Organic Options Close To Home
Market Basket offers organic options at affordable prices.
I know people were upset to find out that Whole Foods would not be going into the new Cornerstone Square. I was definitely one of them. I do shop at Market Basket occasionally, but I would love for another supermarket to come to town.
I recently looked more closely at what Market Basket offers and their prices. I found quite a bit of organic and other more natural items at great prices. Here is what I found:
Pete and Gerry’s Large Organic Eggs – 12 for $3.69
Organic Valley Organic Butter – 1 lb for $4.69
Organic Valley Organic Cream Cheese - $2.49. This is a great price! I saw it once on sale for $1.99, plus I had a coupon. Still waiting to see that deal again!
Stonyfield Organic Yogurt – 32oz for $3.69
Annie’s Mac and Cheese – prices vary depending on exact type.
Clif Kid Organic Z bar – box of 6 for $4.79
Kashi granola bars – box of 6 for $3.00
TLC Crunchy granola bars – box of 12 for $3.00
Market Basket Organic Milk –half gallon for $3.49, available in fat free and 2%. Although, honestly, this isn’t the low Market Basket price I would expect. I have gotten other store brand organic milk for $2.99. But it’s a start.
Amish County Farms Organic Milk – half gallon for $3.19
Heinz Organic Ketchup – 15 oz for $2.99
Pomi Chopped Tomatoes in a Tetra Pak - $1.99 (Good alternative if you are concerned aobut bisphenol-A (BPA) in cans, especially tomatoes because of their acidity)
Muir Glen Organic canned tomatoes – 14 oz can for $1.99. Muir Glen is transistioning to BPA-free cans.
Eden Organic Canned Beans – variety of beans available 15 oz can for $2.50. These cans have been BPA-free since 1999.
McCormick Organic Spices – prices range from $3.99 to $4.99 depending on the spice
Pacific Organic Broth – 32oz Tetra Pak for $3.49
Vermont Village Organic unsweetened Applesauce – 24 oz for $3.99
Bragg Organic Raw unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar – 16oz for $3.49
Domino Organic Sugar – 24oz for $2.29
Bob’s Red Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 5 lbs for $4.99. Market Basket is one of the few places I can find Whole Wheat PASTRY flour. It’s lighter in texture than normal whole wheat flour.
Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate - $2.50 per 3.5 oz bar. Recently on sale for $1.99. I have routinely seen these at $3.99 everywhere else.
Spectrum Organic Refined Coconut Oil – 14oz for $7.99
Spectrum Organic Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil – 14oz for $9.99
Olivia’s Organic lettuces – 5oz for $2.99
Nature’s Circle Farm Organic Russet Potatoes – 5lbs bag for $3.99. Potatoes are one of 'The Dirty Dozen' containing high levels of pesticides and should be something you consider buying organic.
Marcal 100% Recycled Paper Towels – 1 roll (137.8 sq ft.) for $0.99
Tom’s Of Maine toothpaste - $4.49
In addition, Market Basket carries Coleman Organic chicken in various cuts, Kashi cereal, Bear Naked Granola, organic coffee and several Bob's Red Mill products. Their prganic produce section is small, but seems to be growing.
Do you buy organic?
Tell us in the comments.
Dee
10:51 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Kristina, Thanks for the info. I shop at Market Basket but look to Hannaford and Whole Foods for all-natural meat and dairy products as well as organic and better quality produce. If Market Basket adds more of what I want I would be glad to shop closer to home.
Kristina Greene
1:11 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
I shop more often at Hannaford and Whole Foods for those same reasons, Dee. But there are organic items that I specifically stock up on at Market Basket because it's the same item for less. It would be nice to see more meats and produce. We'll see!
TK
7:53 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Hannaford and Wholefoods have very nice selection of special/organic foods, but if I can find item in Market Basket, I will buy it there. Prices are excellent - very competitive with Costco or Amazon. And I do not have to buy in bulk. Selection is limited, but it's Ok. Thanks for the list - I found smth new that I will buy next time.
Kristina Greene
5:10 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Hi TK, Glad you found some new things. I did too!
Sally Rosenthal
11:57 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
I agree that Market Basket has a good selection of organics, especially of packaged organic foods. I even was there one day looking for organic chicken, and they were all out except for whole chickens (I was looking to barbecue so I wanted pieces)--a worker saw me looking around, and told me the butcher would cut up the whole chicken into pieces for me.
I often buy organic apple juice and granola bars at market basket, and always get organic sandwich bread and milk there.
However, their organic produce section is weak. Don't even get me going about how they carry organic bananas, but package them on STYROFOAM!
Kristina Greene
2:01 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thanks for the information Sally. Good to know that the butcher will cut up the chicken for you!
I agree that the organic produce is lacking, and the styrofoam! I saw today at Hannaford that even their organic produce was wrapped in plastic wrap on a tray too! At least the tray looked compostable or might have even been cardboard.
Market Basket seems to be adding a little more lately, so maybe they will continue this trend.
Pat Neary
12:58 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
I LOVE Market Basket because of the prices and I TRY to buy organic.
Kristina, do you know what the Pomi tomatoes tetra pac is lined with? I am not sure and most packaging still has a plastic liner??
