Week in and week out the importance of ones grocery shopping choices are stressed, the idea of buying local and making an informed decision are very important within the context of our food system as a whole. While it is important to keep these points in mind, it does not always translate to when one is actually purchasing food. The ease of the supermarket, with it's vast amount of products, is surely enticing, this coupled with the overall lower prices than buying from ones local market or farm serve as an obvious reason as to why one would settle for it. As much as one would like to buy locally it seems to not always be feasible, the overall amount of money one might save by simply going to a Publix or Winn Dixie may override the benefits of buying locally. This stresses the question of how much one values their contribution to the greater food system, both morally and monetarily. This is certainly situation based however, it might be more feasible for someone with money to be more conscious of what they're buying than someone from a low income area who may also be uninformed about food choices.
To relate this to personal experience, I make an attempt to support the local food system by purchasing from farmers markets and stores like New Leaf, I cannot always make that work though. The convenience and money I save overall by purchasing food from Publix, which is around the corner from my residence, often seems to trump my attempt to buy locally. I hope to further sway my opinion more towards locally grown foods as the course continues and in general make more informed choices when I decide what food to buy.
Jake, I agree that grocery shopping can be a stressful experience, especially when you are trying to be a cognizant shopper within the context of our overall food system. To be honest, based on your post it sounds like you are already making a lot of progress by shopping on a weekly basis, which helps in the reduction of food waste, and you attempt to purchase locally when you can afford to. This is a great start! Just like you mentioned, every informed shopper has this inward struggle when it comes to shopping locally or at a grocery store because they are constrained by finances. Personally, I either try to purchase items locally, grow my own food or shop at a grocery store that supports by ideals in food quality. Again, the group that is always hurt in these types of situations is low-income residents. However, I am noticing a growth in programs to assist low-income residents by providing them alternatives to grocery stores. An example is if they use their food stamps at a farmers market, they are able to shop at double the amount provided, which is a huge help to those families.
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