Use Care when Shopping Discount Food Stores

Discount food stores are doing big business as shoppers try to stretch the food dollar in the current recession. But there are several reasons why the price shouldn't be the deciding factor of what goes into your shopping cart. Learn what other factors determine if you're really getting a bargain on a food item purchased at a discount food store.

Pull Dates and Expiration Dates

Often, discounted packaged foods are close to expiration dates or have exceeded pull-dates. That means the food may be edible with little or no difference in taste, but the nutritional content may be compromised. And with fewer days left before spoilage, the shelf-life at home wouldn't be long. I've decided it's not worth the potential waste of money or health to buy foods that are possibly rancid or deficient in nutrients. Now, I pay attention to the expiration date on a food package--more than a cheap price.

Non-English Labels

Another reason to use care when shopping discount food items is the label itself. Some food item labels are written in foreign language. Where I live, there is a large Hispanic population. Many canned goods, ones typically used in Mexican cuisine, are labeled in Spanish. Sometimes English accompanies the Spanish labels, and sometimes it doesn't. My Spanish from high school isn't all that good after so many years--so I wouldn't know sugar from garlic when listed as an ingredient. I want to be able to read the language on the label, not just look at a picture of what's inside.

Unhealthy Ingredients

A third reason to use care when shopping discount food stores is because the food selection may not be the best for healthy eating. When I shop discount food stores, rarely do I find whole-grain option of cereal, noodles, or rice. Most canned goods on the shelf are high in sodium, sugar, or high fructose corn syrup. Healthy eating options aren't readily available from what I see looking down the aisles. But highly processed foods are well-represented. I'd rather judge a food product by its ingredient list, than by its price.

Adulterated Packaging

A lot of dented cans and slashed boxes end up in discount food stores to be sold at bargain prices. When I do shop the discount food stores, I prefer to search for packaged and canned foods that aren't dented or marred. Sometimes the search requires moving the front cans or boxes out of the way. And if I'm not careful, I'll end up at home with a food item that's been exposed to the air, is covered in mold, or has been contaminated. I'd rather not take my chances with marred packaging, even though the price may be enticing.

Foreign Manufacturing

The final reason to use care when shopping at discount food stores has to do with what's printed on the bottom of the label--specifically, where the product is grown and manufactured. Many food items are packaged in foreign countries, not in the United States. Our nation's growers and packagers have quality standards that we have grown to count on. The same standards may or may not be established in other countries.

Additives and pesticides, manufacturing plant quality--who's monitoring these things? Are canned oysters from the other side of the world safe? How clean is the water in the canned asparagus that's grown and processed overseas? Just because something's offered at a ridiculously low price, doesn't guarantee quality standards of production.

I still shop my local discount food stores to search for good deals on food, but I don't let the price be the only influencing factor. The food label must be in English, the food must be moderately good for health, the expiration date must not have passed, the product packaging must be undamaged, and the food product must have been grown and manufactured in the United States. If a food item can't pass this litmus test, then it doesn't make it into my shopping cart.