Kristina Greene
2:24 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
It can be so confusing Pat! I found this article from The Soft Landing:
http://guide.thesoftlanding.com/bpa-free-tomatoes-do-exist/
And yes, tetra paks from Pomi are BPA free.
Not to add to your dilemma, but one problem I have with tetra paks is that they are not recyclable. For a while, I just stopped buying "canned" tomatoes - I didn't want to expose my family to BPA in the cans but I didn't like the idea of all that waste. In that same link above, they list BPA-free canned options for all foods. One of the options for tomatoes is Muir Glen.
Hope this helps.
Kathleen Spaeth
3:20 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Kristina, while I appreciate your taking the time (a pretty good amount since you don't normally shop at Market Basket) to list the Organic Products available at Market Basket, I have an easier solution to suggest to you (and everyone) about where to purchase your fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, etc. You should all be thinking locally (no matter what time of year it is) to purchase these products and go to your local farm.
I personally pick up, via my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, from Springdell Farms in Littleton the following: eggs, milk, butter, cheese, meat (ground beef, bacon, ground pork and ham steaks, Churizo sausage, all kinds of steak, how about a fresh killed Turkey at Thanksgiving, etc.), maple syrup, honey, all kinds of great fruits and vegetables, some yarn from their sheep, fresh grown and picked flowers, etc. (and my list can go on and on).
I realize that some of you are thinking: Well what about Tomato Sauce and Paste? (I make that and jar it for winter use). I also jar (or freeze) corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, pickles (they are wicked good) and all kinds of jams (from all the great things that I get from my CSA Share at Springdell Farms). You have to be willing to be open-minded to what you will receive, have the time (and it doesn't take that much) to cook, stuff, and jar (or freeze), and be appreciative of where exactly your food is grow (and how it is picked, handled, and taken care of).
Kathleen Spaeth
3:35 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Yes, I realize that certain products I can't get from my CSA Share, so I am very big into reading the labels, researching the company, asking questions, and trying to understand all the "packaging concerns". Alright, so sometimes I have to go shopping at Market Basket, or Hannaford's, or Donelan's, or Trader Joe's to find certain products, and when I am there I am known to buy two of the same product (to keep it around for later use).
I love to bake and make my own homemade breads, muffins, and sweets. Market Basket does have the best prices for some of my supplies (and they are trying very hard to offer many Organic products). I have been told that if there is something that you want, and you can't find it on the shelf, than ask for it with the Store Manager or Grocery Manager (not the checkout clerks) and they will try to get it for you (and then buy it in bulk and put it away).
It is very hard to be concerned and practice being local (and green) but it is so very good when we do it! Did anyone see the "local vendors spotlight" on Chronicle on Monday night?
Sally Rosenthal
4:09 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Kathleen, have you heard of SOLE food? It's Sustainable, Ethical, Local, Organic. The idea is to hit at least one of those with each food purchase, if not all four. So, for example, Springdell Farm (who I love :), is sustainable, local, and ethical, though not organic. In my mind, organic is the least useful of the four, especially given the number of small farms who opt out of organic certification. However, for something like coffee where I'm never going to find a local option, fair trade (ethical) is something I look for, and/or organic. Anyway, just thought you might be interested in the idea of SOLE if you've never run across it before.
Kristina Greene
8:31 am on Friday, February 24, 2012
Hi Kathleen, thank you for pointing out the great variety of products available at Springdell! I completely agree that buying locally and canning or freezing your own products is the healthier, better for us and the earth way to go. I was happily surprised at the amount of organic options I found at Market Basket. I rarely think to ask the manager for certain products - thanks for that reminder as well. I think there is a great need to share our knowledge of food labels, food options, etc I learn something each time I write an article - not only from my research but from the comments as well. Thanks for reading and adding to the information.
Kathleen Spaeth
11:22 pm on Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sally, no I have never heard of SOLE Food, but I will do some more research on it. Thank you kindly for the suggestion!
The reason why Springdell Farms (and many other local farms) choses not to follow the "Organic definition" is because it is too costly and indeterminably unattainable. Instead Springdell Farms follows Integrated Pest Management Guidelines and I am very happy with that.
I think that it is so great that so many of us read the labels on all our food products, ask questions, and figure out the where/how/and under what conditions that our foods are grown/traded/handled. Yeah, this is so good for us and our families, our local communities, our state, and our world as a whole! It is something that I practice every time I go shopping, but it is very hard to do and sometimes I have to refuse to purchase something and put it back until I can find another source/supplier!!
Kristina Greene
8:42 am on Friday, February 24, 2012
Sally, I have never heard of SOLE either. I agree that organic isn't always the gold standard. But when purchasing from a grocery store, it's one of the few labels I feel comfortable trusting. I think I need to do an article on food labeling - it's not always what it seems!
Kathleen - Thanks for pointing out the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method and why small farms can't always get organic certification. Again, important for people to know. I wrote an article a while back about Hill Orchard in Westford http://westford.patch.com/articles/delicious-peaches-and-more-at-hill-orchard - they use IPM.
Talk about being difficult to read labels and know what is good for you. I remember years ago, before I became more aware, I saw these new labels on milk claiming "no growth hormones." I thought "Did I need to worry about this before?!" At that time, I had no clue about the growth hormones that are given to cows.
Again, thank you to both of you for adding to this discussion.