It’s Only Five Cents More
At the grocery store the past month, a new product has appeared in the organic milk section. I generally buy Horizon Organic milk because it is the brand available where I shop. Horizon is like the mass-merchandiser of organic dairy products, but that is another discussion altogether.
A few weeks ago while getting a half gallon of the milk off the shelf for my kids, I noticed that there was a new version of the milk nestled in with the normal ones. This new version was in the same packaging, the same colors, in whole and 2%, but had a special decal on it that said it was fortified with DHA Omega-3. I’d read some about the benefits of DHA Omega-3 before, so it caught my eye. As I picked it up to look more closely at it, I noticed that the price of this new product was actually 5 cents more than the cost of the regular organic milk.
So I put it back. I didn’t put it back because I don’t think DHA Omega-3 would be worth an additional 5 cents per half gallon, that is also another discussion altogether. I put it back because it was mixed in to look identical but yet was 5 cents more. Not that 5 cents is a lot, and my budget can absorb it, but I was just turned off by the idea that it was just mixed in with the other very similarly packaged products yet at a higher price point.
I generally buy 60-70 items in an average weekly shopping trip. If everything I bought was simply 5 cents more this week than they were last week, on top of the “normal” price inflation that occurs by the passage of time, I would add between $3-$3.50 to my grocery bill per week. Over the course of the year, that would add $150-$180 to my grocery spending. Little things do indeed add up.
I’m still researching if I feel the milk additive might be beneficial to my children’s health and development, and if so, if milk is the best place to get it at this point or if they are already getting sufficient amounts from their normal diet. So I may change my mind about purchasing it in the future. But I’m still displeased with what I feel was rather sneaky product placement and pricing to encourage me to spend a little more without even noticing I was.
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March 19th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Being vegetarian Omega-3 is one thing we don’t get a lot of in our “normal” diet, so we by Smart Balance with added Omega-3. That being said about the additive.
As far as sneaky marketing and small additions to the price- nothing turns me off more. I guess the added benefits could warrant the extra nickel, but why did they make it all look the same?
It makes me feel like they think I am too stupid to notice- and I don’t want to be thought of as stupid!
March 19th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
The ingredients that you’re searching for can be found in flax seed (which could be sprinkled on oatmeal or mixed into waffles), and can be had for about $4.00 a bag and stored in the refrigerator for long enough that it could be used up [or you could get flax oil, but that’s more expensive]. They can also be found in fish oil, which can be purchased as supplements as well, or served up in… you guessed it: fish form.
Its great for your heart and mind, but you may already be getting it in sufficient forms elsewhere.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Ick on the sneaky marketing.
As Randy says, flaxseed is great. I eat a flaxseed muffin made with flaxseed meal for breakfast about three times a week. Does need cream cheese or jam on it, but very satisfying.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I’m grateful you pointed out the obvious, that it might only be five cents more, but if everything was five cents more, pretty soon that adds up to noticeable money.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:16 am
I just bought 2 gallons of the Omega-3 Horizon Milk for my kids, I had 4 try it free coupons from bzzagent, so I though, hey why not?
My kids liked it, it tasted no different and from what I have heard this is supposed to be really good for the younger ones- 2 and under whole milk drinkers.
if it was only a matter of 5 cents, I would most likely buy it regularly. However, it is $1.00 more per HALF gallon here….ugghhh. So, it’ll be back to the regular organic for us.
Take Care
LJ
March 20th, 2008 at 9:49 am
The DHA is an extra $.50 at the store I shop at…hm…
March 20th, 2008 at 11:13 am
It seems the DHA only being 5 cents more should have made me happy lol compared to some places!
i still think it was sneaky.
I am going to check out flaxseed… thanks!
March 20th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Flaxseed has omega-3 but does not have DHA. You can change omega-3 fats to DHA to a limited degree but the human body is not very efficient at it. So it is better to get the DHA preformed.
Fish is a good source but then you have to balance out the risk of mercury toxicity with the health benefit of the DHA. There are lists you can find online through some of the environmental activist groups that will tell you which fish are safer to eat. I can tell you that catfish is one, and a certain type of tuna is another (I can’t remember which right this minute). There’s also the point that fish are becoming seriously depleted.
There is a vegetarian source of DHA but it’s not what you would think–it’s seaweed! You can get sheets of nori at most Asian markets and some health food stores. (It will be cheaper in Asian markets.)
And finally there are supplement versions of DHA, but it really depends on your budget, and it’s a valid point that the nutrient *in* the food it comes from is going to work better than one in a capsule. But if you decide to go this route, the best fish oils are going to be the “purified” ones, and there are also vegetarian DHA supplements made from the aforementioned seaweed.
But yes, your kids need it, and you could use it, too. This is one of those nutrients in which Americans seem to be chronically deficient, and it’s vital for the brain development of children, as well as for good mental health in adults.
As for your experience, whoa. Could it have been a mistake, where a customer put the carton back in the wrong place, or did you see a bunch of the DHA milk cartons mixed in with the regular? I see the former happen all the time in grocery stores because someone is in a hurry and doesn’t seem to have the time to put something back in its proper place. I could just see them going, “Ew! Fish oil!” and changing their minds.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Its just good marketing done by the company in my opinion. But the issue is should they be adding things to organic milk and still calling it organic?
March 20th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Somewhat along those lines, the store I shop at has regular frozen orange juice and then frozen orange juice with calcium, the later being at least fifty cents more. They are right next to each other on the shelf and the packaging is nearly identical. On more than one occasion I’ve picked up the more expensive one accidently, usually after trying really hard to make sure I grab the right one.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
If you don’t care about truly “organic” milk, you might give Braum’s a try (if they’re in your area). I spent a fortune buying organic milk for my four kids until a friend mentioned that Braum’s ice cream stores sell milk that is rBGH and antibiotic free. My kids love the taste, and it’s only about $3.80 a gallon, which is way cheaper than what Horizon goes for in our neck of the woods.
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
If it has had some chemical added, then it isn’t organic in my opinion. These big companies have bought their way into being able to call anything organic that they want.