The other day I went through the grocery section of our Super Walmart for the first time in a long time, and let me tell you what – I could not believe what I saw! I tried shopping for real food at Walmart during our 100-day budget pledge back in 2010 and it honestly felt like a big waste of time. I found a grand total of three organic items, which did not make traversing through the football field size store (with two little kids in tow) feel worth it.
So, I was shocked to see all the changes they’ve made in recent years and thought it would be fun to share what real food you can buy there now (read: this post is not sponsored). Be sure to head on over there so you can stock up and don’t forget to tell your friends about it too (i.e. share this post) – we need to show Walmart these items are in demand!
Real Food at Walmart
What (Real Food) to Buy at Walmart
Rule Breakers
Don’t forget to vote with your dollars and tell your friends about this, too.
Easy Weeknight Spaghetti Bolognese
I hope you know that peanut butter contains rodent hair :/
Wow – US Walmart puts Canadian Walmart to shame with this list of options.
Walmart also carries Great Value organic dark/semi-sweet chips. They are 2.88 a bag. I don’t buy the Enjoy Life anymore.
We are just starting out Real Food journey and Wal-Mart is the main store I shop at. Mainly because there aren’t any health food stores near me, but also because I can order everything online and pick it up. I was so happy to see that a lot of the items I picked from my shopping trip are listed here. <3. I am trying out your 5 free meal plans. The whole wheat banana pancakes were a got this morning. They taste just like banana bread!
hit** not got. Sorry- autocorrect.
I’m sure I read something a few weeks back that Walmart was getting rid of that Wild Oats brand.
Why do you “hate to admit” that Walmart might be trying to meet customers needs on whole clean foods? Admit it and stop being judgmental of Walmart because it doesn’t fit your lifestyle. Walmart helped me survive 2008 when everyone raised prices and took advantage of people. Times were tough and I shopped there and even crossed state lines to get a break on taxes. When I go to Walmart I keep an open mind.
I love this in theory, but do you think we can trust the sourcing?
Probably as much as you can trust the ‘sourcing’ from anyplace else. If you didn’t grow it/kill it/clean it/make it, it’s a crap shoot. I have heard that because Walmart is so big, they can make demands of their suppliers and usually they comply. Don’t know if that is a positive or negative.
Do you mean because it’s “WalMart?” Why should that make a difference. If you have credible and documented reason to question, please share for those of us who shop there.
If we’re talking about the end product – food / food quality, there’s absolutely no reason to put down walmart. I think this blog tries to center around the end result – health/quality/price.
I think once some of our families’ basic needs are met and we’re feeling comfortable, we start talking about spending our hard earned dollars in a way that aligns with our personal / community values and political perspectives. What might sum up the controversy/comparison of Walmart with other food stores is this:
The controversy is around politics (where corporation execs spend their lobbying dollars) and business practices (means to the end). For example, we could compare the overall impact of a certain company with a long history of poor treatment of it’s employees and a record of undercutting and ultimately bankrupting small grocers, suppliers and growers with a company that creates living wage jobs with great benefits and sources from sustainable (maybe even local) sources.
My husband and I are temporarily working the winter at Wal-Mart to help compensate our travels starting in May and for the rest of the year. It was convenient for us to work there as we travel the country.
We are pleasantly surprised at the fresh food choices, as well as choices for other organic products which they are currently expanding. I did here that they are in the process of eliminating the Wild Oats brand as it wasn’t profitable, but are bringing in more products to compete with stores like Whole Foods. They are in the process of updating and remodeling a large portion of their stores nationwide. Expanding their grocery is part of the remodel.
I have to say I wasn’t a Wal-Mart advocate before working the temporary job, but we do like the food changes we are seeing.
I love the organic options that I can get at Walmart, most especially because it is where I primarily shop. However they have just announced plans to ditch the Wild Oats brand. It apparently is not making them any money. They are said to be planning to expand organic options for their Great Value brand… I’ve never seen any organic Great Value items. I really like the Wild Oats brand and I’m so disappointed at this turn of events.
Went food shopping today and my WalMart now has a tiny selection of canned Great Value organics.
Walmart has really evened the playing field for those on a budget. Honestly speaking their wild oats brand is pretty good, especially the bread that’s organic and free of HFC. They have really stepped up their game and are listening to how we are voting with our dollars. I had to recently nix Target in light of all their political stand with bathroom safety and found that my local Walmart and HEB is actually A LOT more reasonable when it comes to organic prices yay! Go Walmart!
I have had a lot of trouble finding any bread products including tortillas anywhere. I’m better off making my own. So far the recipes we’ve found here on 100days has been wonderful. I just need to get my plan accomplished in the mornings so that we have it by dinner time. Starting cooking for dinner time at 4 or 5 is no longer an option for this busy Momma. Also I’ve been using the whole wheat biscuits recipe to make flat bread sandwiches. Turns out great and it’s super fast. I just flatten them to 1/4 inch think and about 5 inches across. I cut them in half after they bake.
