ShopRite makes you stoop for deals on 100% whole-wheat pasta

DeCecco 100% Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy is on sale this week at ShopRite in Englewood, but the boxes are only 13.25 ounces, not a full pound. They are displayed at eye level. A much better deal can be found on the bottom shelf -- 16-ounce bags of Luigi Vitelli-brand organic 100% whole-wheat pasta, also from Italy, for only $1.19, below. The better buy also is non-GMO.

The ShopRite in Paramus also displays this Luigi Vitelli-brand organic whole-wheat pasta on the bottom shelf. I've read that food companies pay supermarkets to place their products on higher shelves to better catch the attention of shoppers.

Editor's note: The best deals in the supermarket aren't always easy to find. Also today, I discuss ShopRite stores north of Trenton selling 100% grass-fed Australian beef at a hefty discount, only $5.99 a pound.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

ShopRite in Englewood and other supermarkets may be inadvertently discriminating against seniors by placing better buys on hard-to-reach bottom shelves.

That certainly seemed to be the case today at the Englewood ShopRite, where I stopped for a few items after running an errand.

I've switched to 100% whole-wheat pasta, which has more fiber and less carbs than conventional pasta, but the only real bargains in Englewood are on ShopRite's bottom shelf.

Displayed prominently at eye level were 13.25-ounce boxes of DeCecco 100% Whole Wheat Fusilli and Penne Rigate from Italy, on sale for $1.99.

Compare that to Trader Joe's and Whole Food Markets, both of which sell organic versions of 100% whole-wheat pasta for $1.39 for a full pound.

There is no indication on the DeCecco box that these pastas are non-GMO. But when made from organic whole wheat, the resulting pasta is non-GMO. 

ShopRite also has an organic version from Luigi Vitelli, but you'll have to stoop to pick up the 1-pound package from off of the bottom shelf, where it is on sale this week for $1.19 -- 80 cents less than non-organic in a smaller box.

Non-organic Gia Russa-brand 100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti is no bargain, when compared to organic versions sold for $1.39 at Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's

Smart Balance spreads are also on sale with the store card at the Englewood ShopRite this week, and all versions are non-GMO. For the lowest total fat and saturated fat, go for the 15-ounce Smart Balance Light with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, above center.

Beef from Australia

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Nature's Reserve 100% Grass Fed Whole Beef Tenderloin for Filet Mignon from Australia on sale for $8.99 a pound, and reported that ShopRite's deep discounts were no more.

But the ShopRite flier that came with the Sunday newspaper has the same beef on sale this week for only $5.99 a pound with the store card.

I plan to go to my Paramus ShopRite to take advantage of the rare deep discount.

Some critics are unclear on dangers of genetically modified food

Nature's Bakery Fig Bar, which I buy at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, is labeled "non-GMO," meaning none of the ingredients are genetically modified. But there are no laws in the United States to compel such labeling.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop is the latest official to declare that consumers have a right to know if the food they are eating contains genetically modified ingredients.

In a newspaper opinion column on Wednesday, Fulop discussed "an explosion of GMO foods on the shelves of our grocery stores" since they were first introduced in 1996.

"Inadequate testing of these genetically manipulated crops has left many consumers concerned about the safety of these foods.

"As of today," Fulop wrote, "GMO foods have still not been independently tested by the federal government for long-term impacts on human and environmental health and safety."

Local food

Fulop notes Jersey City is a major force in the local-food movement, "with seven farmers' markets running weekly this season."

He urges New Jersey legislators to join Connecticut and Maine, the first two states to pass laws mandating GMO labeling on all products on store shelves.

The catch: More populous states in the region must pass similar laws before their mandates go into effect, the mayor says.

But besides the lack of testing and labeling, Fulop doesn't get much more specific about the dangers of genetically modified organisms in our food.

Healthy eating

For that, consumers should turn to the Web site of the Institute for Responsible Technology, which says it is "the most comprehensive source of GMO health risk information" on the Internet.

Here's a link to the site:

Healthy eating starts with informed eating

The IRT Web site includes detailed information on the dangers of genetically modified organisms, non-GMO shopping and dining out guides, and other startling information.

GM crops

The site also lists the percentage of "commercialized GM crops" in the U.S., including:

Soy (94%), cotton (90%), canola (90%), sugar beets (95%), corn (88%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), zucchini and yellow squash (over 24,000 acres).

Olive oil is recommended for cooking to avoid soy, cotton and canola oils containing GMOs.

Go to the Web site of the Non-GMO Project to find a list of products without genetically modified organisms:

Choose Non-GMO

All food products labeled organic are also non-GMO. These Love Beets are grown in Europe and sold at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

A growing number of organic and non-organic products carry the label of the Non GMO Project. This one is on a bag of Tru Roots lentils from Costco.

House Foods Firm Tofu, a new item at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, isn't organic, but it is non-GMO, as you can see from the Non GMO Project Verified badge on the label to the right of the American flag, above.

Good and bad news at the Hackensack Costco Wholesale

Teterboro Landing will be an enormous new shopping center across the street from Teterboro Airport. A Costco Wholesale with a gas station and a Walmart will be the anchor stores. The Costco is scheduled to open in November 2015.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Costco Wholesale won't be closing its Hackensack warehouse store after a larger Costco with a gasoline station is completed about 3 miles away in Teterboro.

That's the good news. And the bad news?

Members who rely on the Hackensack store for wild-caught fish, organic and non-GMO groceries, clothing and other items no longer will be able to shop there.

The store, which opened in July 1994, is expected to be converted into a Costco business center exclusively for members who buy by the pallet, a store manager said on Monday.

The Teterboro Costco is scheduled to open in November 2015.

The walls of the Walmart store went up in about three weeks, a Teterboro police officer said.

