Choosing Greener Produce

Lately I have researching how I can make greener choices at the grocery store. Many of the things I have read or thought of myself are common sense, but I figure that few of us take the time to worry about this issue. Today I plan to just focus on fruits and vegetables.

My first tip is to start being more conscious of waste. As a college student, this is troublesome because there are always coupons and deals that get us out of the apartment or dorm. (My roommates and I have a weakness for 50 cent pizza rolls on Tuesdays.) Whether you plan to eat more at home or be more realistic at the store about what you can eat, cutting down on waste is important because more than likely lots of transportation and chemicals, to include fertilizer and pesticide, went into the growing of that crop. Another way to cut back on waste is to buy groceries more often. I know what you are thinking- more trips means more fuel emissions, but if you do your shopping on your way home, this will be less of a concern.

Second, purchase foods that are in season. This one may be less obvious. If a fruit or veggie is not in season at the time you buy it, take avocados in winter for example, then the food may have traveled a long distance, from where it is in season, to get to you. One thing you can do to "boycott" these environmentally costly foods is to read the stickers on the individual foods. One I commonly see is Mexico; quite a long way for fruits and veggies to travel.

How about unnecessary packaging? The manufacturing of plastics and styrofoam to make produce more appealing contributes landfills and requires energy to produce. I've seen bell peppers, baking potatoes, apples, and oranges all wrapped in packaging. If you are brave enough to endure the strange looks, you can try to loose the plastic bags they offer at the store for produce. Occasionally, I'll see people pushing carts with loose apples, bananas, garlic, bell peppers, and such. Many times, I've noticed, these people are foreigners. Hopefully this trend will catch on in the US!

Buying fresh is always a good option because these foods are unprocessed. Either way you slice it, canned, dried, and frozen fruits and vegetables have all undergone some sort of heating or cooking to ensure food safety. This means energy was expended to create this product as well as the packaging it is sold in.