Use your consumer power like a super power

Photo by Corrina Carnes (veggies from a local garden in Hawaii)

Grocery shopping is both a highlight and a lowlight for me each week. It's a highlight because I love to eat. I enjoy the smells and textures of fresh produce and conjuring up new ways to use my favorite ingredients. I enjoy sharing food with my friends & family especially as we bond over enjoying the same indulgences. It's also a highlight for me to see the changes that have taken place over the past few decades in grocery stores. When I became a vegetarian at age twelve, some grocery stores carried soy milk and veggies burgers. Many did not. Now, it's common for half the milk options to be alternatives to milk. It's common to find dairy free ice cream and protein rich veggie substitutes. While I am unconvinced that a vegetarian diet is right for everyone, every time I notice the changes I stand taller and smile. These changes have occurred due to consumer choices. We can create the demand for more sustainable options and companies will take note. There is a true power in every decision we make at supermarkets.

Grocery store runs are also the lowlight of my week because we have a long way to go before it's easy as a shopper to only buy healthy foods which are sustainably packaged. So I've made a list of things for all of us to pay attention to on our next grocery shopping trip. As with everything, I encourage you to start each trip with kindness for yourself. You are unlikely to leave the grocery store without any plastic in your bag or all locally produced food items so focus instead on the moment where you are able to follow the ideas below and realize that in five, ten or twenty years the habits you are creating now will become easier as companies take note of your preferences.

1. Bring reusable shopping bags (if you need to restock on these check out these: https://www.thenextswell.org/shop) to cut down on waste

2. Shop local to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions used for transportation.

3. Choose fresh foods to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions used to create and process foods.

4. Look for seasonal produce which offers the same benefits of local and fresh foods.

5. Research sources - especially important when it comes to ethical livestock raising practices and sustainably caught fish. It can also be beneficial when it comes to researching pesticide-free practices.

6. Plastic free wrapping - not always possible but if you can't decide between two options, make your life easier by choosing the one that isn't packaged in plastic.

7. Buy in bulk - oftentimes items that are packaged in individual servings include single use waste. Buying in bulk both saves money and usually creates less waste.

Aloha,

Noël