An article from NPR's The Salt asks:
Why Do We Have To Buy More Herbs Than Recipes Call For?
The author, Natalie Jacewicz, a 2016 graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz, says:
Every time a recipe calls for 1-2 tablespoons of freshly chopped sprigs, I head to a supermarket and reach for a plastic container holding at least three times as much as I need. A few days later, I'm standing by the trash can observing a moment of silence before I discard a plastic coffin of wasted, withered basil.
The story went on to complain about the size of bunches of herbs, the perception of waste and how some shoppers (especially younger shoppers) are skipping out on the item because they can't use it all before it goes bad.
Why can't shoppers just buy what they need? Why are grocery stores so greedy?
She talked to an herb grower who said grocery stores are the ones driving pack size.
“If you gave consumers exactly what they want for the recipe, it would be such a small package," he explains.”It wouldn't give the retailers the [dollars] they would want at the checkout."
Immediately, I was what my grandma would describe as “het up” with my “knickers in a twist.”
Grocery store operators are in the business to stay in business, and selling five cents' worth of thyme doesn't keep the lights on.
They have to have a certain economy of scale on these things.
I'd edit that previous statement to “dollars they NEED at checkout.”
Kathy Means, vice president of industry relations for the Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del., suggested that consumers open the lines of communication with their grocery operators about what package size and finding ways to buy only what they are going to use.
"Be in charge of your food," she told The Salt. "Just ask, 'Is there a way I can buy two stalks of celery?'"
And there is a way to buy less on a lot of items that consumers simply don't know about.
Want a cup of chopped celery or carrots? Check the salad bar. You're more likely to pay a little more by weight, but you'll be buying only what you need.
Speaking of buying only what you need, most consumers – especially new shoppers like Gen Y and Gen Z – don't know you don't have to buy the whole hand of bananas, whole bag of cherries or whole bag of grapes – if the item is sold by weight.
They simply aren't aware that you can dump out a pound of cherries or pack up your own bag. Sure, a retailer would rather they buy all 2.5 pounds so they can get the ring, but they'd rather not lose the sale entirely to someone who's afraid of a $12 ring.
And here's some evidence that could be affecting their shopping patterns. Our youngest age group, those ages 18-39 in The Packer's Fresh Trends 2017 were the least likely to buy bananas.
Only 67% of those shoppers said they bought bananas in the past 12 months, compared to 80% of other age groups.
Is it because of food waste? The Salt gave us the shocking stat of a pound of wasted bananas the amount of water used in a 42-minute shower. Talk about water guilt.
It could be a number of reasons, but we've got to find a way to meet each other in the middle:
Where consumers can buy what they can use, and hopefully be a repeat buyer, and where retailers get the ring they need to justify the shelf space.