chapter 2 where to get food...make organic and whole foods more affordable. most co-ops are open to...

Chapter 2Where to Get Food

14 Where to Get Food

There are many ways to get healthy food:•Supermarkets,regionalgrocerystores•Naturalfoodstores•Foodcooperativesandbuyingclubs•Big-boxstores•Cornermarkets•Directlyfromfarmers•Farmers’Markets•CommunitySupportedAgricultureFarms(CSAs)•FarmStands

•Foodbanks•HomeandcommunitygardensThischapterdiscusseshowtofindthehighestqualityoffoodavailableforthelowestcostfromeachofthesesources.

Notalloftheseoptionsareavailabletoeveryone.Wehopethischapterhelpsyoutodothebestyoucanwiththefoodsourcesyouhave.Ifweallmakethebestchoiceswecan,theentirefoodsystemwillimproveovertime.

Grocery StoresHealthy Food Sources

A Few General Tips for Saving Money

on Your Food• Makeashoppinglistandsticktoit.• Checkwhatisinyourrefrigera-

torbeforeyougoshopping.Usethatfood,whetherit’sleftoversorstill-freshfoodthathasnotyetbeenused.

• Don’tshopwhenyou’rehungry.Did you knowthat 15-20percentofthefoodwebringhomeiswasted?Wethrowoutleftoversandletfoodgobadbeforeweevenuseit.

Let’s go back tonight and take pictures. Maybe we can find out where all

this beef is going!

Ilikewholegrains.

Where to Get Food 15

Grocerystorescomeinmanyvarieties:supermarkets,regionalgrocerystores,co-opsandnaturalfoodstores.Whereveryoushop,therearesomecommonelements.

For Healthier Options•Shoptheoutsidewalls.Inmostmarkets,thisiswherethefreshestfoodisfound—fruits,vegetables,meat,poultry,fish,dairyproducts,fresh-bakedgoodsandbulkfoods.

•Reduceshoppinginthecenterofthestore,whichusuallyhaspackaged,highlyprocessedfood.

To Save Money•Buyfruitsandvegetablesinseason.•Buygenericorstorebrands;theyusuallycostlessandareoftenidenticalto“national”brands.

•Stockuponnecessaryitemswhentheyareonsale,thenfreeze,dehydrateorcanfreshfoodwhenpossible.

•Checktheshelflabelfortheunitprice—thepriceperounceorpound.Largerpackagesareusuallylessexpensiveperunit,butnotalways!

•Buyonlyneededquantitiesofmeatandotherperishablefoods.

•Buyblockcheeseandsliceityourself.•Roastyourownlunchmeats.Example:cookaturkeybreastorawholechicken;usethemeatinlunches.

•Lookatfoodonthetopandbottomshelves.Itemsateyelevelonshelvesareoftenthemostexpensive.

•Buyfrombulkbins.Itemsareusuallylessexpensive.

Grocery StoresHealthy Food Sources

What is a Co-op Grocery Store?

• Afoodcooperative(co-op)isagrocerystoreownedanddirectedbyitsmembers.Theirfocusistomakeorganicandwholefoodsmoreaffordable.Mostco-opsareopentoeveryone,notjustmembers.Arecentlistingshowedabout400co-opsorbuyingclubsthroughouttheU.S.Localfoodisusuallyeasiertofindinaco-op.

• Inaco-op,organicfoodis:• Moreeasilyfoundthanina

supermarket• Oftenlessexpensivethanina

supermarket.

Buying ClubsAbuyingclubisaformofco-opthat’susuallymadeupofasmallgroupoffamiliesorhouseholdsinsearchofabetterormoreeconomicalmethodofpurchasingfoodorotheritems.Tolocateoneorfindouthowtostartone,gotowww.coopdirectory.org

Ugh! That was disgusting. CAFOs should be

criminal. I never want to go in there

again!


Grocery Store Scavenger HuntWhy Buy in Bulk?

Supermarkets,regionalgrocerystores,co-opsandnaturalfoodstoresusuallyhavefoodsoldfrombulkbins.

