Fwd: [SoFlaVegans] 10 Things Your Grocery Store Doesn't Want You to Know

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10 Things Your Grocery Store Doesn't Want You to Know

By Sally Wadyka

for MSN Health & Fitness

 

http://health.msn.com/print.aspx?cp-documentid=100165289 & page=0

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/17/10-things-your-grocery-store-doesn-t-want-you-to-know.aspx

 

Grocery shopping seems like a harmless enough

activity. It’s a chore, but it’s one that most of us

do at least once a week, without giving much thought

to what’s going on behind the scenes at the

supermarket.

 

How we shop has become a science that’s studied

endlessly. “Market researchers have worked for years

to come up with ways to make sure shoppers see as many

products as possible, because the more they see, the

more they buy,” says Marion Nestle, author of What to

Eat: An Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and

Good Eating.

 

So to make yourself a smarter shopper, learn about the

top tricks and other secrets lurking at the

supermarket.

 

1. The shopping carts have cooties.

 

According to studies done on shopping carts, more than

60 percent of them are harboring coliform bacteria

(the sort more often associated with public toilet

seats). “These bacteria may be coming from raw foods

or from children who sit in the carts,” says Chuck

Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiologist at University of

Arizona. “Just think about the fact that a few minutes

ago, some kid’s bottom was where you are now putting

your broccoli.” According to studies done by Gerba and

his colleagues at University of Arizona, shopping

carts had more bacteria than other surfaces they

tested—even more than escalators, public phones and

public bathrooms. To avoid picking up nasty bacteria,

Gerba recommends using sanitizing wipes to clean off

cart handles and seats, and to wash your hands after

you finish shopping.

 

2. Dates are open to interpretation.

 

Except for baby formula and food, product expiration

dates are not required by Federal regulations (some

states, however, have their own rules requiring

product dating). Labels that give a “Best if Used By”

date are more of a suggestion than a safety issue—the

food will taste best if eaten by the date on the

label, but won’t necessarily be unsafe if eaten after

that. If a product is stamped with a “Sell-By” date,

that is how long the store should display it. Once you

bring it home, perishable products (like meats) should

be kept refrigerated and used within a few days. For

more detailed charts explaining the shelf life of

various products, go to USDA Food Safety and

Inspection Service.

 

3. Kid-friendly food is purposely placed within their

reach.

 

Anyone who shops with a child (or several) in tow has

to keep an eye out for products the kids grab and toss

into the cart. “I always tell parents never to bring a

kid to a store,” says Nestle. “The packages with the

cartoons on them are often placed on low shelves where

even toddlers can reach for them.” A trip down the

cereal aisle will confirm this. “Sugary cereals are at

kid’s eye level, while the healthier, all-bran options

are usually on the highest shelves,” says Tara Gidus,

R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic

Association. It’s the same situation at the cash

register, where candy and gum are strategically placed

to encourage impulse buys by adults and kids can

easily grab low-lying products.

 

4. They cut up food so they can charge more.

 

In the produce department there are luscious-looking

slices of pineapple and melon, veggies cut up and

ready for cooking or salads. At the meat counter,

chicken breasts and beef are cut into chunks and

marinated—ready for immediate grilling. There’s no

denying that these pre-cut foods can make life

incredibly easy. And nutritionists agree that if they

get people to eat more healthfully, there’s nothing

wrong with them. But realize that you’re also paying a

tremendous premium—sometimes up to twice as much as

uncut versions of the same food—just so you don’t have

to bother picking up a knife.

 

5. Good-for-you foods require bending and reaching.

 

Not surprisingly, grocery store eye candy (which

sometimes is actual candy)—those foods with enticing

come-ons and delectable photos on the packaging that

aren’t on your shopping list—are prominently placed to

encourage you to reach for them. Even in the pasta

aisle, you’ll find the most popular noodles (including

packaged mac and cheese) at eye level. Look up to the

highest or lowest shelves if you want to find

healthier whole wheat options.

 

6. End-of-aisle displays are there to distract you

from your mission.

 

“Food companies pay the stores to place their products

where they can be seen most easily—such as in a

display at the end of an aisle,” says Nestle. That

prime real estate is likely to hold high-profit items

or grouped items (such as marshmallows, chocolate bars

and graham crackers for s’mores) designed to inspire

impulse buys. And although sometimes those aisle-ends

are used to promote sale items, we will buy even when

there is no discount. “People are 30 percent more

likely to buy items on the end of the aisle versus in

the middle of the aisle—often because we think what’s

at the end is a better deal,” says Brian Wansink,

Ph.D., director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell

University and author of Mindless Eating.

 

7. Bargains aren’t always a bargain.

 

Who can resist an offer like “buy five, get one free,”

or “three for $1”? Apparently, very few people can.

“Any time you see numbers in a sign, you’re likely to

buy at least 30 percent more than you may have

purchased otherwise. “So if you go looking for soup

and the sign says “limit 12 per person,” chances are

you’ll purchase several more cans than you intended to

buy,” he says. And of course, if you buy more than you

need, it’s not necessarily a bargain. Or worse yet, it

could lead to over-indulging. “Mindless shopping leads

to mindless eating,” says Wansink. “Once the stuff is

in the house, you’ll eat it whether you really want it

or not.”

 

8. You’ll walk the store the way they want you to.

 

There’s nothing haphazard about the layout of your

grocery store. Sure, some of it is practical (like

refrigerated cases along the periphery or meat cases

in the back by the store’s loading dock), but some is

carefully calculated to help you part with more money.

Walk in the front doors and chances are you’re faced

immediately with hard-to-resist items (not on your

list) like fresh-cut flowers or just-baked loaves of

bread. Just try walking past them en route to a carton

of milk without tossing something extra into your

cart. In fact, research has shown that 60 percent to

70 percent of what ends up in our carts is unplanned.

 

9. The salad bar can make you sick.

 

Raw produce at the salad bar, pre-made salads at the

deli counter and other pre-cooked prepared foods all

have the potential for harboring harmful bacteria

(like E. coli, salmonella and Norovirus). “The biggest

contributors to unsafe food are foods that are held at

unsafe temperatures, handling of food by individuals

with poor hygiene, and refilling partially used

containers of perishable food with fresh food,” says

Michael Doyle, Ph.D., director of the Center for Food

Safety and Quality Enhancement at University of

Georgia. He recommends that consumers pay attention to

cleanliness, freshness (all prepared food should be

thrown out if not sold by the end of the day), and way

food is stored (cold foods need to be kept at 41

degrees or below; hot foods at greater than 135

degrees). As for those bulk bins of candy and trail

mix—while it might be a bit gross to think about

people reaching in and “sampling” the goods with their

dirty fingers, according to Doyle, the risk of

catching anything from them is very low. “Harmful

microbes are not likely to grow in bulk-bin foods

because most of those foods do not contain enough

moisture to support microbial growth,” he says.

 

10. They don’t always clean as often as they should.

 

Health inspectors routinely visit supermarkets to look

out for the red flags that may signal unsafe

conditions for your food. But you can do a little

snooping yourself. Flies in the produce or meat

departments could be depositing bacteria on raw food.

Roaches scurrying across the floor could also be

harboring dozens of different diseases. And of course,

check the shelves and products for dirt and grime—cans

that are covered in dust may be an indication that

they’ve sat around past their shelf life.

 

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