Hello eco-warriors!
I really wanted to try shopping zero-waste or low-waste at Nutrition Smart because I was highly intrigued by their mission to provide only natural and organic food. From their website it seemed like the store was bigger than other local to Miami sustainable stores, but also not a big chain like Whole Foods. So, let's jump right into my findings.
BULK SECTION
The main reason I visited the store was to try out its bulk section. I found it to be pretty big and definitely included all essentials. They do not have bulk pasta, which is a bummer for me because I love pasta. However, they do have any other type of grains, large variety of bulk snacks, and more.
On the website, they advertise that you can bring your own container. However, when I got to this location, there were no signs about that. I also didn't see a scale to weight my containers before using them. They only had plastic bags available for the bulk section. So, I ended up reusing the paper bags I've collected from previous trips to Whole Foods.
I was most surprised to see that they have a bulk section for natural and organic spices and herbs. And I'm not talking about just a few spices. I'm talking about a great variety of all kinds of spices.
PRODUCE
I love checking out the produce section at different stores and comparing options and prices. Overall, I found the prices for the produce section to be relatively cheap considering that all veggies and fruits are organic and most of them come package free.
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of package free produce I found. There was anything from herbs to seasonal produce.
They also sell some packaged produce, but it's definitely not as overwhelming as in other grocery stores.
REUSABLE CONTAINERS
I found a large section of salad dressings... all in glass containers. I was really happy about that because I have found some in other stores, but the options are usually very limited. I don't mind buying things in glass containers because I do reuse most of them and the rest I try to recycle.
Glass can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity.
Among other things I found in glass containers were a variety of spices and even some things that usually come in cans (such as chickpeas). The organic juices in glass bottles were also cheaper than in other stores.
NOT SO ZERO WASTE
Nutrition Smart is not a zero waste store. They do provide a mostly organic variety of food that comes in minimal or sustainable packaging. However, there are some items that still come in plastic. For example, they don't have a bakery and therefore all the bread comes pre-packaged.
As there was no pasta in the bulk section, I was really hoping that they would have some options that come just in cardboard boxes, but all boxes had a plastic window. This is still a relatively low waste option. They did have chickpeas pasta, which is my favorite.
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED...
Lastly, I definitely did not expect them to have a Kombucha on tap. Right next to it, they also had some zero waste essentials that you could purchase to start your zero waste journey.
Overall, I think that Nutrition Smart had a great variety of organic products that came in no or minimal packaging. They are definitely an alternative to Whole Foods, especially since there is not a single Whole Foods location in that area.
I was pleasantly surprised with my trip there and I think that it provides the choice for a more sustainable grocery shopping for this particular neighborhood.
Unfortunately, it will not become my go-to grocery store because it is pretty far from where I live. But, I may make the trip there again for some kombucha and one of their weekly health and nutrition seminars.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to Nutrition Smart and make sure to check it out if you're in the area.
Feel free to reach out with any other stores you want me to explore!
STORE INFORMATION
Nutrition Smart
16250 NW 57 Ave Miami Lakes, FL 33014
T: (786) 621-6006
Hours of Operations
Monday - Saturday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
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