by Glenda Bissex
There are many reasons, yet bulk purchases are languishing to the extent that we may lose this option. So please check out the bulk foods and let the staff know you value having them. Bags and a marker for writing PLU numbers are nearby or you can bring your own containers—just be sure to weigh them before filling.
Why buy bulk foods? Let me count the whys:
- Variety and choice. If everything in the bulk bins were in packages, they would never fit on our shelves—not 12 kinds of flour, including gluten-free; nor 14 kinds of tea; nor 8 kinds of nuts; nor 5 kinds of granola. The list goes on and on. Have you ever really looked at what’s in the bulk food department? I hadn’t until making this list, which doesn’t include the many, many herbs and spices. You can buy as large or small a quantity as you need—no waste. Which brings us to
- Saving money. Pound for pound, you’re paying less—sometimes a lot less—for bulk. It’s hard to make direct comparisons with packaged foods since the Co-op generally doesn’t carry a product in both forms. But with bulk, you’re not paying for packaging, which brings us to
- Saving the earth. Packaging materials, from production to disposal, consume resources and pollute ecosystems. Plastic is the worst, but paper packaging often leads to deforestation, and glass and metal need huge amounts of energy to produce and transport. Buying bulk foods, when you can, is one little way to spare the earth.