Is your supermarket on of the country's 10 healthiest? Check this to find out!

[CTyankee]

http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100226646&imageindex=1

My own supermarket, Stop and Shop, here in CT did not make the cut. It is by far the most convenient for me but the next closest, Shaw's, isn't on the list either. My Trader Joe's is several miles away but, even tho it made the list, it is limited in what it has to offer. And even if we had a Whole Foods, which got rave reviews, close by (which we don't in my area)its prices would send our food budget into the stratesphere.

I just wish we could get one of the other top ranked stores to open up near my house...

[madinmaryland]

1. Given the way the economy is, I thought this was a reference to financial health.

People have to buy food, but I am sure they are cutting back (just as we are).

[jxnmsdemguy65]

16. Whole Foods is just another Wal Mart-ist predatory corporation....

Before you shop there, read this: http://thatotherpaper.com/austin/unconscionable_capitalism_how_whole_foods_values_policy_over_workers_well_being

[LeftyMom]

39. Definitely.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/dec/05/portland-chain-fights-whole-foods-subpoena/

[Sydnie]

2. Albertson's is Shaw's

It's owned by the same company they just operate under different names.

[CTyankee]

15. That's good to know. I like many of Shaw's products.

I have two of them relatively close to me. One is in a bad area and they have had shootings in their parking lot, making me less than enthusiastic about shopping there. The other one is a trip on the parkway but I may start going there anyway...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. I shop at a mom and pop grocery

They sell organic produce and organically raised meat as well as a wide variety of health food. To my mind, this makes them a healthy grocery store. They're also the oldest grocery in the little town where I work--and I can see why they've stayed in business--quality is very important to them.

[trotsky]

4. Kind of surprised to see Target rounding out the list.

Though their store brand DOES have lots of good products.

[supernova]

5. Harris Teeter is #3

Second only to Whole Paycheck and Safeway.

:thumbsup:

HT is a really good commercial grocery. I shop there when I don't have to go to WF. And they do label everything so you can tell at a glance what's in it without having to study the labeling in huge detail (though you really should if you have the time.).

I used to shop at Safeway when I lived in Maryland.

Nice list.

Anybody not live near any of these stores? Just wondering.

[libnnc]

10. I shop at HT

I love it. Friendly staff and great layout. And it's always spotless.

[GentryDixon]

44. I love their Bakery.

[baldguy]

6. It's not one of the 35 largest chains.

http://living.health.com/2008/10/19/wegmans-the-next-whole-foods/

[tabbycat31]

25. ditto

I go out of my way for Wegman's (Foodtown, Aldi's, and Shop Rite are closer) but I love the store.

[ThomWV]

7. What an aggravating article to try to read - 12 pages of links for 1 page of information

3 of them are in this area, we shop at all of them at one time or another. One of those listed "Food Lion" has what I consider to be the poorest selection and quality of fresh produce and meats of all the stores in this area. I have also shopped at their stores in other states and found them to be the same as our local stores when it comes to poor quality product. So I think the article may be about half full of shit.

[supernova]

8. Editor's Hat: I agree with you

That article could have been better organized. There were 12 pics and 10 stores. Would have been much better to write a short article all on one page, complete with the list of experts at the bottom, and then have a slide show of the 10 different stores.

[latebloomer]

13. Our local Pathmark is awful

Lousy produce selection, little or no organic products of any kind. Don't know which one they were looking at.

[JBear]

48. Food Lion runs hot and cold...

There are food kitties that are really good with the fresh stuff and there are food kitties that I would not put my big toe in. It really depends on the area you live in. When I first moved to NC, I had a food kitty right across the street and I would drive 15 miles into the city to hit a Harris Teeter. Where I am now, the food kitty is OK, but HT has put a new store just down the street. I still mainly shop at Costco though ;)

:bounce:

[crim son]

9. Hannaford is one of them. It's my favorite grocery store, right down the street.

Ours just underwent a transformation and now the organics selection is huge. I still don't think it compares favorably to any old grocery in the west, though.

[mnhtnbb]

11. I shop Harris Teeter and Whole Foods--both in top 3 markets.

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. Stop and Shop is over the top on pricing anyway

I've learned to avoid them whenever possible.

[distantearlywarning]

14. We spend 90% of our grocery money at

Whole Foods and Trader Joes.

We're one of those lucky families that lives within 2 miles of each! (And believe me, I'm grateful...)

[mainegreen]

17. Yes: Hannafords.

I knew it would make the list. It's a really smart and nimble food chain. It's fighting Shaws AND Whole Foods (plus wild oats for a while) and it appears to be doing quite well. Plus it sells more locally produced food than Whole Foods.

In fact Whole Foods sucks at selling local food.

