Buy More Food, Use Less Packaging

It is easy to point the finger at food manufacturers and demand more eco-friendly options when it comes to food choice and packaging, but have you ever realized the power really lies in your hands? The processed food industry found the lure many years ago by creating illusions of their product via the packaging. I am sure this has happened to you. You buy a seemingly great new cereal, get home and open the box to find it is a quarter full. Unfortunately, we judge a book by its cover and end up spending more money and wasting more packaging.

Greening the snack industry can easily be accomplished by making a few simple changes and choices as a family. The most effective ways to save money and to use less packaging are to make your own treats, buy food in bulk and purchase reusable containers.

Make your own

Buying in bulk may be the answer to your family's waste woes.

Making your own snacks is not only cost effective, but it can also save a lot of wasted packaging. Think about the snack foods you eat the most of in your house. Do you like cookies, fruit leathers or ice cream? You can make most of your favorite snack foods healthier, cheaper and more eco-friendly. For example, if your kids love to eat cookies, find a recipe online that uses whole grains and less sugar, make a large quantity of the cookies and freeze them for months of usage. You can also make your own fruit leathers at home using real fruit bought at a nearby fruit stand, or you can make your own ice cream.

Buy in bulk

It is a no-brainer. When you buy in bulk, less packaging is wasted. There are a few ways to buy in bulk in order to save packaging. The first way is to go to a supermarket or health food store that has a bulk section for snacks, seeds and nuts. Bring your own reusable containers to hold the bulk products you buy so you are not wasting disposable bags.

Secondly, join a wholesale club such as Costco or Sam’s Club. Most of the large-quantity products sold by these retailers come in significantly less packaging. The manufacturers of these products know the bulk customer is not so much concerned with the marketing of the packaging as he or she is with the price, so packaging is not as much of an emphasis.

Lastly, you can buy in bulk by joining a local co-op. A local co-op connects farmers selling produce, meat and dairy products and gives access to the general public. Joining a co-op will provide you with local fruits and veggies, supports your local farmers, gives you access to organically grown food and uses virtually zero packaging. Typically, you bring your own containers to carry your purchases.

Reusable containers

Many snack items bought in the store come in individual packages to use for travel, lunch boxes and portion control. This is very convenient, but uses nearly 10 times the amount of packaging. After buying your snack items in bulk, use reusable containers to separate them and send off in your lunch or your kids’ lunch boxes. Even juice boxes can be replaced by either making your own juice or buying juice in bulk and choosing a reusable kid’s water bottle to carry the juice wherever needed. You cannot go wrong with reusable containers.

Saving money, going green and reducing waste can all be accomplished by using a little innovation, creativity and determination. The snack food industry has hooked us into buying its convenient food products, but we can choose to go against the grain and start making smarter choices for our families. The next time you visit your grocery store, walk past the snack aisle and take control of the amount of waste in your home.