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This section contains:

- Facts about  supermarkets
- How to check food labels
- Nutritional Info guide
- 19 tips to shop economically

Facts about supermarkets

1. Recession time; consumers cut back on expenses such as eating out. That's when supermarkets get their own way and sell more than they used to before.

2. You're getting less for the same price. Everything seems to be shrinking, but not the family members.
To cope with higher food and fuel costs supermarkets and manufacturers shrink products, hoping that the consumer would not realize or find out, and they are able to sell you less food for the same price.

3. Supermarkets raise prices where you're least likely to notice.
Vigilant shoppers can easily notice changes in the price of food such as milk, cereal, bread, cheese and every day food. In fact, there are about 500 products that we buy frequently enough. But there are also about 45.000 items we do not regularly buy and we do have no idea of their cost; supermarkets can alter the prices of those products of 3-4 percent without consumers noticing, to make some margin back.

4. You can not always believe nutrition claims and labels. Nowadays people are more concerned with their health but nutrition labeling on most foods can be tough to decipher. Consumers can't fully trust manufacturers' nutrition labels or any ratings system based on that data even though the manufacturers take responsibility for providing accurate information.

5. Supermarkets encourage the consumption of unhealthy foods, such as heavily processed ready meals high in salt and sugar content. Supermarket practices include:
- the majority of promotions such as two-for-one offers being for ready meals and junk food
- snacks such as chocolate being offered at the checkout
- high salt content in own-brand foods
- misleading and complicated nutritional labeling and a lack of information about nutrition and healthy food choices
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How to Check Food Labels

Checking food labels is important to understanding what ingredients, nutrients and other substances you allow into your body when eating certain foods. Always check food labels thoroughly, including ingredients, calories, fat, fibre, sodium and the percentages of nutrients contained in the product.

1. Check the expiry of use by date. This tells you when the food is no longer safe (or tasty) to eat. Many foods can still be consumed within a few days past their expiration date, such as eggs and many processed foods.

2. Examine the list of ingredients. Ingredients are always listed in order, from the highest percentage to the lowest percentage contained in the product.

3. Inspect the label to see if the food is organic or where it has been produced. Organic foods are almost always a healthier choice, as they contain little or no pesticides or additives, although they are usually more expensive. But if a label reads that the food "contains organic ingredients" may mean that only a small percentage of the product is actually organic.

4. Note the nutritional information table, it must show the amount of each of the following in 100g or 100ml of the food: energy (in kJ and kcal), protein (in g), carbohydrate (in g), fat (in g), plus the amount of any nutrient for which a claim has been made.
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Nutritional Info guide

Manufacturers are required by law to give information on the nutritional breakdown of the food.

Energy: is the amount of energy that the food will give you when you eat it. It is measured either in calories (kcal) or joules (kJ).

Protein: is what the body needs to grow and repair itself. Protein-rich foods include meat, fish, milk and dairy foods, eggs, beans, lentils and nuts.

Carbohydrates: there are two types of carbohydrates that the body turns into energy, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are often listed on food labels as 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)'. This includes added sugars and the natural sugars found in fruit and milk. Complex carbohydrates are also called starchy foods. Starchy foods include bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes. Try to choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can. We should get most of our energy from complex carbohydrates (or starchy foods) rather than those containing sugar. If you are monitoring your sugar intake, when checking food labels note that ingredients such as lactose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose and even honey are just other names for sugar.

Fats: Some food labels break the figures down into these different types of fat: saturates, monounsaturates and polyunsaturates.
Saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels, which increases the chance of developing heart disease. Monounsaturates and polyunsaturates are both types of unsaturated fat. These don't raise blood cholesterol in the same way as saturated fats and provide us with the essential fatty acids that the body needs. It's more important to try to replace the saturated fat we eat with unsaturated fat.

Fibre: Fibre helps prevent constipation, piles and bowel problems. Good sources of fibre include some breakfast cereals, kidney beans, mixed unsalted nuts, wholemeal bread, baked beans, fruit and vegetables.

Salt: Sometimes food labels only give you a figure for sodium. If you know how much sodium is in a food, you can work out roughly the amount of salt it contains by multiplying the sodium level by 2.5. High amounts of sodium/salt can lead to conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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19 tips to shop economically

Planning ahead

1.    Plan out a weekly menu. Although this could be a daunting task, it is in fact the best way to ensure that your list is complete, and that you have enough to serve your family dinner for the week. Many people go once a week or every two weeks, but you need to find what is right for you. After you have decided how often you plan to go to the grocery store you can begin planning your meals.

