In the stores

This article was originally published in February 2018

Healthy Snacks | Staff Picks

PCC’s Candied Pecans

I love them! They are the perfect blend of sweet and spice! I eat a few after dinner as dessert almost every day, and they make a great topper for salads. Also Grizzlie’s All Trail Mix — just nuts and dried fruit with no added sugar. So simple and so good. I always keep some in my drawer at work so I can grab a nibble when I need a little something to keep me going until my next meal.

— Marie Steffens, PCC Office

Marinated Castelvetrano Olives

These are my favorite snack sold in the PCC bulk olive and antipasto bar. Meaty Castelvetrano olives with savory herbs and fennel seeds make for the best snack, accompaniment for cheeses or charcuterie, or a crisp, clean dirty martini. The Marinated Castrelvetrano Olives made in-house at the PCC deli are the best and can’t be found anywhere else.

— Leon Bloom, PCC Office

Fuji apples

with fresh ground almond butter drizzled with raw honey. Yum!!!

— Brandy Leigh, Columbia City PCC

PCC’s pesto tortellini

I’m obsessed with the pesto tortellini in the deli case — it’s been around forever, but it’s amazing. Especially if you throw it in the microwave for a few!

— Persia Wakatsuki, Fremont PCC

Sprouted, salted almonds

have the best combination of salt, oil and a little sweetness from the sprouted almonds. Very satisfying! Also, the house-made baba ganoush — smoky, creamy deliciousness to dip your pita in and top with a delicious bulk olive or two!

— Terry DeBlasio, PCC Office

Navitas Golden Berries

They are kind of sweet but mostly tart and they have little seeds that add a little crunch and texture. Super healthy — I eat them with my oatmeal or a handful as a pick-me-up.

— Marianne Gibbs, PCC Office

IN SEASON

Organic Citrus

Mandarins — Deer Creek Heights Ranch in Porterville, California
Pixie Tangerines — Ojai Growers in Southern California
Gold Nugget Tangerines — California
Red plums and nectarines— New Zealand

Organics and health: Beyond our own bodies

The ways that food is produced, and particularly processes of animal production, have major implications on health outcomes globally. In November the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to our global health, food security and development today. Viruses, too, are growing more powerful and deadly. Many point to industrial meat production as a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and an incubator for these new, stronger, and harder-to-control viral strains.

Taking on food waste

More than 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted worldwide each year, about one third of the annual food that is grown. Food waste is not only a waste of money, but it is also a systemic waste — good food is not getting to those who desperately need it. At PCC, we minimize food waste in all our stores by rescuing as much food as we can and composting what we cannot keep.