Food for Thought
Standing in front of the dairy section in Whole Foods the other day I found myself staring at the rows upon rows of yogurt, eggs, and milk. It seemed like the products were never-ending. I shop at this store all the time, but today I found myself wondering exactly how many types of yogurt there were to choose from. After what seemed like a half hour of standing in the freezing dairy section, employees passing me thinking “what the hell is she doing?”, I counted 23 different types of yogurt.
Thankfully for most products I have favorite brands in which I trust and buy consistently. If I had no grocery shopping experience and came into this store for the first time I would be overwhelmed to say the least! Imagine walking into any grocery store today wanting to purchase one item, like butter. You go in, walk around for ten minutes before you finally give in and ask an employee where you can find the butter. Once you finally navigate to the butter section you are amazed at how many types and brands of butter there are. You start reading labels, figure out what kind of butter you want. Do I want whipped, vegan, European? How much am I willing to pay? What brand is the best? This decision alone could take another thirty minutes…No wonder why going to the grocery store is stressful for most people these days.
With all of these different options, you would think that you would come out of the grocery store feeling satisfied and excited to open and eat all of the delicious food that you just purchased…not me. Most of the time I leave the store thinking, “are these products what they claim to be?” “Are the eggs that I just bought really free-range?” If so, what does that even mean? Labels today are confusing for most shoppers. Even if you understand the lack of meaning to ‘natural’ and ‘gluten-free’ products, all you really understand is that you don’t trust them.
In the summer I belong to a CSA (community shared agriculture), in which I go to a local farm each week to pick up my share of vegetables. At the farm, we can also purchase local dairy products, eggs, meat, wine, and other artisan products. Shopping during the summer, for me, is the best experience. There are no purchasing headaches, if I need eggs I buy them. I don’t have to worry about which kind to get, and I know that whatever I buy is going to be wholesome, tasty, and a value for my buck.
Today, walking into any grocery store there are too many choices and most of them are bad (not wholesome and nutritious). With all of this in mind I am now on a mission to identify the best, highest quality food items out there. I am seeking true artisan products that are preferably made by hand, for quality rather than quantity, made with pure ingredients. After uncovering some candidates, I hope to visit their production facilities, observe their process, and analyze their brands.
The end result will uncover food products in which we can all trust. Food brands that are sustainable, who think about their impact on the environment and actively seek to reduce it. Food brands that taste like FOOD! In my following posts I will analyze individual artisan brands from a far away view. I will analyze everything from their overall design, strategy, and product. Stay tuned for more.