2.    Keep a list on your fridge, and write things down immediately. Don’t wait until you run out, and when you do run out of something don’t leave it to your memory.

3.    Make a shopping list, before you leave for the shops. Go trough the weekly menu you have planned, check your cupboard, fridge and freezer to make sure you buy the ingredients you need. Once you are familiar with your local supermarket, you can go one step further and list the items you need in order of where they are on the aisles (you’ll be less likely to impulse buy). A weekly shop is much more economical than lots of little trips to shops but make sure you stick to your list.

4.    Compare products, prices and shops. If you are fortunate enough to have more than one supermarket in the vicinity, you will often find they are offering different savings on different foods at different times. MySupermarket is an online grocery price comparison website where you can check what the various UK supermarkets have on offer each week. Consider shopping at different supermarkets.

5.    Don’t go when you’re hungry. This is a common tip, but it’s true: when you’re hungry, you want to buy all kinds of junk. You’ll end up spending a lot more. Eat a good meal first, and you’ll be more likely to stick to your list.

6.    Go shopping during slow times. Whether is late at night or during working hours, always try and avoid peak times such as after 5 pm or near major holidays. The most important advice is do not get sidetracked! It is difficult to do, but essential if you want to stick to your budget.

At the supermarket

7.    Beware of Marketing Strategies. Beware of end-of-the-aisle dump bins, island displays, recipe related item placement and middle-shelf items (this is typically where higher priced and impulse products are placed). Just because an item has the word "SALE" on it, doesn't mean you are getting it for a lower than normal price. Know your prices. This is one way that a price book can help you.

8.    Using coupons. Only use coupons for items you would normally buy. Don’t let them trick you into buying something that’s not on your list, just to “save” money.

9.    Try the store brands. Brand names are often no better than generic, and you’re paying for all the advertising they do to have a brand name. Give the store brand a try, and often you won’t notice a difference. Especially if it’s an ingredient in a dish where you can’t taste the quality of that individual ingredient. Tip: if you’re not happy, always read the ingredients on the label and compare them with the ingredients on the equivalent branded product.

10.    Cut back on your “one-item” trips, trips to the corner supermarket or gas station. They waste gas, and almost inevitably, you buy more than that one item. Making a complete weekly shopping list would reduce the number of trips you make for a small number of items.

11.    Items on sale & bulk shopping. If it is an item you normally use, buy a bunch of them when on sale and you will save some money on the long run (eg. cans, bottles, non perishable products). But be sure that you’re going to use all of it before it gets bad — it isn’t cheaper to buy in bulk if you don’t use it.

12.    Avoid buying ready meals and processed foods. These cost way more and are usually much less nutritious than food prepared from scratch. Always remember, the cost of “preparing” food is added to the retail price whether it’s a ready meal, salad dressing or pre-grated cheese.

13.    Buy frozen veggies. While fresh veggies are a little better, frozen veggies are almost as good and better than nothing. And since you can keep them in the freezer, they rarely go bad.

After shopping

14.    Keep your receipts, then enter into a spreadsheet. This will be your price list. Use it so you know when bulk or sale items are a good deal. It’s also a great way to comparison shop between stores. The spreadsheet can also serve as a checklist to use when you’re compiling your shopping list.

15.    Pack your own lunch snacks. Buying pre-made snacks is convenient, but a big waste of money. Buy snacks in bulk or in bigger packets, it will take just a few minutes to pack some snacks in smaller portions for lunch each day.

16.    Make leftovers for lunch. Plan to cook a bit extra for each dinner, so that you’ll have leftovers for your lunch and for the kids’ lunches. Pack it right away, after dinner, so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning.

17.    Cook a lot, then freeze. A great idea is to use one Sunday and cook a week’s worth of dinners. Plan 5-6 freezable dinners and cook them all at once. You can use freezers to stock up on meat, frozen veggies, and similar food, and to freeze big batches of pasta, casseroles, and other dinners you prepare ahead of time.

18.    Cut back on your restaurant eating. It’s never cheaper or more nutritious than eating at home. Plan your dinners and bring your lunches to work and save lots of money.

19.    Get cloth/hard plastic grocery bags. You’ll help the environment and feel better about it too.
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