for other kinds of goods. It’s also one of the best places to meet the kind of people that actually care about their communities.

Large food chain stores take money out of communities by offering low prices that beat out the local competition. This might not sound bad to you as a consumer, but for your local government this is not good. The store comes into a city and offers their low prices that are better than the local vendors. The local vendors can’t compete, because they run a small operation, so they must pack up and leave or find something else to sell. The local government can only tax the one store that moved in and ran everyone out of business. The local government was dependent on all of the stores to tax and now can only tax the one store. This leaves no money for development of the town or city and takes money from the local schools.

Farmer’s markets are the best, because it brings the money back into the town or city. Local farmers are taxed and money is generated within the town again. The farmer’s market is one of the only places where you will get the best quality foods. The farmers take care of their crops better, because they can raise only a small amount compared to the large farmers that sign on with chain food stores. Those farmers are looking for quantity, because they have such a large order to fill and are scared if they can grow enough. These farmers try to do everything the fast and easy way to get the most out of their fields, which leaves the food to taste terrible.

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