How to choose natural products: Tips on managing supermarket chain

How to choose the most delicious fruits and vegetables

1. In Europe, on the shelves separate place is occupied by seasonal fruits and vegetables. In Russia, such products have not yet decided to allocate special. Think, now growing in your climate. On price lists can be found confirmation: usually in the names of seasonal vegetables meet the word "young", "fresh crop", "fresh".

2. Not subject to greenhouse vegetables and season fruits - they can be bought all year round.

3. When buying better to choose a package with access of air, for example perforated.

How to choose fresh meat and fish

1. Remember, these products require a delicate relationship, especially in terms of temperature. At a temperature of 0 to 4 degrees, they are stored in all 24 hours.

2. To help buyer and seller come to modern technology - vacuum packaging or packaging in a modified atmosphere. Vacuum eliminates contact of the product with a major source of oxidation - air. Such packaging can extend its shelf life

20 days. Despite the intimidating name, packaging into a gaseous medium - a closed bag or tray in which the air is replaced with a mixture of inert gases. Such a method will help keep food fresh up to 5 days. Both packages have one feature: immediately after opening can be blurred strange smell, which will erode in a few minutes.

3. If you take a fresh unpacked meat or fish, Check with the seller if the product thawed. When defrosting destroyed its structure, and such a product does not give you gastronomic pleasure.

4. For frozen products I advise you look closely. Firstly, often fresh meat or fish on the last day of shelf life frozen in order to store not carrying a loss. Secondly, the freezing mode is difficult to maintain, and in transit, and in storage. A non-compliance affects the taste and preservation of nutrients.

How to choose a natural dairy products

1. Pay attention to the storage temperature. For optimum storage of natural dairy products recommended temperature of from +2 to +4 degrees.

2. The most important characteristic is a natural dairy products shelf life. For milk, fresh cheese and cottage cheese, for example, it is about 5 days.

3. Longer shelf life is possible in two cases: when the product is added preservatives or when he underwent a deep heat treatment. For milk, there are two technologies: sterilization and pasteurisation are carried out at different temperatures - 110 and 60 degrees respectively. Higher processing temperatures allow to increase the shelf life, but reduce the amount of nutrients.

4. The words "standardized milk" within the means that the milk has been reduced to one indicator of fat. A "reconstituted milk" - this is a mixture of powdered milk and water.

5. Pay attention to the additives. Producer of dairy products, is not likely to grow very pistachios, which adds to the cheese, and produces jam, which adds to the yogurt. Additives are universal and do not add natural products.

How to read a composition

The basic rule - the fewer words the better. If you see a long list of ingredients, it means that this product can not be fully attributed to the natural. Also note that the ingredients listed in the composition in descending order.

If there is a part of preservatives, it should be noted that often in appalling "E-shkami" hiding the usual substance - salt, ascorbic acid.

How does the place of production on freshness

Look how far away from you promoted the product. For example, when it comes to fresh berries, their shelf life is about 7-10 days. In the best case for 1-2 days is spent on collecting, packing, preparing the party for shipment from the manufacturer, even 1-2 days - transportation. All the major networks use a system of central warehouse, and it adds a couple of days to the way of goods to the store shelf.

Under such conditions, leaving only fresh products of local manufacturers. In other cases, they have to be processed to preserve freshness.

How to choose between kraft paper and package

Products in kraft paper allude to its natural and healthy. In reality the product in paper packaging has no special advantages. The only case where it plays a role - the purchase of bread. Plastic prevents air circulation, and bread immediately becomes less crisp and more humid.

What do the markings

Often products are labeled "Eco", "natural product", "farm products". In Russia there are no standards for the application of these markings! All these marketing moves, not backed up by regulations.

Note "No GMO" has no meaning on the label. Russia has a law banning GMOSo that domestic products with GMO on the market is not there. According to official data, the share of vvezonnyh from abroad genetically modified products was only 0.08% in 2015.

With regard to labeling "bio", then it can only be used for dairy products with the addition of milk organisms. On other products it does not carry the semantic load.

How to choose between GOST and TU

Traditionally GOST considered a guarantee of quality. But Standard requires strict production technology and just does not rule out (or in some cases directly implies) the use of chemical additives.

The advantage of the product made according to GOST, that is specified on the label full composition, with no marketing gimmicks.

Manufacturing specifications - W - may be more natural, but it is not excluded, and deceit producer with or, conversely, silencing, ingredients contained in product.

How to ensure product safety

The main advantage of a supermarket, compared with agricultural markets, farm or buying a "grandmother" - strict control of Rospotrebnadzor.

For meat products now using the system "Mercury", which makes clear the path of each piece of meat. For chain stores fines and loss of reputation risk substantially outweighs the benefit from the sale of products without documents or work without sanitary books.

Each product gets on the shelf supplier provides Declaration of Conformity regulations or a certificate of conformity with technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union. Supermarket employees necessarily receive such documents from the supplier and must give them to you on demand.

How to choose products for children

Products with the words "Baby" and "Baby" in the names and cartoon characters on the packaging very much. But often they do not have any relation to quality products for children. A safe and healthy products for children to write a short "For the baby food." Only this phrase confirms that you are buying a harmless children's cottage cheese, a bottle of water or sausage. Quality guaranteed by the federal law on the safety of baby foods.

For cartoon characters on the packaging may be lurking products, which are added and dyes, and phosphates, and sodium glutamate. This is especially dangerous for children who are prone to food allergies.

---

I hope that my tips will help you make the right choice. I wish you good shopping and efficiently spent time and money!

see also

• How to choose a delicious wine and not to overpay →
• How to choose a good chocolate →
• How to choose canned →