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I was checking over my grocery receipts the other day when I realized something interesting about my food bills: I very rarely pay taxes on my groceries. Of my last $1000 in groceries, I paid $1.25 in GST, or 0.125%. I knew that basic groceries weren’t taxed but wasn’t sure what fell into that category, so with a bit of research online I found the GST basic groceries list. Not surprisingly, most Real Food isn’t taxed. Meat, fruit, veggies, nuts, and seeds: none of which have a list of ingredients. Anything with salt or sugar added, or in convenient single package servings, is taxed. Even real dairy products such as whole milk, cream, butter, and plain yogurt aren’t taxed, but those sugary little single serve yogurts sure are. The only exception to the Real Food rule I could find is breakfast cereal, but we all know that doesn’t count.  

I often hear people comment on how expensive “Real Food” is. However, if you buy produce locally and in season (pay attention to which store has red bell peppers on sale!) and avoid paying for packaging and additives, you can save a lot of money with simple healthy eating, and what you’re no longer buying such as sugary or chemical-laden drinks. Check your recent grocery bills. What are you paying extra for?