•Bulkfoodsarelessexpensive.Youcouldpay50percentlessforpeanutbutterandupto70percentlessforpopcornifyoubuyinbulk.

•Bulkitemsareoftenfresherthanpackageditems.•Drybulkfoods(beans,grains,rice,flour,ordriedfruit)storewell.

•Organicbulkitemsaregenerallyavailableforthesameorlowerpricethanpackagedconventionalitems.

•Bulkbuyingeliminatespackaging,whichreduceswaste.

I did some research on CAFOs, and besides being cruelly treated, animals are forced to eat food that makes them sick, then

they’re given antibiotics which are needed because of the crowded and unsanitary

conditions they live in. I found out that because of the heavy use of antibiotics in livestock, antibiotics are

becoming less effective in humans. Let’s do something about this.

Hey Cathy, you ready to go?

Yup let’s go find a project

Cost Comparison* Granola

Bulk27¢ per ounce

*Pricesvary.Estimatebasedonnationwidechaingrocerystoregenericbrands,2012

Packaged44¢ per ounce

Or Homemade (page 149)18¢ per ounce

Granola


Grocery Store Scavenger HuntWhy Buy in Bulk?

Letthekidslearnaboutwhatthey’reeatingwhileyoushoptogether.UsetheScavengerHuntideasbelowormakeupyourown.Arrangethecluesintheorderyoumovethroughthestore.AdditionalgamesareavailableontheLocallyDeliciouswebsite:www.locally-delicious.org/publications/lunchbox-envy.Findlinktobottomrightofbookimage.

Answers: 1-bell peppers; 2-melons; 3-beets; 5-no preservatives, just real food; 6-milk; 7-rice; 8-cheese; 4 and 9 are specific to your shopping trip

OH MY GOSH!!!

That sounds like a million chickens...

Eat my dust Dave!!! Hahaha... Wait, what’s that

weird sound?

Summerfruitthatisroundoroval,sweetandmoistontheinside;manyvarieties.

Growsunderground.Usuallydarkred,goldorcandy-striped.Bakedorboiled,eateninsaladsormadeintoasoupcalledborscht.

Comesingreen,red,purple,orangeandyellow.Canbestuffedwithvegetables,cheeseormeat.

It’sloadedwithcalcium,andyoucandrinkitplainorputitoncereal.

Findthepeanutbutterwiththefewestingre-dients.Whydoyouthinkitishealthierthanthebrandswithmoreingredients?

Countthelocalvege-tablesandfruits.Whatisinseasonnow?Hint:Checkshelfsignsorstickersfororigins.

Canbesliced,diced,gratedormelted.Madeoutofmilk,butit’snotliquid.

Findabreadmadewithfourormoredifferentgrains.Whatarethey?

Feedsmorepeopleworldwidethananyothergrain.Comesinwhiteandbrown,longgrainorshort.

2

5 6

3

4

1

8 97


Tips for Shopping at Big-box Stores

For Healthier Items•Big-boxstoresthatsellfreshfoodoftenhaveorganicchoices—ifso,takeadvantageofthesavings.

To Save Money•Pricesavingscanbelarge,butit’seasytobuytoomuch,asitemsareoftenpre-packagedinlargequantities.

•Haveastrategyforusingthefoodbeforeitgoesbad,orpreserveitbyfreezing,refrigerating,cookingordehydratingforalongerlife.

•Shopwithafriendandsplituppackagesthataretoolargeforeitherofyouindividually.

Cooking with FriendsWhenIlivedinElkGrove,IbelongedtoaMoms’Clubchapter.Onceamonth,wegottogetherandmademealstofreezefortheupcomingmonth.

Everyonehadasignaturerecipethatallthekidsliked,andwefoundrecipesonlineandincookbooks.Weplannedthemenusduringourkids’weeklyplaydatesanddivideduptheshoppingbetweenus.

On“CookingDay”(usuallyaSunday),wewouldarriveatthedesignatedhost’shouseinthemorningwithemptycontainersandlotsofingredients,andleavewithanywherefrom5to10mealseach.Itwasagreatdayoffunandfriendship,andeveryonewenthomewithdinnerreadytobeputintotheovenandanarrayofthingsforthefreezertohaveonhandforthenextmonth.