[sweetpotato]

18. We only have Publix and Food Lion

In my city, which is the capital of the state, we only have Publix and Food Lion from that list. And the Food Lions here are dirty. They set up shop in in pre-existing stores and didn't change the fixtures or even clean. I refuse to go into a Food Lion because of the filthy factor.

[madinmaryland]

21. Our Food Lion is actually quite clean. It is also by far the cheapest and it

is only two blocks away!

[sweetpotato]

56. And you're in Maryland? I live in SC - apparently the worst southern state

if you ask around here. SC takes a lot of abuse AND we have dirty Food Lions.

Can't get a break.

[Mari333]

19. nope.

live in a town of 6000 people in michigan, ergo, no grocery stores near that offer anything more then the essentials. prices low, wages low, no jobs, cheapass groceries.

[PRETZEL]

20. There's really only 2 on that list that I can shop at,

one is called Genuardi's (owned by Safeway) and the other is Target.

The Target brands aren't that bad and are a pretty good deal. Some of the name brands are sometimes less also.

Genuardi's is a long standing local chain in my area. Ironically when Safeway purchased them business dropped dramatically. The mom and pop atmosphere at Genuardi's meant more to people than price and guality. Safeway ended up keeping the Genuardi's name but put the Safeway products in.

Me, personally, I like Giant more overall, but shop at Genuardi's also. Depends on what's on sale since these stores are usually less than a mile from each other.

But then again, there's a Wegman's coming..............................

[Ichingcarpenter]

22. We are gonna have a New Traders Joe right next to our Costco

Can it get any better than that? In the same parking lot within the month.

I can't stand Albertsons it costs more than Traders Joe on everything.

[Cleita]

45. Could it get better? No.

Albertsons is more expensive than Trader Joe's even with the money gimmicks so they don't get much of my business except for items I can't buy at Trader Joe's like kitty's favorite cat food. I can't buy bulk so I don't shop CostCo, but cheer those who can. Also, it's a twenty mile drive which kind of cancels any savings for me.

[Ganja Ninja]

23. What no Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets?

I didn't think they'd make it.

[musette_sf]

24. Raley's/Nob Hill (Northern California) did not make the cut

and they are my preferred market. meats are fairly good, you can find a butcher to cut you something special if you want, produce is very nice, good organic/health foods section, very good selection overall.

HATE Safeway. and they carry NO meat that is a higher grade than Select, which is third down the grade list. they call it "Safeway Select", which is supposed to make you think that it is specially selected, instead of the crappy grade that it actually is. at least Raley's sells Choice grade (second, after Prime).

HATE Albertson's. i just hate shopping there. most of the stores are way too big and offer very little selection compared to Raley's.

i never go to Whole Foods any more, their prepared foods are just not what they used to be, and i don't like to get my prepared foods from a potentially germ- and bacteria-laden self-service setup, which is what they have now in the store nearest me. i much preferred the deli setup where servers adhering to sanitation standards serve the portion for you. otherwise, just WAY too expensive for something that is just not so special any more.

and i do go to Trader Joe's, they often have better meat than Raley's. however, long-time favorites can be discontinued at a moment's notice, and the quality of some items has been off lately, in my observation.

and now that the gas prices are so low, you would think the 1/3 additional tariff that everything on the shelves at ALL markets seemed to have recently added to their prices would come down, but NO.

[LeftyMom]

26. As large chains go, Raleys is definitely my favorite.

I don't shop there much, since we have a really great co-op where I get most of my stuff, but if I'm just running to the store for a few things, they're my first choice. They have great produce, and a much bigger selection of healthy food than other mass market grocers. Also, their stores tend to be cleaner and better staffed than their competitors.

[Retrograde]

50. it seems to be limited to larger chains

Why no local stores - they still exist. I shop at Piazza (local Bay Area "chain" - if 2 or 3 stores count) for produce and fish and Andronico's (ditto) for meat and groceries. Whole Foods is ok for produce and fish - their prices are in line with other stores in town - but prepared stuff is way to expensive. I don't like the way Safeway smells: it reminds me of burnt sugar.

Lower prices because gas is cheaper? Commie!

[Blue_In_AK]

27. The only one of those we even have is Safeway

(knows as Carrs here). Our other major grocer is Fred Meyer, which I think is Kroger. We do have a large local health-food store, the Natural Pantry, and New Sagaya, which is largely ethnic, but has a fabulous produce section.

[LeftyMom]

29. I like Fred Meyer. I wish we had them here.

I think the southernmost one is in Chico, which is about 90 mins north of here.

