The decline of food choices in supermarkets

[Jemima]

Trader Joe's certainly has some processed foods, especially lots of convenience foods in their frozen food cases, although far higher in quality than most. You can actually buy some frozen entree type stuff at Trader Joe's, even a from scratch cook might be willing to eat sometimes.

I discovered Trader Joe's while on a long term work assignment in Indianapolis. I stayed at an upscale residential hotel which had a tiny kitchen with a full size-refrigerator and an enormous micro with so many functions I never learned them all in nine months. The stove had only two burners and no oven, so I mostly used the micro.

Trader Joe's convenience foods were a lifesaver. I'm gluten-intolerant and I was very pleased to be given a list of gluten-free foods by a cashier. Love their brown rice bread. I often bought their frozen fish and chicken entrees, which were large enough for two or three meals, and I tried their store brand Channa Masala, which remains a favorite to this day. The three-serving package of microwavable brown rice was also really handy. (I flew home every other weekend, so small quantities worked well in this case.)

I've been back home for two years and Trader Joe's is now inconveniently located about eight miles away. Every now and then, though, I go clean off the brown rice bread shelf and get a stack of frozen meals. TJ's is also far more dependable about carrying organic produce and free-range meats than Whole Foods.

[Jemima]

There's a Whole Foods coming here, opening later this year. I've been to a couple when visiting friends. Seems ok, but expensive. I'll check it out (even though its across town) to see if it lives up to the hype or not.

Beware. I don't usually shop there, but a friend gave me a gift card so off I went. When they first opened, everything was organic and pricey, but now you have to read labels carefully, because a lot of their produce is the same stuff you can get in any supermarket, complete with chemical fertilizers and bug spray. They had no gluten-free foods or even flour. That was my last visit and I don't expect to be going back.

[ApatheticNoMore]

TJ's is also far more dependable about carrying organic produce and free-range meats than Whole Foods.

I don't really find this to be the case. Well ok other than fish (never organic anyway) and beef (chickens are from the farmer's market), I'm mostly talking produce. Basically the entire WF greens section is organic (and the prices are basically identical to TJs for that stuff), a lot of other organics too.

They had no gluten-free foods or even flour.

I'm not sure what gluten free flour is. Bulk bins here have rice flour which I have tried (ha I think I've tried both brown and white rice flour!), I think they have some bean flours (like garbanzo flour) - doesn't really interest me, and they have corn meal. All that is in listed ingredients gluten free, but if you were celiac I imagine you'd worry about contamination and really not want stuff from bulk bins anywhere. I know at least one store with a whole gluten free section (processed foods though - wierd stuff imo).

[Rogar]

I haven't noticed any changes in our big chain supermarkets with the variety of fresh foods. Our big stores are Safeway and King Soopers. Anymore, I mostly only go there for for staples like cleaning supplies and some paper products. While I haven't noticed any change in variety I think the quality of fresh products has gone down significantly. We have a Sunflower Market that has a huge selection of fresh regular and organic produce plus good fresh meats. And also a regional chain called Vitamin Cottage that specializes in more organic and natural products. Both of these are reasonably priced. Plus Whole Foods, which is slightly overpriced but seems to do a reasonably good job of having locally grown or produced products. I have to say that Whole Foods produce is usually very fresh and good quality and is sometimes worth paying a premium for.

I suppose the large traditional chains are here to stay for a while, but wonder how much business they have lost to these smaller stores. Maybe they are having trouble turning over fresh products and are being forced into either lower quality or less selection.

[Blackdog Lin]

Y'all seem to be in cities with lots of choices. I am in a small town with one grocery store. We must travel 10 or 20 miles away to have access to a larger variety/market. As in Wal-Mart, Save-a-Lot, Country Mart (area chain). And we're in the part of country where we garden, and grow vegetables.....but we don't have much in the way of Farmers Markets, and while I've heard of CSAs, I don't personally know anyone who participates in one.

So fresh food for our hinterlands means vegetables in season. That you've grown yourself or know someone who does. There are organic and free-range meat producers, I've seen the ads, but they are not necessarily nearby. As in using an 80-mile round-trip tank of gas to go get good meat. Fresh and organic cheese? Nope. Never even heard of it around here.

We grown our own veggies and eggs, and do the best we can with the rest. We don't have the resources y'all do in the cities for purchasing organic foodstuffs.....BUT the organics we do have I am very sure are very very organic and fresh. You do the best with what's available.....

[jp1]

Y'all seem to be in cities with lots of choices. I am in a small town with one grocery store. We must travel 10 or 20 miles away to have access to a larger variety/market. As in Wal-Mart, Save-a-Lot, Country Mart (area chain). And we're in the part of country where we garden, and grow vegetables.....but we don't have much in the way of Farmers Markets, and while I've heard of CSAs, I don't personally know anyone who participates in one.

So fresh food for our hinterlands means vegetables in season. That you've grown yourself or know someone who does. There are organic and free-range meat producers, I've seen the ads, but they are not necessarily nearby. As in using an 80-mile round-trip tank of gas to go get good meat. Fresh and organic cheese? Nope. Never even heard of it around here.

We grown our own veggies and eggs, and do the best we can with the rest. We don't have the resources y'all do in the cities for purchasing organic foodstuffs.....BUT the organics we do have I am very sure are very very organic and fresh. You do the best with what's available.....

Geez. It really puts things in perspective to hear how other people live. I thought it was a huge improvement in our lives when we moved from being a 12 minute walk from Safeway to living across the street from one...