You can take a big sustainable step with your diet. But how can you be sure you are getting the right sustainable groceries? One idea is to let (online) supermarkets do the prep work for you. In this article, we share the finest addresses. Sustainable grocery shopping? This is the place to be!
Sustainable shopping is how you do it!
Wasting less food, eating vegetarian or even vegan more often, eating more seasonal local produce and buying from organic farmers as much as possible: sustainable grocery shopping sounds pretty logical and easy, but try telling the difference between an apple from South Holland or one from Chile when it comes down to it. If I have learned anything about more sustainable shopping: preferably buy from (web) shops where experts have already done the preliminary work for you. That will save you a lot of doubt and mis-buying. Want to know more about sustainable and cheap shopping? Then check out these tips!
Sustainable grocery shopping: the impact of packaging is minimal
Sustainable grocery shopping often evokes the association that the food must then be unpackaged or at least plastic-free. Of course, it makes a difference if you can take care to buy less disposable packaging, but at the end of the day, packaging is a minimal negative impact maker. In fact, it often even has something positive: it keeps food last longer. And of all the packaging out there, plastic is often not even a wrong choice. You can learn how that works here. Do you really want to take a sustainable step with grocery shopping? Then pay attention to where your food comes from!
Sustainable grocery shopping: readers' and followers' favourites
This list of sustainable shopping tips was compiled with the help of my followers on Instagram who always have superfine sustainable tips. Feel free to bookmark this page to grab the list later.
Courtweb: a complete organic supermarket, but online. This little address has a lot of fans and has been tipped to me very often.
Crisp is also a complete supermarket in app form. Their motto: ‘bang fresh and affordable food’. They deliver nationwide and anything you order before 10pm will be delivered the next day. This one is another favourite among followers (and with me personally).
Herenboeren is a special concept that needs some explanation. The idea for Herenboeren is simple: you get around two hundred people to put in an amount of money (of around 2,000 euros). With this, they will realise a farm. They look for twenty hectares of land and employ a farmer to run the farm. They divide the harvest yield among themselves. The members (i.e. you as the messenger) will also pay between seven and fourteen euros a week for the products they buy. You do not have to work on the farm yourself, but this is allowed and encouraged. Herenboeren is a growing citizens' movement that wants to show that the production of our daily food can be different, better and above all more sustainable.
More eco-friendly addresses
Pieter Pot for those who want to get started with a zero waste lifestyle. Groceries arrive at your home in borrowed glass jars. Is-ie empty, you return the jars with the next delivery. The jars are cleaned for reuse. Research shows that this is more sustainable than throwing away and recycling packaging. Besides, the weck pots also look good in any kitchen. Mascha from sustainablechoices.com enjoys shopping at Pieter Pot. She is very enthusiastic about the concept, but does point out that the deposit construction is quite pricey and therefore may not be for everyone. Want to know more? Then check out her entire review.
The Crate amounts to a membership to a sustainable box at your home. As with Boerschappen, you can choose a crate of your choice: from a complete meal box with recipes to a harvest crate with fresh, local fruit and vegetables.
Lokaloka is a website and app where you can find addresses for organic local produce. Away from the supermarket and back to personal contact; a feel for what you eat, less packaging, unsprayed and fresh food; promoting organic (nature-inclusive) farming, biodiversity, local economy and its beautiful products.
Cycling for my food is a site with a map with tips of roadside stalls, farms, nurseries, market stalls and small shopkeepers where you can buy food.
At Farmers and Neighbours you buy directly from the farmer and your food has travelled only 20 kilometres on average.
Sustainable shopping at Crisp.
Straightforward (from the farmer) is a beautiful sustainable delivery service for people living in South Holland and South-West Netherlands. You can order fruit and vegetables online from farmers in the region and it will be delivered to your doorstep, fresh as day. What I understand from the website is that you have both memberships and you can also order products separately (additionally).
Big Green Smile: an online drugstore with sustainable products.
Greenjump.nl: online eco, organic, fair department store with products for the whole family (also large baby section).
In Groningen, Friesland and part of Drenthe, you can order groceries online from local farmers and collect them at pick-up points via The Regional Farmer.
Farm boards: every week fruit and vegetables fresh from the Brabant countryside.
Picnic: your supermarket groceries delivered to your home with electric trolleys. I have become a big fan of Picnic myself, but have long doubted its sustainability, as followers warned me about the large amount of plastic bags. Those concerns proved unjustified when I read why they choose recyclable plastic bags.
Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon were also mentioned. With these convenient grocery delivery services, I did not immediately think of sustainability, but by looking at their website, I learn that they too source from local farmers and have implemented sustainability in their operations, such as carbon-neutral delivery.
Sustainable shopping for your drugstore items such as personal care products and cleaning products at Big Green Smile.
Nothing wrong with it: old-fashioned supermarket shopping
Do you like old-fashioned shopping in a supermarket eight a trolley? Then Ekoplaza is a very fine supermarket with a wide range of organic and seasonal home-grown products. It is doubly sustainable to save food from Ekoplaza via Too Good To Go, this also gives you instant savings. By the way, more and more supermarkets are opting for organic products and products that come from less far, such as Lidl no longer lets fruit and vegetables come by plane. And also Plus supermarket is working hard to make their range more sustainable. By looking closely at the origin of products, you can go a long way in a regular supermarket.
Sustainable and cheap: shopping at the market
At the market, you can often do your shopping perfectly and even pack free. If you go a bit late in the day, you can often get a nice discount too, because the market vendors want to get rid of their fresh food. If you are from the Amsterdam area, the organic Saturday market on Nieuwmarkt is a great tip. This market is nice to combine with a green city tour of the Red Light District. This market is also easily accessible by public transport.
Any more ideas for sustainable grocery shopping?
When I asked my followers on Instagram for their favourite places to do sustainable shopping, my inbox exploded. I received so many fun and original tips. I did my best to bundle them all together. Are you missing a great sustainable shopping tip in this article? Then be sure to let me know! Via the contact and follow buttons at the bottom of this page, you can get in touch with the editors.
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Are you sure your pans are safe and eco-friendly? PFAS-free pans: good for the environment and your health.
- Also sustainable: saving food at Foodello. See more here.
- Spice tips! The must-have spices that belong in every vegetarian and vegan kitchen.
- Choose fairer, choose Faitrade. But why? You can read about it in this article.
Photo credits: main image: Angela de Vlaming, other: thegreenlist.nl.