GinnyPrinceMotheroftwogirls,aged8and12

I’ve gotta check this out!

OMG!!!

Buying at a Farmers’ Market


Buyingdirectlyfromalocalfarmerensuresthatthefoodisinseason.Moneygoesintothelocalcommunity—adollarspentwithalocalproducerhasthreetimestheeconomicbenefittoacommunityasadollarspentforfoodgrownoutsidethearea.

Farmers’ Markets Americahasseenarebirthoflocalorganicfarmssellingdirectlytoconsumers.Currentlymorethan7,000farmers’marketsoperateintheU.S.

To Save Money•Bargainwiththefarmers.Manyfarmersreducepricesattheendoftheday.•Askfarmersforquantitydiscounts,andsharewithothers.•Askifdamagedproduce(example:anapplewithblemishes)canbemarkeddown.•Takeadvantageoffarmers’marketsthatacceptWICandSNAP(EBT).Seepage21.Somefarmersatfarmers’marketssellproducethatmaynotbecertifiedorganic,butmayexceedthelegalrequirementsforcertification.Organiccertificationisanexpensethatmanysmallfarmerscan’tafford.Butifyouknowthefarmer,you’llprobablytrusthimorhertotellyouwhetherthefoodisorganic.

Tips for Shopping at Big-box Stores Buying at a Farmers’ Market

Why Shop at a Farmers’ Market

• Kidslovethem.• It’sfunandagreatwaytostay

connectedwithyourcommunity.• Theproduceisseasonal,usually

localandorganic.• Thefoodtastesbetter.Imported

produceisbredfortravelhardiness,nottaste,andisgenerallyharvestedbeforeit’sripe.Comparethetasteofalocaltomatopickedatpeakripenesswithatypicalsupermarketvariety.

• Therearemanymorevarietiesoffruitandvegetables.InsteadofonekindoftomatoinJuly,therecouldbe20!Learnaboutfoodsyoumaynothaveseenbefore.

• Animalproductssoldatfarmers’marketsarenotfromCAFOs(factoryfarms).

Come here little chicky.

SQUAAAK!!! I’ve gotta tell Dave about this.


What Programs Are There to Help?Buying at the Farm

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms CSAmemberspurchasesharesinthefarmatthestartoftheseasonandreceiveaboxorbagoffreshfoodeachweekduringtheseason.

•BuyingaCSAsharelowersthecostsforfresh,organicfood.

•CSAsprovideaneducationalopportunity.Ifchildrenlearnhowtheirfoodisgrowntheyaremorelikelytoeatit.

•CSAsmakeiteasytoeatseasonally.

•CSAsprovideopportunitiestoexperimentwithnewfoods.

•CSAssupportandextendlocalfoodproductionandhelpthelocaleconomy.

Discountsmaybeavailableinexchangeforworktimeonthefarm.

Farm Stands•Farmstandsaregenerallynexttothefarmthatgrowsthefoodandaremostcommonlyfoundinruralareas.

•Foodisfreshandvisitingafarmisagreatadventure!•Somefarmshavetheoptiontoletyoupickyourownfood.•Pricesmaybelowerthaningrocerystores.

Look through that hole in the fence, it’s horrible!

Wait, why are you holding a chicken?

Whoa, what are you doing!?

What’s wrong?


What Programs Are There to Help?

About50millionAmericansdonotknowwheretheirnextmealiscomingfromandexperiencefoodinsecurity.Programsareavailabletohelp,butmanypeopledonotusethem.Useoftheseprogramsisencouragedtohelpfamiliesbehealthier.

WIC and SNAP•Newrulesmakeiteasiertoqualify,andgovernmentagenciesencouragetheiruse.

•OrganicchoicesareavailablewithWICcouponsandSNAPEBTcards.Seesidebar.

•EBTcardsandWICcouponscanbeusedtobuyfreshproduceatmanyfarmers’markets.Ifyourstatedoesnotprovidethisoption,talkwithyourlocalrepresentativeandletthemknowyouwantit.

