If you’re looking to embrace a zero-waste lifestyle, depleting your use of food packaging is a smart place to start. It may seem like depleting your intake is an impossible task, but many local grocery stores offer un-packaged pantry staples in bulk to free you from all of the complex clutter.
And if sustainability alone isn’t enough to get you started, consider this money-saving strategy to help keep coins in your pocket. Bulk products require little packaging, processing, and labor, making them way cheaper than the average plastic-wrapped variety. And if you’re really looking to save, keep an eye out for discount-by-the-pound deals on your favorite pantry staples. So arm yourself with mason jars and a handful of reusable bags and head to these local grocers.
Honest Weight Food Co-op
Albany
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With nearly a thousand bulk products available for purchase, Honest Weight boasts one of the largest selections in the Northeast. Here, you’ll find everything from freshly ground peanut butter to avocado oil and brown rice pasta. And considering you have free reign to buy as much or as little as you need, you can take home anything from a tablespoon to a 10-pound tub of your desired ingredient.
Hawthorne Valley Farm Store
Ghent
You may already be familiar with Hawthorne Valley’s own range of dairy products, baked goods, and fermented foods, but the Columbia County farm is also churning out a hefty selection of dry bulk items within its on-site farm store. Peruse through 60 bins filled with beans, pasta, grains, nuts, herbs, and spices, all heavily sourced from organic, regional producers.
Sunflower Natural Foods Market
Woodstock, Rhinebeck
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The bulk selection at Sunflower is impressive, featuring not only your usual selection of dry goods, but also a variety of on-tap kombucha. And if you thought bulk buying here couldn’t get any better, every rounded-up purchase is matched and donated to a featured local charity of the month. And regardless of what you buy, the market’s four decades of success in the Hudson Valley prove that your purchase is sure to please.
Mother Earth’s Storehouse
Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Saugerties
Mother Earth’s three Hudson Valley locations make healthy living a little easier. Head to the bulk foods department for a hearty selection of grains, legumes, nuts, dried fruit, cereal, tea, and more to see why this stellar natural food source is a three-time Best of Hudson Valley winner.
High Falls Food Co-op
High Falls
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A local leader in natural foods for over 40 years, High Falls Food Co-op features an affordable bulk department, packed with varied selections of nuts, coffee, granola, pasta, rice and more. And though bulk items regularly go on sale, for added savings, be sure to become a yearly member to receive an added discount on your purchase at the register.
Nature’s Pantry
Fishkill, New Windsor
Marked by country of origin and nutritional content, several dozen bulk bins house everything from healthy grains and nuts to sinfully good snacks and candy. Looking to stock up? Nature’s Pantry offers a special discount to those making particularly large purchases of up to 50 pounds, giving you even more reason to spring for a sizable order of gummy bears.