Love this! I closed all affiliation with Target for that reason as well so I’m trying to figure out where to go. Walmart it is ☺️
OMG if you are talking about what I think you are, get a life. Transgendered people are not targeting your little princess, they are too busy fighting off all the prejudice and judgment that comes their way each and every day. Thank for you alerting me to the fact that Target supports our LGBTQ brothers and sisters–you just gave me another reason to shop there.
Wow, Marisol. All I see here is, “IT’S ALL ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!” You don’t care about prejudice, you only care about yourself.
Has anyone tried that ground beef? How is it?
I didn’t like the organic (not grass fed) vacuum sealed ground beef from Costco. It comes from multiple countries and had an off taste. I’ve tried multiple batches of it to give it a fair shot. Sometimes it wasn’t as bad as other times but still not good enough to continue buying due to inconsistencies (I always buy the best date possible with at least several days away from the “use by date”). I actually like the non organic ground beef from Costco better (which doesn’t come vacuum sealed). I think the vacuum sealed organic grass-fed ground beef from Trader Joes isn’t bad and worth buying (the last time I checked, it was only from the USA and not multiple countries like the one from Costco).
P.S. I think that they should give a frozen option for those vacuum sealed meats – meaning that they should freeze them immediately after packing them and keep them frozen to maintain maximum freshness.
Grass Fed ground beef from Sprouts is excellent. Ground fresh daily and it goes on sale often. Invest in a vacuum pack machine and you can really save money.
I have tried it. It’s good! They also have Bison.
I honestly think it’s the gases they pump in to keep it fresh as long as possible rather than the meat going off.
I’ve tried vacuum packed meats from various stores and have never cared for it.
When I looked at the Trader Joes beef it said it was from China, Paraguay and New Zealand!
I live in Southeastern VA and I know my Wal-Mart doesn’t offer a lot of these products, so it varies by location. However, it is wonderful healthier options are becoming available and hopefully will make their way to other locations.
Unfortunately if you live in small town midwest, you have crappy walmart stores that only carry a few good items. I do LOVE LOVE LOVE the Wild Oats brand, and I have been on their site, read about their company and they are pretty awesome. I also find in the smaller walmart store that what I can buy organic, non-gmo today may not be available the next trip. Our produce offerings change constantly with the organics, I was actually told that they were getting rid of the organic section of produce, so far it is still there. I do shop walmart and buy most all of these brands, even if I have to go to larger stores. But I also found that my local Kroger (Fry’s in the west) has much better options, and shelf labels for organic are green, for Gluten Free they are purple. It makes shopping so much easier! The Simple brand at Kroger is very decently priced, if not organic it is at least 101 ingredients you dont need or want, and many are GMO free.
Where are these foods being produced from? Mexico,china,USA or where. Orgin can determine price. This is why we rarely visit our local walmart. Almost everything is imported. Our fry’s has a nutrition section with organic foods. They also have meats, dairy, and yes even baby food that is organic. There employees are treated quite well.
Wow. Nice to see the prices, too. It’s hard to guarantee the full integrity of products in organizations with such long supply chains, no? Do you have any concerns about the quality of the meat… The local lore around here is that Wal-Mart meat is lower quality than some other grocery chains. Take care.
Yes, it’s great for our budget but it comes with a price. Those low prices can be directly correlated to workers who are underpaid and treated unfairly. I refuse to support this ugly empire no matter what they sell.
I agree with Alison. I refuse to support Walmart or that very reason.
On the flip side- look at how many people have benefited by Walmart-jobs, goods manufactured, increased standard of living for some, and the ability for low income (and many middle income people) to buy goods that are more affordable so we can better afford gas and mortgages and other required bills. There’s usually PROS and CONS to issues.
I agree with you, Susan. We have a hard time financially and i honestly dont know what we’d do without our WalMart.
Its also created many jobs here in our small town and the pay is about the same as most other places here. If people want to make more money, they should go to college and pursue other work. Nobody forces these jobs on them.
What do you use Avocado Oil for?
Hi Diana. Avocado oil is great. It is very neutral in flavor, a really healthy fat, and you can use it for higher temp cooking without worrying about oxidation.
Thank you 100 days of Real food, this is good news!
I’d like to encourage people, as much as possible, to buy local whole foods and grow their own. We are so dependent on supermarkets for our food supply. How great would it be to make it a goal to become more self-sufficient? It would give us more control over food availability, improve health, give us a greater connection and appreciation for the earth and even save money! Not to mention the pride over homegrown, organic food. Any effort in this direction is great, even if it’s a window herb garden.
This is a great option but for those like myself who live in an apartment, the grocery store has to meet the need due to lack of space. You can only grow some many herbs on your porch…
I agree! I live in a condo, and as a single mom don’t have the time, resources, or space to grow my own food. I definitely agree though that local, homegrown food is the way to go if you’re able to do so!
I am all for organic items but are these items GMO free and labeled as such. Most everything comes from some items that has GMO so I am concerned that buying organic that is not GMO FREE!
Certified organic means that GMOs are prohibited from being used in that product.