•WICandSNAPbringmoneyintolocalcommunities.

Food Banks•Localfoodbanksoftenhaveinformationonhowtocreatehealthymealsusingthefoodbankfoods.

•Ifthefoodbankdoesn’thavelocal,freshitems,askthedirectoriftherearefarmswithwhomtheycanwork.Theremaybeopportunitiesforgleaningordirectpurchaseoffood.

•Askwhatspecialprogramsareavailable.Manyfoodbankshavebecomeveryinnovative.Asanexample,FoodforPeopleinHumboldtCountypartnerswithLocallyDelicious,Inc.,St.JosephHospitalFoundationandcommunitymemberstohirelocalfarmerstogrowfoodspecificallyforthefoodbank.Clientsofthefoodbankgetthefreshestfoodandthelocalfarmeconomybenefits.

•Ifyoudon’tneedafoodbank,pleasesupporttheimportantactivitiesoftheseorganizationsthroughdonationsorvolunteerwork.

WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children)providesfederalgrantstostatesforsupplementalfoods,healthcarereferrals,andnutritioneducationforlow-incomepregnant,breastfeeding,andnon-breastfeedingpostpartumwomen,andtoinfantsandchildrenuptoagefivewhoarefoundtobeatnutritionalrisk.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) isthenewnamefortheFoodStampprogram.Eachstatemayhaveadifferentname.Forexample,itiscalledCalFreshinCalifornia.ClientsreceiveanElectronicBenefitTransfer(EBT)cardthatcanbeusedatgrocerystoresandmanyfarmers’markets.

Buying at the Farm

DAVE, SHE JUST PECKED OUT A MESSAGE!!! YOU JUST rESCUED mE FrOm A

CHICKEn CAFO. I’m An OLD HEn. WHEn WE GET OLD AnD CAn’T

LAY AS mAnY EGGS, WE’rE KILLED In HOrrIbLE WAYS! I Am

SO GrATEFUL. THAnKS FOr THE rESCUE! mY nAmE’S rUbY.

Dave, look! This could be our journalism

assignment!

Look I got pictures!!!


Somecommunitiesdon’thavegrocerystores,buthaveconveniencestores,smallcornermarketsorliquorstoresthatcarryfood.Thesecommunitiesarecalled“fooddeserts.”Thesesourcesdonothaveawidechoiceoffreshfoodandpricesareoftenhigh.

Healthy Eating in a Food Desert•Buythehealthiestitemsavailable,suchasdairy,produce,bread,tortillas,packagedbeans,riceandcannedvegetables.

•Encouragethestoreownertooffermorefreshproduce.•Participateinacommunitygarden.•Growfoodinyourgardenorincontainers.SomeideasforgettingstartedareinChapter6,page182.

•Joinorformacommunityfoodproject.http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/

•CheckoutwhattheMarketMakerTeamisdoinginSouthCentralLosAngelestogreenthefooddesert,onecornerstoreatatime.Thesitehasmanyideasincludingvideosforkids.www.marketmakeovers.org

Ifyoudon’tliveinafooddesert,supportcommunityeffortstomakehealthyfoodavailabletoeveryone.

How to Maximize Options in a Food Desert

Making Change in Food Deserts

FoodDesertsareplaceswherethereisalackofhealthy,fresh,affordableandculturallyappropriatefood.Sadly,thereisanoverabundanceofhighlyprocessedandfastfoods.WestOakland,California,hasbeendescribedasafooddesert.Forover30,000residentstherearemorethan50liquorstoresandfastfoodchains,butonlyonesmallproducemarketontheoutskirtsofthecommunity.

Healthyfoodshouldbeavailabletoeveryoneregardlessofrace,classorneighborhood.

ThePeople’sGrocery,acommunity-basedorganization,supportsagrass-rootsmovementfightingtoimprovethehealthandeconomyofWestOakland.Theyworktoensurethatthecommunityplaysalargepartintherevitalizationofneighborhoods.Learnmoreabouttheorganizationandseesomegreatvideosoftheirworkatwww.peoplesgrocery.org

LOOK!!! rObbErS!!!I gotta get ’em!

