New report suggests massive increase in production and operating costs over past three years has left around 60 per cent of supply unprofitable
  • Kwakigra@beehaw.org
    18·
    1 year ago

    Fresh produce in the grocery store is a marketing gimmick. The reason it’s there in the front of the store is to look nice and give you the psychological cue that you have fufilled your obligation to buy healthy things and may now buy what’s in the aisles with less guilt. Similar to how grocery stores don’t profit on rotisserie chickens which you have to walk through the aisles to get to so you will usually end up buying more than the chicken. They may control costs by displaying what loses them the least money, but direct profit from the fresh produce isn’t why it’s there.

    Frozen is cheaper and healthier if we’re talking what to buy for nutrition. Fresh is really only fresh locally. Yes, it’s sad that fresh vegetables from your own locality can be unaffordable. The reason for that goes far deeper than the supply chain disruptions from the past few years.

        • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
          5·
          1 year ago

          I discovered the glory of freezing my excess food instead of letting it go bad and I’ve never gone back. Never again will I experience the heartbreak of an entire block of cheese going moldy. (Important: GRATE THE CHEESE BLOCK BEFORE YOU FREEZE IT)

            • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
              2·
              1 year ago

              Worse, I had to grate the cheeze while it was still frozen. If I thawed the entire block then I wouldn’t be able to refreeze it because foodsafe.

              • averyminya@beehaw.org
                1·
                1 year ago

                Sounds dangerous, reminds me of when my dad sliced himself open trying to get frozen garden burgers separated!

                What about thawing the grated cheese after its frozen?

                • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
                  2·
                  1 year ago

                  It’s better to grate the cheese before it’s frozen. That way you get the benefits of freezing without needing to grate a rock.

        • M. Orange@beehaw.org
          3·
          1 year ago

          … Damn. Never thought I’d have to choose between nutrition and texture. 😩

          Still, very good to know. Thanks!

          • PlantJam@beehaw.org
            1·
            1 year ago

            Fresh produce is completely raw, frozen is typically parboiled (very slightly cooked), and canned is completely cooked. Frozen is typically the best balance between freshness and convenience. The only veggies I buy fresh are things I’m going to eat raw, like broccoli for eating with dips.

          • Kwakigra@beehaw.org
            1·
            1 year ago

            That I don’t know other than sodium possibly being an issue. I learned this info a while ago but for this comment I grabbed the first link which featured a credentialed dietician. Since it was high in the search results and from the language used in the article it could very well be an industry advert. Hopefully the dietician didn’t risk their license by making a false claim in service of the industry.

            • HubertManne@kbin.social
              2·
              1 year ago

              I doubt any industry advert would make straight out false claims. Usually you just direct the covnersation and avoid negatives and overinflate positives. Salt is a good point. I know there is some low sodium but not sure if there is no sodium and I bet if there is it will be replace with another kind of salt.

      • Kwakigra@beehaw.org
        3·
        1 year ago

        I definitely prefer the texture of fresh-ish for certain dishes, and there are some which I only buy fresh for preference even though I’m aware of the healthier alternative. That last part is only to advocate for the kind of stuff that’s suited to a global supply chain for nutrition purposes as long as we have to deal with the system we have. Frozen can be convenient, like with soup or other dishes where the produce would be thoroughly cooked. I toss them right in from the freezer. Air Fryers can close the gap on a lot of dishes as well.

      • average650@beehaw.orgEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        I just have a stock of frozen, and then buy fresh when I plan to make a specific dish that’s worth the effort.

    • sculd@beehaw.org
      3·
      1 year ago

      I buy from locals doing organic farming.

      Less carbon footprint. Less pesticides. You can actually see who is doing the hard work.