As you know, the price of fruits and vegetables changes from time to time. But do you now why? It’s got a lot to do with the weather. Rain, winds, ground frost, and drought directly affect the quality and quantity of the produce being harvested, and, ultimately, the price. So, if Mexico has a severe drought, prices go up to cover the losses as a result. Other factors include the season, offers from the competition, where the produce originates, and the type of crop (organic or traditional).
The added value of fruits and vegetables
Unlike products that are processed in factories (such as candies, cookies, and ice cream), producing fresh fruits and vegetables takes plenty of good old-fashioned hard work. Working with perishable and fragile food items requires painstaking follow-up by farmers and is a true labour of love.
How to save even more
- Buy whole items, rather peeled and sliced ones
- Check out flyers to find what’s on special
- Buy frozen fruits and vegetables: nutritious, value priced, and 100% edible
- Some supermarkets offer ‘imperfect/ugly’ fruits and vegetables at reduced prices: they may be less beautiful, but they’re just as nutritious and tasty as the ‘perfect’ ones
What really costs a lot is throwing stuff out
We each waste about $400 worth of food a year. And it’s mainly fruits and vegetables that end up in the garbage. Peeling less of your food and trying to use all the edible parts could make a big difference.
- Collect your onion and potato peels, and your celery and carrot bits in a re-sealable bag and put it in the freezer, and when the bag is full make a hearty homemade broth
- Keep those celery leaves and add them to smoothies, salads, and soups
- Add your broccoli stalks to your stir-fries or enjoy them with a dip
10 servings of fruits and vegetables for just $5.38
Contrary to popular belief, fruits and vegetables are not expensive. To prove it, here’s a healthy menu of 10 servings of fruits and vegetables for just $5.38. That’s less than you’ll pay for a single chai soy latte at Starbucks! So, stop thinking fruits and vegetables are expensive and start enjoying them more.
|
Cost per serving |
Number of servings of fruits and vegetables |
||
|
Breakfast |
Toasts with almond butter 2 clementines Café au lait |
Clementines : 0.81 $ |
1 |
|
Morning snack |
60 ml of raspberries 60 ml of strawberries Yogurt |
Raspberries: 0.52 $ Strawberries: 0.28 $ |
1 |
|
Lunch : |
Spinach, chicken, and feta salad 50 ml of spinach 125 ml of grated carrots 125 ml of fresh tomatoes
1 medium apple |
Spinach : 0.46 $ Carrots: 0.14 $ Tomatoes : 0.49 $
Apple: 0.56 $ |
4 |
|
Afternoon snack |
Almonds + 20 fresh red grapes |
Fresh grapes : 0.65 $ |
1 |
|
Dinner |
Filet of salmon Brown rice Sautéed vegetables : 125 ml of zucchini 125 ml of cauliflower 125 ml of mushrooms |
Zucchini : 0.65 $ Cauliflower: 0.30 $ Muchrooms : 0.52 $ |
3 |
|
Total : |
5.38$ |
10 |
|
Prices taken from preliminary results of an economic impact study of the fruit and vegetable industry in Quebec commissioned by the QPMA and on iga.net (accessed September 7, 2017)
