Buying ingredients from the bulk foods aisle is a smart way to save money, reduce packaging waste, and get the right amounts for your needs. It inspires creative cooking with whole foods, helping you achieve goals related to healthy eating, sustainability, and cost savings.

Buying Organic staples from the bulk food aisle is GOOD FOR YOU AND THE PLANET for several reasons:

1. Health – Shopping in bulk promotes healthy meal planning and encourages cooking at home. The result is you feel better and save money. Consuming whole, unprocessed, or minimally processed foods supports your overall health and well-being.
2. Saves Money – Buying only what you need helps reduce food waste and generally costs less per unit than packaged foods. In the United States, an estimated 30-40% of the food supply is wasted, resulting in significant economic and environmental impacts.
3. Reduces Packaging Waste – Bulk shopping minimizes disposable packaging. Many grocery stores allow you to use clean, reusable containers, cutting down on single-use plastics. Cooking at home improves the situation so dramatically, that one study on ocean litter found that 44% of 12 million pieces of plastic collected were linked to take-out food products.
4. Supports Local and Organic Growers and Producers – At Hummingbird Wholesale, we foster long-term relationships with small organic farmers in the Pacific Northwest, supporting the local economy. We clearly label where our products come from for transparency.
5. Fresh Ingredients – Bulk bins typically have a high turnover, ensuring fresher products compared to packaged items. You can visually inspect the quality, resulting in foods that taste better, are more nutritious and cook more consistently.

Photo top: Re-Up, in Oakland, California, provides bulk Organic groceries with a mission to create a better grocery system, where waste is minimized, products are responsibly sourced, and consumers are informed about environmental and social issues. It's beautiful!

Getting Started in the Bulk Bins

Step 1   BRING IN YOUR CLEAN CONTAINERS
Grab one of the provided bags, or better yet, bring your clean containers. Using a scale in the bulk department, tare your empty container so that you know how much it weighs. Using a marker, write the weight of the container on its lid, the container weight will be subtracted from the total at checkout.

Step 2   FILL AND LABEL YOUR CONTAINERS
Fill your container with the item you want, or get just what you need. You can weigh your bulk purchase to make sure you’re getting the right amount. Write down the number you see on the bin, the PLU number, on a provided twist tie or label, and affix it to your bag or container.

Step 3   CHECKOUT & STORE PROPERLY
Checkout! It’s really that simple. The cashier will use their scale and get the price of the item with the PLU, subtract the container’s weight, and ring it up with the rest of your groceries. Once home, consider the container, the food, and its shelf life, and plan to store it smartly so you don’t let it go bad in your pantry. Learn more about Shelf Life in this post.

Footnotes:
See more facts and stats about food waste.
https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/