Tips for Grocery Shopping Sustainably

Let’s talk a little bit about shopping sustainably. I'm sure you've all seen labels at the grocery store that say "grass fed, pasture raised, organic" but what does that all really mean? And what should you be looking for when it comes to grocery shopping for meat, fish, dairy, and even produce?

Here's a basic guide to help you when you are shopping for these types of products:

Cage-free: This means that the birds are raised without cages. What this doesn’t say, however, is whether the birds were raised outdoors at pasture or if they were raised indoors in overcrowded conditions (cage-free unfortunately does not mean the animals were able to freely roam outdoors).

Pasture-raised: This indicates that the animal was raised on a pasture where it was able to eat grasses and other plants rather than being fattened on grain in a feedlot or barn (when shopping for eggs, this is what you want to look for - you can also tell pasture-raised eggs by the color of the yolks. They will be darker orange in color – that’s what you want!)

Grass-fed: This means the animals were fed grass – their natural diet – rather than grains. In addition to being more humane, grass-fed meat is leaner and lower in fat and calories than grain-fed meat. Look for grass-fed, grass-finished to ensure no byproducts were fed to the animals later in life.

Local: Food that is grown within 100 miles of where it’s being purchased. Local goods have a lower impact on the environment – look for local when you can!

Organic: All organic farms and products must meet the following guidelines:
- Abstain from application of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and sewage sludge for at least 3 years prior to certified organic
- Prohibit GMOs and irradiation
- Employ crop rotation, manure management and positive soil building
- Provide outdoor access and pasture roaming to all animals
- No use of antibiotics
- 100% organic feed to animals

Free-range: The label can be used as long as the producers allow the birds access to the outdoors. It does not necessarily mean that the products are cruelty-free or antibiotic-free, or that the animals spent the majority of their time outdoors

GMO free or non-GMO: Products can be labeled GMO-free if they are produced without being genetically engineered through the use of GMOs.

To summarize, the main things you want to look out for with your food are "pasture raised, organic, grass fed and non-GMO" These are the MOST important when shopping for groceries.