Food labels: 'Vibrant, juicy flavors' ... 'pure, sweet basil' ... 'intense, fruity'

The labels of Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, above, and Organic Quinoa from Peru, below, show the poetic side of Costco Wholesale.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- In cooking with some of the premium food items I buy at Costco Wholesale, I read the labels closely for information on their origin and how they are grown or raised.

Costco reserves the Kirkland Signature label for fresh, wild fish; Organic Quinoa, California Cabernet Sauvignon, Pesto made with 100% Italian basil and other items.

And besides listing salt and sodium content, some of the labels are almost poetic, as you'll see in a detailed post on The Sasson Report:

Check first for excessive salt and sugar,

 then enjoy the poetry of some food labels

An ethnic-food run for Mexican, Peruvian and Syrian specialties

An order of Fish Tacos at Taqueria Los Gueros on Main Avenue in the city of Passaic, above. Below, store-made Spinach & Cheese Pies, Mini Vegetable Pies, Fig & Walnut Roll and more at Fattal's in Paterson.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

This past Saturday, we went on an ethnic-food run to the cities of Passaic and Paterson for Mexican, Peruvian and Syrian specialties.

See The Sasson Report for all the details.

Enjoy.

$35 bowl of pasta, spicy Malaysian fish, Korean BBQ feast and more

Seafood Tom Yum Soup at Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine in Lodi.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I've been food shopping, preparing meals at home and eating out, and reporting all about it on my new blog, The Sasson Report.

Here are links to those reports:

Spicy Malaysian fish

Kinara in Tenafly, Fish Dock in Closter

Armenian takeout in Hackensack

Food tastes sweeter when on sale

$35 bowl of pasta, no charge for agita

Korean barbecue around a wood-charcoal fire

Hidden dangers of eating fast food

Sanducci's takeout, fish tacos and more

Explore other food posts at  The Sasson Report

'Do You Really Know What You're Eating?' has moved

I shop for good ingredients and prepare colorful and healthy meals.

Do You Really Know What You're Eating? has moved to The Sasson Report, which brings together commentary on print journalism, food shopping and restaurants, the movement to all-electric cars and other topics.

-- VICTOR E. SASSON

The Sasson Report has more Do You Really Know What You're Eating?

At the H Mart in Little Ferry last weekend,  I bought the biggest whiting I've ever seen -- more than 6 pounds -- for our Sunday dinner.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I'm working on a post about the stunning variety of fresh wild-caught seafood available in northern New Jersey.

From luxurious lobster to the humble whiting, great seafood is just another reason not to eat any of the low-quality meat and poultry sold in stores or served in restaurants.

When I finish, I'll be posting on The Sasson Report, which will include coverage of the news media, food shopping and restaurants, all-electric cars and other subjects.

Two ShopRites have the same owner, but are far different for shoppers

On Tuesday at the ShopRite in Englewood, five 1-liter bottles of Adirondack Seltzer (Original and flavored) were on sale for $2 during the Can Can Sale, above. But 12-can packages of the same seltzer, below, had a missing price sign and didn't appear to be part of the promotion, as they were at the Paramus ShopRite.

I stopped buying liter bottles of Adirondack Seltzer after I found they can lose their fizz even if unopened.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When I had an appointment in Englewood on Tuesday, I stopped at the ShopRite to take advantage of the second week of the 2017 Can Can Sale.

I not only found the store is one huge construction site, but that one of my favorite items -- 12-can packs of Adirondack Lemon Lime Seltzer -- weren't part of the promotion, as they are at the Paramus ShopRite I usually patronize.

But I bought a non-Can Can Sale item, a 3-pound bag of Organic Sweet Potatoes ($3.99), for 50 cents less than at Trader Joe's in Paramus.

ShopRites in Englewood, Paramus and Rochelle Park are owned and operated by Glass Gardens Inc., one of the 50 retailers in a cooperative that includes Wakefern Food Corp., the stores' merchandising and distribution arm.

Glass Gardens Inc. owns a total of 11 ShopRites, most of them in the Garden State.

ShopRites are considered the low-price leaders among supermarkets in New Jersey, but they only occasionally undercut Costco Wholesale, which offers far less selection. 

For example, at the Paramus ShopRite on Thursday, KIND fruit-and-nut snack bars were $1 each if you bought 10, compared to about $1.06 each for a box of 18 at Costco.

Organic Sweet Potatoes at the Englewood ShopRite are a better buy than at Trader Joe's in Paramus.

Season-brand Sardines in Pure Olive Oil are on sale at both the Englewood and Parmaus ShopRites for 99 cents a can with a store card. 

ShopRite's Luigi Vitelli-brand Organic Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy no longer holds a price advantage over Organic Whole Wheat Pastas sold by Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. At ShopRite, the price went up to $1.50 from $1.29 for a 1-pound package. 

At Whole Foods Market, 1-pound boxes of Organic Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy in a variety of shapes are $1.49 each. Whole wheat pastas, brown rice and quinoa contain heart-healthy whole grains.

I was tempted by this jar of Puttanesca Sauce, imported from Italy by ShopRite, until I saw that it contains added sugar. Trader Joe's sells a Puttanesca Sauce without added sugar for $2.99 (25 ounces), a dollar less than ShopRite's version.

A new aisle, complete with new refrigerated cases like the ones installed in the Paramus store, at the Englewood ShopRite. An employee said the Englewood expansion and renovation still is a year away from completion.

Part of the Englewood store's produce section.

Three new aisles at the ShopRite in Englewood opened about a month ago, above, but work continues, below.

Pearls-brand pitted California olives are a better buy during the Can Can Sale than ShopRite's own pitted black olives.

At ShopRite, Goya-brand Mango Nectar contains a maximum of 35% mango juice, plus added sugar, above and below.

Whole Foods Market carries Ceres-brand 100% Juice -- from pears and mangoes grown in South Africa -- without added sugar, and I was able to find a liter container on sale for $2.50 at the Closter Whole Foods.