"Safest" Place to Buy Groceries

[Canada99]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to live in Chengdu for the next year and I’m just worried about food. There have been a lot of food scandals in China lately and the regulation of pesticides (and chemicals in general) on food is quite different from where I am now (Canada). Where are the safest/best places to buy groceries (organic would be nice, but just safe in general is fine)? I’m a vegetarian so just fresh fruits/vegetables/nuts/seeds etc. Also, do they sell oatmeal in Chengdu?

Thanks and much appreciated.

 

[Dan]

I ain’t dead yet. But the non-death of some of the other members on this forum might be more convincing, since some of them have been around for 5+ years.

Not sure what kind of scruples you have, but eating out is gonna be tough as a vegetarian since many vegetable dishes are cooked alongside meat or in meaty oils. If you’re cooking at home. Just wash your fruits and veggies thoroughly and you’ll have few problems. For info on particular markets in particular areas, this forum is a good place to ask your questions.

[Charlie]

There are some more upscale supermarkets in Chengdu which feature more imported items, like Treat. In general if you’re eating anything imported from imported it will have likely gone through the regulatory process of both the originating country and of China, so those may be a safer bet. Of course, there are no guarantees, here or anywhere. Regarding pesticides in food, be sure to follow best-practices for cleaning your food, assuming you cook. If you eat out, it’s a total gamble and you have very little control over things like that. In general, Chengdu or China in general is probably not the best place for health fanatics, especially those with very specific dietary requirements. A lot of things that are common in the West are either absent here or very expensive.

[Chris Ziich]

A decent variety of oatmeal can be easily found in all supermarkets or convenience stores.

[Rick in China]

I buy tons of stuff from waifood.com – just had another shipment yesterday, can see if they have the sorts of food that fit your diet – I trust ’em and they deliver, free, the same day most of the time depending on what you buy (if you order fresh bagels at noon, for example, likely have to wait til the next day). For our vegetables we typically go to Auchan, ideally earlier in the day which seems to have the best product selection, and they have a section of pre-packaged but slightly-more-expensive ‘selected’ veg which I believe has some kinda stickers on them that indicate organic, on some of them.. anyways it’s much higher quality veg and we typically eat salads (lettuce/tomato/carrot/cucumber) like 5 times/week.

[Canada99]

Thanks to all who replied, much appreciated. And Dan, I’m not too scared of mortality, just impacts on long-term health haha. Hope I didn’t seem like a condescending foreigner, I’m just a health nut. I’m actually a Chinese-Canadian (born in Jinan, Shandong, moved to Toronto @ age 4) so I’m familiar with it somewhat. I just finished University and want to teach abroad for a year. When I go back to visit my family, I always have indigestion, my face becomes bloated and I gain like 10 pounds from only visiting for ~3 weeks despite not seemingly eating more than I usually do. I love Sichuan food, but they are very liberal with their oil. Basically, my biggest concerns are:

1) Pollution

2) Food

3) Bad Internet

4) Lack of quality gyms/fitness places

[niklas]

Canada99 wrote:

Basically, my biggest concerns are:
1) Pollution

Yea it’s bad. Try to do what you can to not get exposed to it too much. Buy an air purifier or a few for your home, and if exercising outdoor consider buying a Respro mask from Natooke.

http://www.mi.com/air/
http://smartairfilters.com/en.html

Canada99 wrote:

2) Food

What others said above. Chengdu is a much bigger and more international city now than it was just a few years ago. Lots of upscale supermarkets, shops with organic vegetables etc.[/quote]

Canada99 wrote:

3) Bad Internet

Get a good VPN subscription. Astrill is popular. It’s what I’m using and I’m quite happy with it.

Canada99 wrote:

4) Lack of quality gyms/fitness places

There are lots of gyms in Chengdu now. Quite good ones, I guess? Depends on your requirements.

[Author]

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