I
put up a post not long ago that detailed the progression of Kroger
stores in the developing Chevy Chase section of town. It mirrors in
some ways an article published by Sustainable Food Trust on Apr 1,
2014. Let me look at some of the similarities.
Kroger
began life in Cincinnati as a series of markets designed to aide the
convenience of homeowners, many of which would need to make multiple
stops on daily shopping trips. These “economy” shops carried
mainly canned goods, some general staples and rarely any fruits or
vegetables. The fresh meats and fish or other farm produce were
handled by specialty stores and carried strictly local fare.
To
be sure, Kroger was not the only brand of these types of stores since
Lexington had its own chain of S. A. Glass stores and to some extent
their service areas overlapped. What is significant is the timing of
Kroger's arrival and the implementation of zoning in Lexington. It
was the “Roaring Twenties.”
Zoning
brought with it the progressive concept of isolating commercial
interests into “planned” areas rather than allow them to evolve
naturally within the normal flow of neighborhood life. The stores
themselves found the need to grow in size to accommodate the larger
volume, yet less frequent visits of shoppers. Americans, whether
they will admit it or not, were socially engineered into believing in
the benefits of modern corporate food merchandising and production.
Today,
the typical supermarket is filled with more that 47,000 products
across a wide range of food, and non food, selections. WalMart,
while not known for being a grocery, makes 55% of its total profits
from the sale of food. The availability of items 24 / 7 / 365, be
they fresh, frozen, canned, processed or microwavable allows us to
escape both time and season.
A
century ago, people would have known exactly by whom and where their
grocery items originated. There was a relationship between the
housewife and the butcher, or the greengrocer, where each understood
the desires of the other. Such social interactions today are few and
far between though many of us are looking for them more often.
How
many of us were appalled when we heard of the horse meat scandal or
surprised at the size and coverage of the latest beef/vegetable/snack
recall? Do any of us really know the supplier of the “better
ingredients” in those “better pizzas” from Papa Johns? Did any
of us recoil when we learned that the elasticizing agent in Subways
bread dough was also used in yoga mats and auto tires?
The
increased availability of produce has also led to the socially
engineered desire for standardization and uniformity. Breeding in a
consistent size and color may enhance the marketability of produce
but it also allows for the rejection of entire crops for some
farmers, leading to waste levels approaching 50%. Will the rising
interest in heirloom varieties stem some of this waste?
Just
a little research will reveal that despite the vast number of
supermarket products available, a majority of these are produced and
controlled by only a handful of industrial food and pharmaceutical
companies. The choice that you see is only the choice that they want
to see, and usually not much of a choice at all.
That
choice, or lack thereof, also impacts our food policies and
agricultural practices, driven by the statistics which the
corporations collect. How do you want to define a “value meal?”
For whom is the value the greatest, you or the supermarket?
“Our
trust in the supermarket model to provide us with fresh, healthy,
transparently produced food, is at an all-time low.” wrote Rebecca
Roberts, in her piece and Joanna Blythman wrote “We are sick of
being hoodwinked by the smoke-and-mirrors promotions of the big
chains.” in The Guardian. How do you feel about it?
Is
today's supermarket your only choice for grocery shopping? If so,
here are some tools that you can use for better eating experience.
Try following the first three of Brazil's 10 new rules for healthy
eating:
1 Prepare
meals from staple and fresh foods.
Today's
supermarket is laid out quite diabolically. All of the cheap
processed products are in the center. The really fresh and lightly
processed stuff is in the back or along the sides, so fringe shop
around the edges. Buy only foods that your grandmother and
great-grandmother would recognize. Eat fresh. Try to only buy
products with five ingredients or less (ideally ingredients that
sound like food and not something you’d find in a science-lab.)
2 Use
oils, fats, sugar and salt in moderation.
3 Limit
consumption of ready-to-consume food and drink products.
Venture
into the center for the items in number 2 only when you need them and
try to limit number 3
Lastly,
be very critical of the commercial advertisement of food products.
They are NOT designed to inform you, either of the nutritional
content or the benefit to your health. They are intended to separate
you from your money. Take time to reflect on your food choices.
Realize the power that each and everyone of us has in voting with our
food. Spend to create a better food system and perhaps Kroger will
notice.
