As is the case whenever there are economic hard times, people tend to cut back on their spending. Whether the cut-backs include eating out less often, renting movies instead of going out to the movies or being simply more savvy when clothing shopping. One area where there is room for possible cutbacks is at the grocery store.
New York City is literally saturated with organic and gourmet foods. While cutting back on quantity of food is not typically possible for most families, there are always cheaper food options available. There has been a trend in the past few years to buy "organic," but what does organic really mean? In some cases, there is only a fine line between what is organic and what are just the everyday fruits and vegetables. Some scientists have even reported that the health benefits of eating organic foods, if any, are negligible, but yet people shell out hundreds of dollars more per year to buy organic groceries. Today, while at the grocery store, I was faced with the tough decision of whether to buy the Trader Joe's brand butter OR the Trader Joe's brand organic butter - the organic was almost twice the price. Needless to say, I did not purchase the organic. I might have to risk my health by purchasing the less healthy butter. Oh no.
The same debate on whether to buy organic transcends into purchasing the "name-brand" versus the generic. I have to admit: on the whole, I almost always buy generic. The dirty little secret that stores do not want you to know is that they are not - I repeat NOT - toiling away in a factory reproducing nearly every item that they sell in their store as their generic. Most of the time, the generic item next to the name brand in the exact same shaped bottle is in fact the same product. The only difference - it costs less. For me, of course, there are some exceptions - I always buy Hellman's mayonnaise, Heinz ketchup, and a few other random items to ensure buying the original. I am also a cheese snob, but that is an entirely different discussion.
I know that everyone has their random preferences when it comes to grocery shopping, but when you are tight on cash, isn't easier to just buy generic and only organic produce? You can save so much money over time. I know that buying generic and organic are two separate issues (one has to do with capitalism and the other with health), but are the organic black beans really that different than the regular black beans and worth $0.30 more? Why must we be completely driven by the forces of advertising to compel us to buy a particular company's item even though it tastes the same as a less expensive brand?
Personally, I think more effective than the food marketing campaigns to promote brand awareness is the societal sentiment pressure to live and eat healthy, which roughly translates to, in the minds of the public, to buying organic. Forget exercising and eating more fruit as snacks instead of candy.
The verdict (unless money is of no object) of buying only organic and name-brand: irrational.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Confessions of a Hopeless Idealist
ReplyDeleteMy daughter may be a cynic, but I’d like to believe that I had a bit of a hand in making her that way. That belief makes me feel good. I’d also like to believe that everyone always tries their hardest and does their best at everything they do. That happens sometimes. But, I know better: after all, I am a teacher.
Christina does come by some of her shopping instincts honestly. I demand the best quality for the best price. So, when it comes to organic, which I certainly prefer in my food purchases, I wrestle with the price vs. cost issue constantly. Why can’t everybody just be doing their best? The choices would be so much easier ,and we would not have to play mind games with ourselves at the meat counter choosing organic meat over the store brand. Part of my problem in grocery shopping is the way I like to eat. I thoroughly dislike eating foods with ingredients that I don’t recognize…especially all of the preservatives.
Being a product of the post WWII era, I was bottle-fed (not breast-fed like my children), and lived though the initial craze for hot new grocery items: TV dinners and Tang. In the 1960’s, they weren’t even good, but they were certainly a hot topic. And on to canned soup. Advertisers sure do pour it nicely on tv, but the stuff does not begin to measure up to real soup (homemade). The pot of soup I made on Sunday contained locally raised Delmarva chicken, mushrooms from Kennett Square, fresh vegetables, with herbs and tomatoes from my garden. No surprise that it tasted good as well. The point is, that I put by best effort into making a good product, in the same way that I would hope that the rest of the world does. But something gets lost in translation from a single batch to a machine generated product. Back to economics. Are we willing to pay the price for quality goods and merchandise? Or, are you a hopeless Idealist like me, wishing for a better way? A marketplace where it would make good sense and good cents to produce goods (especially food) in the best manner possible, preferably without being told to do so. Homemade soup just makes me feel good. And that is not about the cost.
Ps. I suppose you can tell that I don’t like fast food, or chain restaurants, and avoid them whenever possible.