A week's worth of groceries from around the world - really interesting pictures

[Itchyandscratchy]

Thought this was really interesting. My friend's going to use this in her geog lessons on food consumption.

Look at the difference between fresh & processed food.

[fuckitybollocks]

Thank it is brilliant. I will use it at work too :).

[BanjoPlayingTiger]

That is fascinating. It certainly shows how we overeat very effectively.

[TheNurseryCryme]

Interesting, but very heavily staged to show certain things.
Doesn't it also depend heavily on what type of midday meals are eaten - packed lunches, canteen food, eating as a family at home?
Also interesting to see how the food is arranged, the prominence of some items in some of the photos gives a very squewed image I think.

Or perhaps that's just the impression I get from viewing it on a mobile.

[Jojay]

Wow! What a contrast.

[Goldensunnydays81]

That is amazing! Struggled to see the fresh fruit and veg on the USA one which just looked rather scary!

[SavoyCabbage]

It is really interesting. I like the tidiness of the German shopping. What would you like to eat? I liked the India table I think.

[InMySpareTime]

Did seem quite stereotypical, but I suppose that's the point.
I was surprised how little water sustained the family from Chad, and how much beer the German family consumed.

[tilder]

That makes the UK look awful. Is the amount of packaging typical?

Quite humbling really.

[Jojay]

There's hardly any main meal type food in the UK pic, apart from the pizza

[TheNurseryCryme]

I love seeing things like this, but for me it looses its impact by trying to show too much. It is far too easy to look at the UK picture and think 'well, mine doesn't look anything like that, so all the images have issues'.

I would find it much better to compare the two extremes of rich and poor in the UK with the rich and poor of (insert other country).

[woollyjo]

I've just been looking at this with my 6 yr old DD. Lots od discussion about the amount of packaging, meat and vegetables.


I think I would like the Turkish table most

[GirlOutNumbered]

I want to live in Mexico!

although I have to say that shop is nothing like my weekly shop in the UK.

[Laquila]

That's a fascinating idea, although I guess really it's pretty impossible to compare like for like as there's just so much variation within one county (we eat nowhere near the amount of processed food that the UK family has there!)

[MrsSpagBol]

I like the Turkish and Indian tables!

[multitask]

I like the Turkish & Indian best :)

[sunnyshine]

That British picture is quite old. A lot of the product branding have changed now.

[Itchyandscratchy]

Yes I thought the UK family was a bit 90s! And it relies on stereotypes by definition I guess. But as an initial lead-in to discussions about variations in food, health, packaging, sustaining Eco-systems etc. it's great.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

Clock the amount of soft drinks in Mexico...
Mexicans now top the charts for the highest per-capita consumption of soft drinks, globally. A quick google tells me it's at 163 LITRES p.a..

Soft drinks consumption is a real issue for Mexico; I don't remember the figures, but soft drinks account for a ridiculous amount of daily calorific intake, (in a country with obesity and poverty issues), and it's proportionately higher, the lower down the socio-economic scale you go. So it's not infrequent to find obesity AND malnutrition issues in the same person.

[Itchyandscratchy]

Wow that's interesting Hazel. Makes you view the big diff drinks companies with even more cynicism. My hairdresser has just come back from Cuba. She said Coca Cola is like gold-dust out there. It costs much more than the alcoholic spirits. They have their own brand version but Coke is the ultimate must-have. And no diet versions there at all.

Looking at the German picture - are those bottles alcohol?

[Itchyandscratchy]

Should say 'soft' not 'diff' - sorry

[tomorowisanotherday]

Our family is most like the Canadian one

[JamNan]

The family in Chad makes you think...

[Downfall]

Thanks for this, OP. Agree the pics look dated but I don't think that detracts from the message. I'm interested to see my DS' response when I show them..

[sashh]

I think the Germans were the only Europeans being truthful about their alcohol consumption.

[Itchyandscratchy]

Thinking about how dated the pics might be (15/20 yrs maybe?) I think the UK alcohol consumption at home may well have increased. I think we drink & socialise far more at home these days rather than at pubs etc.