THE TIME TO SELECT OUR FOOD MINDFULLY

Besides preparing your grocery list, have you ever asked yourself where are those delicious products that you so carefully chose for your beloved ones, coming from?

This is something that has always been on my mind. Making a mindful selection of our ingredients and knowing where they come from is extremely important, as it is to check the expiration dates and nutritional values on the packaging. When you think about it, a pineapple from Hawaii is not the same as a pineapple from another continent, even less if you think of all the other factors that we are contributing to when making our choices. 

Nowadays, there is an abundance of department stores and supermarkets chains that offer a variety of ingredients we can use in our recipes. On the other hand, there are the farmers’ markets that are set up regularly, maybe once per week in our communities, and offer locally sourced produce from the farmers in the area. While I do understand that not all of us can count on this privilege, I have to say it is worth the effort of finding them and delighting your senses with those delicious products. 

Farmers’ market vs Supermarkets 

With the farmers’ markets more and more popular, there have been quite a few times I have stopped and given serious thought to where I should do my grocery shopping. I don’t know if it occurred to you as well, but I thought I would like to analyze the two options and share with you my recommendations.

As I may have mentioned before, I am not really a fan of the supermarkets, simply due to the food waste mentality that this kind of business has at its core. I do have to admit though, there are a number of points in favor of this kind of establishments and some others that are less positive: 

Commodity. We do have to give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and if we’re thinking of the extended opening hours, pretty much every day and that we could find basically everything in one place, supermarkets do score a point. 

Variety. Although in the farmers’ market you can easily find 5 different varieties of tomatoes, the supermarket offers a variety in terms of ingredients that are not produced in your area, such as pineapples, papayas, or mangoes for instance.    

Price. Depending on the products you are looking for and where you are located, buying in the supermarket tends to be cheaper than in the farmers’ market. It could be the case that some fruits and vegetables are cheaper at the farmers’ market if they are locally produced, but normally, supermarkets manage to offer more competitive prices for the same products as they are buying in much larger quantities. 

Transportation and environmental impact. Fresh fruits and vegetables are frequently produced very far away from the places where they are to be consumed. Large amounts of produce are transported daily over small and long distances, making their transportation costs even higher than their production cost sometimes and their carbon footprint much higher than the one of farmers’ markets. 

Nutritional value. In many cases, fruits and vegetables are harvested before they are ready in order for them to be still in good shape when they arrive at the supermarkets. We also need to consider the high amounts of pesticides used in the process, and the omnipresent fruit stickers, unless you are choosing organic options.

Food waste. Big supermarket chains use a number of strategies in order to reduce food waste. In many cases, however, strategies like the organization of products within the shop only manage to pass the food waste to the consumers’ side, who will end up buying products that he or she doesn’t necessarily need. 

On the other hand, when we are talking about farmers’ markets, we also need to think of the positive economic impact that this kind of establishments brings to the community, aside from the other benefits:

Fresh produce. As they don’t have to transport them long-distance, the farmers can harvest their produce at their best time, when they are perfectly ripe and flavorful. With this in mind, it is very likely that the tomato you bought today has been collected this very morning or yesterday afternoon. 

Organic products. In many cases, farmers don’t use pesticides, choosing natural alternatives instead. It’s true that probably you will not find the “organic” or “bio” label on your fruits and veggies but it is the ideal way to get better quality products, without the overcharge of that label. 

Building relationships. Not only that you will get to know the producers, but you will also get to talk to them! You could ask questions, offer feedback, ask for recommendations on how to better keep certain products, or even get to ask for a specific one that you can’t find. The human contact in this interaction is amazing and people like it when others appreciate their efforts. 

Low environmental impact. By using compost and natural fertilizers, farmers manage to reduce water and soil pollution. Another positive side is the lack of packaging and the minimum impact in terms of transportation, given produce will only be transferred on short distances in this case.  

Reduced opening times. Most farmers’ markets are open only on specific days, very early during the mornings, and close down just after midday. This very narrow window makes access to local markets very difficult for people who have a very busy schedule or lack availability. 

Seasonal products. This can be both a positive and less positive side of the markets, depending on the point of view and the importance you give to variety in your cooking.  

Very low or a lack of regulations. Normally, farmers are simple people and of good faith, and most of them cannot offer any type of guarantees. This means that when they say that their products are organic, or that they did not use any chemical fertilizers, etc, you have to take their word for it.    

With all these reasons in mind, I personally could not tell you that one is better than the other. I do think it is very important to stay local, but at the same time, I believe it is a choice that depends on the lifestyle of every individual. 

What do you think about this? What would be your choice?