Surely you know all about the health benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, but were you aware that not all produce is equal in quality and safety? When you head to the grocery store and start piling a rainbow of healthy items in your cart, you may actually be doing more harm to your body than good.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some scary facts about store-bought produce that can help you make better purchases and choices, including shopping at a local farmers market to ensure your family benefits from the quality produce it deserves.
Avoiding Those Misters
The misting machines that spray water onto produce periodically, can damage your produce and your pocketbook.
As water accumulates on your produce, you’re actually paying more by weight. Also, that moisture can sometimes lead to wilting lettuce, mold growth, and illness if the misting system is contaminated.
Grocery Store Apples Might Be Older Than You Think
There’s something so fresh and crisp about an apple that is just picked. It’s crunchy, sweet, and delicious. Have you ever purchased a bag of apples from your grocery store and went home to find that they lacked flavor and didn’t seem all that fresh?
Those apples might be much older than you think. Controlled atmosphere storage is often used by farmers to regulate temperature, humidity, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide levels to make apples last longer.
If they aren’t yet needed by the stores, they won’t go to waste. Not to mention, plenty of chemicals are sprayed onto the outside of apples to keep them fresh. Organic produce from local Frisco farmers will provide you with fresh and amazing-tasting fruit (and vegetables). Our produce is always all treats, no tricks!
Compromising Organic Quality
While something in a grocery store may be labeled as organic in the produce department, those items may have been stored with other non-organic items. During this thoughtless storage solution, your produce may have also been exposed to chemical cleaning products that affect how organic you’re actually eating.
Making Use of Old Produce
You know those salads that you can pick up in the produce department that provide you with lettuce, veggies, and other toppings?
More often than not, these salads are made using old produce that’s about to get tossed in the garbage. While this may still be a fresh option, it’s not as fresh as you would like to think.
Rotation Affects Quality
A rotation process is used when a new product is introduced to your grocery store’s shelves. That means old produce is closest to you, and the new stuff is put in the back or underneath. An outdoor market is set up fresh each day or each week, always providing you with fresh items that are usually sold out by the end of the day. This makes way for new products without the air of ready-to-rot produce.
Skipping the Pre-Cut Options
Containers of pre-cut fruit and vegetables are convenient when you’re in a hurry, but this can affect the nutrient content of your produce as the food is exposed to light, oxygen, and heat.
Pre-cut produce also costs a lot more than something that needs to be prepared by you. Bacteria, like salmonella and E. coli, are also a concern with something that’s been cut and packaged somewhere else.
Eat Fresher This Fall at Frisco Fresh Market
If you’re looking for fresh, healthy, and delicious fruits and vegetables (in addition to other homemade items), you can visit Frisco Fresh Market this fall. Located right in the heart of Frisco, our farmer’s market provides access to some of the best produce and items from local vendors.