[Blue_In_AK]

36. I prefer the Fred Meyer to the Safeway, too,

even though Safeway is a little closer to our house. The Carrs stores used to be a really great local chain, but they were bought out by Safeway several years ago and their quality declined considerably, in my opinion. It's kind of ironic that the local chain used to stock a lot of things that we can't get at Safeway now. They have gotten somewhat better in the intervening years, but they don't have the same customer-friendly attitude that they used to have.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

53. I liked Freddie's when I lived in Oregon

:-)

[Witchy_Dem]

34. We shop Freddies. Safeway prices are always too high.

Plus we've found that if we suggest Freddies carry anything they will work with us to supply it.

[sixmile]

28. Publix

Employee-owned. Nice and clean, but healthy?

[MadinMo]

30. None of these in Southwest Missouri ---

unless there is an Albertsons in Springfield. I think the only Albertsons (if there are ANY) would be in St Louis and Columbia. MAYBE in Kansas City.

We don't even have a SUPER Target.

[Vinca]

31. I always shop at Hannafords and I'm glad to see it on the list. nt

[Cleita]

32. I shop both at Trader Joe's and Albertsons. The rest of those markets don't

operate in my area. I shop at Trader Joe's mostly because it's also cheaper without all the "savings" gimmicks.

[diamond snow]

42. Trader Joe's is great for prepared items, but I am not aware why 'savings' means

Yeah, sometimes sales aren't what they are cracked up to be, but I just wish Trader Joe's had bulk items.

[Cleita]

43. The stores are too small.

Since I don't have the storage space for bulk items, it works well for me. I would suggest CostCo for bulk items. That's where my family shops for that stuff, but they buy their fresh food at Trader Joe's like me.

[Witchy_Dem]

33. I'm not looking for fear of not finding it on there. What I really want is a Wegmans!

Not that they are coming up here anytime soon.

I miss the one in Baltimore!

We shop at Fred Meyer when we're not in a CSA.

[JerseygirlCT]

35. I don't know... the Pathmark near where I grew up is SKANKY

and wasn't Food Lion the one they did the big expose about years ago, selling tainted meats?

Stop and Shop isn't great, but like you, I'm not willing to drive 25 minutes, deal with crazy parking, and pay through the nose and some to shop there. The selection is also quite limited.

[Ohio Joe]

38. Agreed about Pathmark

Granted it was 30 years ago the last time I was in a Pathmark in Jersey but they were disgusting. Good for them though if they have not only cleaned up but gone with healthier foods.

[LeftyMom]

37. When we had Albertsons here they were terrible.

Low quality food, not-very-clean stores, very long lines, almost no produce, overpriced for anything remotely healthy.

[RedCappedBandit]

40. No. If anybody knows of a healthy place in Oswego, NY

PM me!

[blue_onyx]

41. I don't shop at those stores much

I've been to Trader Joe's a few times. I mainly go grocery shopping at Kroger or Meijer.

[Odin2005]

46. None of them are here in Fargo.

Our grocery stores (besides Super Wal-Mart) are Hornbacher's, Cash-Wise Foods, and Sun-Mart.

I'd say Cash-Wise is the best of the 3. Then again, I've worked there so I know the place better then other stores. I love their deli.

[martymar64]

47. Rock and Roll Ralph's on Sunset - Hollywood

Not really that healthy but it's better than most single's bars for getting lucky.

[Witchy_Dem]

51. I used to shop there when I lived off Poinsettia!

[martymar64]

55. I used to live on Vista off Sunset

Just down the street from Guitar Center. I used to hang out at Toi on Sunset . . . a lot! I knew the owners back then (early 90's).

[Jazzgirl]

49. Whole Foods!

Yay!!

[lib2DaBone]

52. What happened to Winn-Dixie? They were big at one time?

[yy4me]

54. In my area within a reasonable ride, we have four stores, only

one on this list. I cannot afford Whole Foods. The others are Stop & shop, Shaw's, and Market Basket. MB is the least costly but they are all rapidly raising prices. When I saw Mayonnaise at $3.59 a bottle a couple of weeks ago, I almost fainted, Actually, I was angry. I can see no justification in that and it is only one example.

[LiberalEsto]

57. Of course our wretched Giant chain didn't make it

When I lived in New Jersey, I shopped at Pathmark, which always seemed to have a huge selection, good prices and nice produce.

We moved to Maryland about 20 years ago, and the predominant supermarket in our area is Giant, which, bluntly, sucks. Decaying produce and thawed frozen food are a frequent problem. The produce selection is terrible and the quality is generally poor. And back when we ate meat, every once in a while we'd bring home some pre-packaged item, open it and find that it had gone bad.

Safeway is our next largest chain, and frankly, I'm not impressed by the ones I've been in. It's overpriced.

Whole Foods is expensive as hell, although their produce is gorgeous. I usually get staples at Giant and go to Magruders, a small local chain, for produce.

[mondo joe]

58. I loathe Safeway. I shop at locally owned groceries, and augment with TJ's and farmer's

markets.