Grow Your Own Food


How to Maximize Options in a Food Desert Grow Your Own Food

Raisingfoodinahomegardenoracommunitygardenhasgainedinpopularityoverthelastfewyears.Therearemorethan18,000communitygardensintheU.S.today.DuringWorldWarII,upto40percentofallproducewasgrownathomeinwhatwerecalledVictoryGardens.

•Foodfromthegardenisfreshestandtastesthebest.•Becauseitisfresh,itishigherinnutrients.•Itcansavemoney.•Alargeamountoffoodcanbegrowninasmallspace.•Childrenaremorelikelytoeatfoodtheyhavegrownthemselves.

Chapter6hasideasforgrowingyourownfood,includinggrowingincontainersorinasmallgardenspace.Growfoodfortherecipesthatyourchildrenlike.Ifyoudon’thaveroomforagardenathome,takeaspaceinacommunitygarden.

Sorry about that.

Don’t worry about it. Wait,

are you the ones with the chicken?

Ouch!Gahh!

Grrrrrr!!!


How to Help Improve Our Food System

Everyonedeserveshealthyfood.Beanactiveconsumerandaskthegrocerquestions.Makeapositivechange!Changehappenswhenpeopledemandit.Votewithyourdollars.

Asktheownersofthecornerstoresiftheywillcarrymoreproduce.

Askthegrocer:•“Willyoucarrymoreorganicfruits,vegetables,dairyandmeat?”

•“Isthebeefgrass-fed?”and“Arethepoultrypasture-raisedandtheeggsfrompasture-raisedchickens?”

•“Wouldyoulabelfoodwithcountry,stateorcountyoforigin?Canyoushowwhichlocalfarmhasgrownit?Canyoubuyfromlocalfarmers?”

Buying LocalFoodsecurityexistswhenallpeople,atalltimes,havephysical,socialandeconomicaccesstosufficient,safeandnutritiousfood.Foodsecuritywillincreaseifthefoodsystembecomesmorelocalandeachcommunityproducesmuchofitsownfood,aswasthecasebeforethe1940sandagainwhentherewereVictoryGardens.

•Havinglocalfarmsallacrossthecountrycreatesmorefoodsecurity,ascropsarewellsuitedtoeachclimate.Thediversityofseedmakesthefoodsystemlesslikelytobedestroyedbyasinglepest(insect,fungusorbacteria).

•Havingmanysourcesoffoodgrownalloverthecountryaddssecurityincaseoneareaishitbydroughtsorfloods.

•Industriallyproducedfoodtravelsanaverageof1,500milesfromfarmtotableanduseslotsoffuelthataddsCO2totheatmosphere.

•Agreatervarietyoflocallygrownfoodsmakesforamoreinterestingdiet.•Localfoodisautomaticallyin-seasonandwillbefresherandtastebetter.Pleasesupportyourlocalfoodsystemwithyourdollarsbybuyinglocally.

What about food that can’t be grown in the

U.S.?Somefoodswejustcan’tgiveup.Forthese,buyproductslabeledFairtradeifyoucan.Itcontributestosustainabledevelopmentandhelpsprotectfarmworkersaroundtheworld.

Forexample,somecacaoisharvestedusingslavelabor—sometimesbychildren.IfyoubuyFairtradechocolate,youareassuredthatitisNOTfromslavelabor.

We got cow burgers.

Yeah. We found her behind a fence in a large pile of dead chickens.

Wow, we found a huge cow feedlot the other day. I think

they’re called CAFOs...

That’s what ruby said she was raised in! Wait, haven’t I seen

you around school?

Yeah I’m in your Investigative Journalism class. We’re thinking of

using the CAFOs for our project!

Hey, do you wanna work together on this project?

Oh, yeah, that would be so cool!

Sweet! So what’d you guys get for lunch?

Chicken Chunks! How about you?

US, TOO!!!

We got cow burgers.

chapter 2 where to get food...make organic and whole foods more affordable. most co-ops are open to...

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