Bulk is Green says bulk is good. . .
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- Source reduction
When is buying bulk a good thing?
Anytime you want to buy green, according to a new organization called Bulk is Green. Buying in bulk not only reduces packaging, it also saves money. With many foods you can save more than 20% when you buy in bulk. Herbs and spices can cost almost 50% less when bought in bulk. Bulk is Green advocates the availability of more food items in "large, in-store containers from which consumers serve the precise quantities they require." Carbon footprints are reduced across the board. Not only do consumers carry less home because they buy less packaging, but bulk foods transported to stores require little or no extraneous packaging, and "there is no transportation of packaging materials from the supplier to the food processor either." Packaged food does serve a purpose, says Bulk is Green, and the organization does not advocate doing away with portioned packaging. "People should realize that they have a choice," according to a spokesperson, and that all sorts of foods are now available in bulk—not just dried beans, rice, pasta and the like, but also items like olive oil, honey and spices.
Source: FoodNavigator-USA.com
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situation vs product
The statement, "buying in bulk is green" would be an ignorant statement. It seems to be one of those all or never statement that you try to avoid. Buying in bulk can be green depending on who the consumer and what the product is. When I lived with my parents it was at least a house of seven people. For a while we had my uncle and grandpa living with us as well. Other people were over constantly. In this situation you could buy almost anything in bulk because it would be consumed before it expired. Now that I live on my own, I can barely do any of the bulk purchasing my parents could do. If I bought two loaves of break packages together I can almost guarantee the second would go bad before I got to it. Of course anybody can buy honey in bulk; there is no risk of expiration.
There is also a risk of over consumption with bulk. If I open a yogurt, I'll eat the entire thing depending on how big it is of course, but that means a 4oz cup is almost the same as a 6oz to me. This risk is probably best seen with the smaller potato chip bags.
Bulk food requires some old-fashioned food preparation skills: freeze left overs, make jams from overripe fruit, cook creatively with left overs or cook ahead in bulk and freeze or refrigerate dishes for later use. You can save time as well as valuable food stuff :-) Carolyn
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