The new Costco will go up in this area.

The main entrance to the shopping center will be via Teterboro Landing Drive, which is about a block from Route 46 and across the street from a busy business airport, below.

Costco v. Walmart

I plan to boycott the new Walmart in Teterboro -- because of its labor policies -- but will go into the store to see if it offers anything to compete with Costco Wholesale's Kirkland Signature store brand and its selection of organic, antibiotic-free and non-GMO food.

I appreciate a bargain as much as any shopper, but don't shop by price alone, which is the main appeal of Walmart.

I am not interested in the gas station the new Costco in Teterboro will have.

My Toyota Prius gets better mileage on Shell than it does on any other brand, including the low-price fuel sold at Wawa.

The Walmart in Teterboro will be 160,000 square feet and the Costco will be 156,000 square feet, compared to 122,000 square feet in Hackensack, according to press reports.

There should be enough room in Teterboro for a wine department offering Costco's Kirkland Signature label, and for wheel alignment, which is missing at the Hackensack Costco tire store. 

Two new items at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, above and below.

A large bottle of cabbage kimchi is a good value, but the label lists "beef bone extract" as one of the ingredients, below.

Missing items

Will a bigger Costco in Teterboro mean the store will not run out of items as much as the Hackensack Costco does?

In April 2013, I bought a 164-foot roll of Kirkland Signature Parchment Paper for $5.99, and when it finished, I could never find it again in Hackensack.

The "genuine vegetable parchment" eliminated the need to use aluminum foil when roasting fish, meat, poultry or salt-free almonds in the oven.

On Monday, I couldn't find any salted fish in the Hackensack warehouse store -- not the Canadian cod we had been buying or the Alaskan pollock we used as a substitute.

I also came up empty when I asked for a 3-pound bag of peeled garlic from the Christopher Ranch in California.

A manager said the store had run out of the refrigerated item, and that there may be a shortage.

I e-mailed the company, but haven't heard anything back, which is typical of Christopher Ranch.

   

Bagels are boring: Just go wild at breakfast

A delicious blend of brown, black and wild rices served with Chana Masala, chickpeas with Asian Indian spices, both available at Costco Wholesale.

Looking into an open 4-pound bag of Lundberg Wild Rice Blend reveals a colorful mixture: Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice and Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice. It's non-GMO, too, and the re-closable bag uses Velcro.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss two new-to-me items from Costco Wholesale, and my attempt to add body to Kirkland Signature's thin, watery Egg Whites.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Once, I was a big fan of those enormous North Jersey bagels, which I bought by the dozen, sliced and stored in the freezer.

Every morning, I'd toast my favorite Pumpernickle-Rye bagel, spread it with pesto and build a multi-layered sandwich with smoked wild salmon, cheese, spring mix and whatever else would fit.

The bagels -- from my favorite shop on Englewood's Palisade Avenue -- were twice the size and about half the price of the mediocre H&H bagel from Manhattan.

No-bread diet

If the bagels were big, I was bigger, and I soon downsized to a sliced health loaf from Zabar's that I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

Bagels and other forms of bread are no longer part of my diet, but brown rice is, and 100% whole grain Lundberg Wild Blend Rice is the ultimate brown rice and a great bread substitute.

Last week, I prepared 2 cups of the brown, black and wild rice blend in an electric cooker with a 15-ounce can of Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes and chicken broth.

I tried it for dinner first, then for breakfast the next day, and I can't think of a more flavorful rice.

Lundberg Wild Blend Rice reminds me of Korean 7 Grains without the beans and without the need to soak it for hours before you cook it.

Although the rice blend isn't organic, it is certified non-GMO. 

Click on the following link to the Organic Authority Web site for a discussion of GMOs:

 8 reasons GMOs are bad for you

Wild Blend Rice with wild salmon, peaches and tomatoes.

A refrigerated Sweet Potato Salad from Costco Wholesale can be eaten cold or hot.

A four-fish salad: Homemade canned-fish salad (yellowfin tuna, pink salmon and sardines); smoked wild salmon and Menino Brothers Sweet Potato Salad over Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, all from Costco.

 
Potato salad

A refrigerated Sweet Potato Salad I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack last week tastes like a keeper.

The ingredients: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Crunchy Jicama, Fresh Kale and Red Quinoa in a dressing of Rice Vinegar, Canola Oil, Sugar, Dijon Mustard and spices.

It is produced by Menino Bros. in Massachusetts, and carries a sell-by date.

I tried the salad right out of the fridge with my homemade canned-fish salad for breakfast over Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix.

It also tasted good plated and warmed briefly in a microwave.

Ideally, I'd tone down the taste of rice vinegar and let the sweetness of the diced potatoes come through.

The price is $6.99 for 1 pound 12 ounces.

A 3-Tomato Frittata with Pesto sounded like a good idea, but my attempt to add body and color to Kirkland Signature's thin, watery 100% Egg Whites failed.

A heavy hand

I thought I could add body and color to Kirkland Signature's watery Egg Whites by using another Kirkland Signature item, Organic Tomato Sauce.

So I combined half of a 15-ounce can of the thick sauce with about 8 ounces of Egg Whites, 3 whole brown organic eggs and a few ounces of grated Italian cheese.

I poured the mixture into a preheated 10-inch non-stick pan with oil, and added sun-dried and sliced beefsteak tomatoes, and homemade pesto.

When the mixture set, I moved the pan to the oven and continued cooking it under the broiler for about 10 minutes (low setting).

Right out of the oven, it fell apart: I used much too much tomato sauce. 

A 3-Tomato Frittata with Pesto tasted good, but had no body. Next time, I'll use 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce in the egg mixture or simply spoon it on top.