ALWAYS BUY FRESH FOOD
BUY fresh foods as much as you can.” This was the advise of Laisa McGoon who adds this usually means fruits and vegetables that are in season.
“When you shop for local produce from farmers at the market, you’re making a big difference in their lives and our economy,” she said.
“Locally grown food supports our economy. The money that is spent on local farmers and growers all stays close to home and reinvested with businesses and services in our community.”
Our shopper of the week is from Nacavanadi Village in Gau and has three children ages four, give and eight.
LAISA McGoon prefers to shop weekly with a budget of $50 on groceries and for fresh produce, she spends only $20 at the Suva Municipal Market.
The 32-year-old mostly shops for bread, flour, sugar, rice, eggs, milk, cereals and a few toiletries from her favourite supermarkets — NewWorld Supermarket and MaxVal-u Supermart.
“I usually shop for our baked goods from NewWorld Downtown, Yatu Lau Arcade in Suva because they’re always fresh,” she said.
“Other items are bought from MaxVal-u Supermart because they sell most of the items I need at home and they’re affordable. When it comes to shopping, I usually take my children with me because I believe it can be an educational trip for them. This sort of experience allows them to play different roles and test their reactions and responses to different situations.”
Mrs McGoon encourages shoppers to always carry a list before they shop.
“There are a lot of benefits of carrying a shopping list,” she said.
“A shopping list could prevent impulse buying and direct your focus on the stuff you really need. It also saves you time and energy, as well as make your brain sharper when it comes to shopping. By making a grocery list, you can avoid wasting food because you’ll have a realistic idea of what and how many food items to buy. It also helps you focus and makes you feel good.”
In light of the rise in non communicable diseases (NCDs) Mrs McGoon advices shoppers to stick to home grown food and stay away from processed food (food in packages). “NCDs are a huge problem in Fiji and our world,” she said. “Your own lifestyle habits play a huge role — the lack of exercise, eating big portions of foods and consuming too many sugary foods, white flour products and so on. So I would encourage shoppers to at least try and cut out all sugary drinks and stick to water.”
Our shopper of the week’s favourite foods are dhal with rice and rourou with cassava.