Food shopping online – convenient or unhealthy?

Food shopping online – convenient or unhealthy?

These days people buy everything online – we shop online for clothes, toys, home appliances and everything in between. While we’re finding it harder to squeeze in food shopping between all our other commitments, it’s perhaps no surprise that UK online grocery sales are expected to double by 2017.

With growing demand for fresh and organic foods, it’s all the more important that online delivery services can match the range of produce on offer at local supermarkets. But can shopping online for food be both convenient and healthy?

A huge draw of buying food online is the variety of retailers, especially now that most large-scale supermarkets have shifted some of their focus to developing their online market. Tesco recently announced plans to build national online-only stores, while Sainsbury’s entices buyers with free delivery on Tuesdays and Thursdays for purchases of £100 or more. For those who want more healthy fare, try Real Foods. The company ships worldwide and offers a product range of over 10,000 natural, organic foods.

One of the major benefits of this online development is the variety of products available. Thanks to the internet, even the most obscure spices and ingredients are just a click away for culinary aficionados. If you’re a long way from home, you can even check out British Food Store Online, which delivers British food items worldwide.

With so much on offer, and without the deterrent of having to lug bulging bags home with you, it can be tempting to buy more than you need when shopping online. On the upside, when you shop online there’s less danger of you sneaking in a few extra chocolate bars at the checkouts.

Online shopping is then, arguably, as healthy or unhealthy as you are: manage your purchases well and you can have a steady stream of fresh and healthy ingredients. Get a bit greedy and you’ll soon see cupboards overflowing with those foods you’d promised yourself you would avoid.