Market Comparison #1: Albertsons Los Feliz

This marks the start of an ongoing series exploring markets around (and out of) town. There is a wide variety of price and quality, and I want to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully, by making smarter choices myself, it will help you to make smarter choices, too.

So, let's start closest to my apartment- the Albertsons located on Hillhurst in Los Feliz. The store itself has recently undergone a top to bottom renovation. Overall, the look is much improved- lots of wood decor, and a much more open feel then it previously had. Still, it retains a low-budget look throughout many of the center aisles. Guess you can't dress a wolf in sheep's clothing, eh.

MEAT & POULTRY

Selection here is sparse, both in terms of quality and variety. Standard chicken is offered- breasts, wings, whole birds, etc., and a small selection of commercially raised turkey is on sale, too. Coastal Range Organics provide the only organic chicken choice, with breasts going for $8.69/lb. The company is certified by the Organic Tilth, which is a promising endorsement. Personally, I'd rather the chicken come from Southern CA, rather than OR & WA, but you can't have everything. Not bad.

I wish I could say 'not bad' for the rest of the meat selection. Sadly, all I can say is 'bad'. Pork choices are very limited, and nearly all are processed with solution for 'added tenderness'. I prefer my pork to be tender thanks to good breeding and mother nature, not thanks to commercial horrors and chemicals. Nothing organic or free range. Pass.

The beef selection is nearly as poor, with most of the sick looking cuts in the 'choice' and 'select' categories. They do have a 'steakhouse choice' selection, which looks a little better. I have no idea where the meat comes from or how it was raised. New York Strip goes for $11.99/lb. Also on offer is a tiny selection (ribeye and lamb) of Wild Harvest 'Natural'. The beef was clearly more marbled than the other ribeye cuts, and fed a better diet. Not great, but the best in the bunch. $12.99/lb.

Grade: D+. Albertsons has a long way to go in order to improve its meat & poultry. With the exception of the Coastal Range chicken, not much is worth buying here.

CEREAL

Happily, the store improves in the cereal aisle. We love our cereal in the U.S.A.! Albertsons celebrates that love by dedicating an entire aisle to the stuff. All the standards are here, as well as a fairly impressive array of whole grain options. Honey Nut Cheerios sells for $5.69, and Kashi Autumn Wheat (a favorite of mine!) for $4.49

Grade: A. Hits all the standards and show good promise in healthy choices. Kids and adults rejoice.

SPICES

Again, Albertsons does a decent job here. Just about any herb/spice can be found, with several varieties to choose from. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but a solid selection. There are some organic options on the shelf. Fair trade options were not to be found. Spice Island Garlic Powder is $6.99, and McCormick Gourmet Vanilla Beans are $12.99.

Grade: B. Check elsewhere for gourmet & fair trade choices. If you live nearby and need something, you'll have no problem.

DAIRY & EGGS

Since we're on a roll with good thoughts, let's start with the eggs. I was pretty surprised to find a good selection on cage free organic eggs. Four choices in fact! Not bad, Albertsons. For $4.49/dozen, you could do worse.

Of course, the reason I was surprised at the good egg selection was the sad state of affairs in the rest of the dairy case. Oh, poorness. There were three choices of organic milk- the very commercial & not very cow friendly Horizon, Wild Harvest, and Heritage. All three are ultra-pasteurized, and only the Heritage is local. Wild Harvest is cheapest at $3.99/half gallon.

Things get worse with the yogurt. The only 'organic' choice was a large jug of Horizon. After that, we were left with standard processed faire, containing more high fructose corn syrup than goodness.

Grade: Eggs- A / Dairy- C-. Happy with the egg selection. In fact, you'll probably only do better for freshness at a farmers' market. Dairy scores a bonus for having at least one locally produced organic milk, but looses points for ultra-pasteurization, and sugar-laden yogurt.

DELI

The deli here is standard supermarket. There is a decent variety of processed meats and pre-made rubbish on sale at the counter. In the case nearby, all the meats are very highly processed. Go to the counter if you have a craving. Cheese choices are poor. Very poor. A few varieties of smoked cheese grace the cold case, but don't expect much. One of the things I plan to compare in each segment was Parmigiano Reggiano. Can't do it here. They don't have it! There is a small, nice selection of pre-made sauces, like the organic pesto above, which sells for a pricey $6.99

Grade: C-. Standard stuff. Nothing special.

PRODUCE

I will admit full bias here. In the last year, I've purchased at least 85% of my produce from the farmers' market. There's no reason not to. I'll do my best to be generous.

Well, there is certainly bounty aplenty here. You can get just about anything you'd like. Most of it looks very 'standardized,' by which I mean grown for hardiness and generic look, rather then for quality of flavor. There is a small selection of locally grown, organic produce. It's limited to what's in season, plus, strangely, kiwis flown from New Zealand. I love kiwis, so I can't really complain. Ha. Peaches sell for $2.49/lb- comparable to those at the farmers' market, and only 50c more than conventional. Organic raspberries go for $3.99 per package. Everything in the produce section is well labeled and contains a little description. I like that.

Grade:C+. Pretty standard, but improving. I think this is really up to us. The more organics we buy, the better quality we ask for, the more they'll do to improve the selection.

BREAD

I'm getting angry just writing about it. Just don't buy sliced bread here. It's all crap. Crap crap crap. Crap in bad packaging, crap in packaging the makes it look like it's not crap, which in my opinion makes it even crappier. I think the crap crap crap we call 'bread' in America is a huge contributor to what makes us fat. Crap. It's disgusting. Read about it in an earlier post.

The one salvation is Milton's bread, which you can find at the far right end of the section, buried under crap. It contains good stuff, and at $4.39 per loaf, is the same price as everything else in the bread section. Confusing.

Grade: F- - - -.

OTHER OPTIONS

There is a nice organic aisle across from the produce section. Though limited in selection, you can do a pretty good job of grabbing some less processed choices of you need to run in quickly. Rice Dream is $2.29/32oz, Knudsen Just Blueberry is $9.29/32oz, Tea's Teas (yum!) at $2.25 for a small container, and most Naked Juices are $3.99.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Albertsons isn't bad, it's standard grocery store. If you work real hard and read a lot of labels, you can get a decent amount of food for a pretty good price. In a pinch, it's a fair option. However, you're not going to find anything high quality here. At best, you'll find 'good'. We should eat better.

Plus, this is assuming you're educated about food. For those that don't know, or don't care, there are just too many poor, processed choices available with better marketing displays for cheaper prices. That's where the problem lies. Are supermarkets will only improve as we work to improve them, or go to stores that are already on the right path, thus hurting the mega-mart's bottom line.

Final Grade: C