Top 10 Eco-Friendly Grocery Shopping Tips

As more people become conscious of the impact of their choices on the environment, sustainable grocery shopping has gained tremendous importance.

In this article, we will guide you on how to make eco-friendly choices while navigating the aisles of your local grocery store. From reducing plastic waste to supporting local farmers, each tip is designed to empower you to make a positive difference through your shopping habits.

Reduce Food Waste with Smart Shopping & Storage Strategies

According to the USDA, approximately 30% to 40% of all food produced in the United States goes to waste. That’s billions of pounds of food – and billions of dollars’ worth of food – lost each year.

One of the best ways to be an eco-conscious grocery shopper is to avoid food waste. Strategies for avoiding food waste include:

• Create a shopping plan and buy only what you need
• Buy “ugly” produce (like misshapen apples) from grocery stores – it’s often available at discount rates and is perfectly fine to eat
• Store foods properly to reduce spoilage
• Look up uses for leftover food or scraps you were about to throw away – you can save onion peels and leftover garlic to make stock, for example

Buy Local & Organic Groceries

Buying local and organic groceries is one of the best ways to be an eco-friendly shopper. Look for the USDA Certified Organic label. Buy locally produced organic vegetables and fruits wherever possible.

When you buy foods that aren’t organic, you’re often buying from industrial agriculture operations. These corporations may prioritize profit over quality and the environment. They may use energy-intensive farming practices and spread synthetic fertilizers without worrying about environmental impact, for example.

Consider a Plant-Based Diet

Eliminating animal products from your diet can be one of the most impactful things you can do to help the environment. Many people try a plant-based diet and like it – and as you’ve surely noticed, the plant-based food industry is growing rapidly. Consider trying a plant-based diet to be an eco-conscious grocery shopper.

The modern livestock industry puts a strain on land and water systems. It has astonishing negative impacts on land usage, deforestation, water usage, water pollution, and air pollution while contributing significant amounts of additional methane, nitrous oxide and CO2 into the atmosphere.

Eating a vegan diet as much as possible can significantly reduce your environmental footprint. Even popular vegetarian-friendly foods like cheese, for example, generate surprisingly high greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing process.

Choose Grass-Fed Meat

If you want to eat meat, then choose better-quality meat, which is friendlier to the environment.

Grass-fed beef, for example, may be healthier for you than grain-fed.

A significant amount of the planet is suitable for animal grazing – but it’s not suitable for agriculture. We can use this land for grass-fed beef to reduce the environmental impact of livestock.

Ethical benefits aside, grass-fed beef is easier on the environment. Cows eat grass in their natural habitat instead of consuming cheap grains in factory farms.

Choose Other Free Range, Grass-Fed Options

Other free range, grass-fed options could reduce your environmental impact.

Free range eggs and dairy, for example, are more likely to be produced by farms practicing regenerative agriculture strategies.

Ideally, you’ll also choose local options. Local, free-range, grass-fed options can help reduce some environmental impacts caused by animal agriculture.

Bring Your Own Reusable Bags & Produce Bags

One of the easiest ways to be an eco-conscious shopper is to bring your own reusable grocery bag into the store.

You can also bring your own produce bags. Instead of using the grocery store’s plastic bags for each fruit or vegetable, you can use a reusable bag to reduce plastic waste.

Buy from Zero-Waste Grocery Stores

Some grocery stores specialize in zero waste or minimal waste shopping. These grocery stores may not use individual wrapping or plastic containers, for example.

Instead, you bring your own reusable container, shop from bulk bins, and limit the waste you create.

Buy Groceries in Bulk

Buying groceries in bulk is a surprisingly effective way to reduce your environmental impact.

Here’s how buying groceries in bulk reduces your environmental impact:

• Let’s say you plan to eat 12 lbs of rice in the next year.
• You could make 1 trip to the grocery store each month, driving to the grocery store, picking up 1 lb of rice, and carrying it home.
• Or, you could make a single trip to buy one 12 lbs bag of rice.
• You use less emissions driving to and from the grocery store. The delivery truck uses fewer emissions because it needs to make fewer trips. The people restocking the shelves can do so more efficiently.

As long as you have an effective food storage situation that limits food waste, you can buy groceries in bulk to be an eco-conscious grocery shopper.

Use ECOS Fruit + Veggie Wash

No matter where you buy your produce, it’s important to wash fruits and vegetables before you eat them. In fact, even the CDC recommends washing or scrubbing fruits and vegetables before consumption.

For a plant-powered clean without compromising on quality, use ECOS Fruit + Veggie Wash. Our plant-powered fruit and vegetable wash is ideal for soaking fruits and vegetables to remove debris.

Like other ECOS products, our ECOS Fruit + Veggie Wash is made without dyes, formaldehyde, phosphates, or phthalates. Instead, you get an effective clean with safer ingredients.

Final Word: Start with Small Steps to Become an Eco-Friendly Grocery Shopper

Implementing all of the tips above in a single grocery trip is daunting.

That’s why we recommend starting with small steps.

Add reusable bags to your car and remember to bring them into the store. Bring a shopping list with you and stick to it. Try Meatless Mondays or try altering family favorites with plant-based alternatives. Small steps turn into big changes over time – helping you grow into an eco-friendly grocery shopper while still enjoying the foods you love