Coupon trap

Oh, joy! I always look forward to the tons of ads and coupons in junk Tuesday mail. I've touched on the subject before, but it may be helpful to re-address it.

Don't be fooled by the glossy, colorful ads, and the endless coupons claiming to save you money. Ladies and gentleman, those sleek ads and coupons are marketing at it's finest. 

It's a trap, a set-up. No matter how they spin it: Buy one get one free. Two for three. Save .50 with card and coupon.  These boxed packaged so-called food items have very little when it comes to nutrients and are filled with not-so-good stuff. So, while these items may seem like a convenient, value they are not. 

Think about it: If it's been boxed and/or packaged it was likely made in a factory, traveled on a conveyor belt, and then shipped hundreds of miles to the store. If it's been boxed and/or packaged it's full of additives, preservatives, fillers, and other stuff to extend it's shelf life. If it's been boxed and/or packaged it's so-called food. It’s all convenient. It’s all nicely packaged. It’s all wrong.

Beware. The bigger the company (Nabisco, Frito-Lay, Coke, Pepsi, Quaker, etc.) the more suspect you should be of their products. These food giants have more advertising money than your local farmer and so they use it to entice you to buy their so-called boxed packaged food.

Reminder: Real food does not boast any claims. Real food: Fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, lean protein, nuts, and seeds may be on sale, but it's very unlikely that you will find coupons for these items. Real food speaks loud and clear for itself. Real food resides in the perimeter of the grocery store or better yet your garden, local CSA, or Farmers Market.

So, before you eagerly clip those coupons to save, please think twice.

Previous related posts:

Grocery Shopping No-Nos

Hey you there's no food in your grocery cart!

Fresh and far away

Crap

Outside the Box

Hey, you! There's no food in your grocery cart

I cringe when I'm grocery shopping and I peek in someone's cart to find an assortment of packaged so-called food - CRAP. The sad part is I'm almost certain the person is not aware that they aren't buying food. Sometimes I have a suspicion based on the selection of crappy items in the cart the shopper feels as if they are buying healthy items (e.g. Yoplait yogurt, Nutri-Grain waffles, diet soda - really). This so-called food was produced in mass quantities in a production warehouse. It can't be healthy or good for you. Please just take a minute. Pause. Think about it.

Food companies makes lots of claims about their products being healthy, but here's the truth of the matter -- most are not. This is advertisement at it's finest folks.  If you are buying mostly items that are packaged in a box or container, and can be purchased with coupons than you are more than likely not eating food. Coupons are just another form of advertising. Ingenious advertising. Oh and warehouse giants such as: Costco. Shake my head. Pharmacies, gas station convenient stores.  Oh my goodness.

Sorry, to burst your bubble. But, real food: Fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, lean protein, nuts, and seeds - don't boast any claims to be healthy or fat-free. Real food speaks for itself. Besides, farmers of real food don't have the advertising dollar to make such claims. You won't find coupons in the Sunday paper for real food and there is no buy one get one (BOGO) free deals on Kale.

So much to say about this HUGE subject. I'm running out of time this morning though. I promise we'll revisit it soon, real soon.

Mark your calendars!
Saturday, April 21st, 1-4 p.m.
Cascade Park Community Library
FRESH The Movie
After viewing the film we will discuss our thoughts...It's time to really start thinking and caring about our food and the environment.