Years ago there was a study where they tested olive oils in a lab, and only a few California oils were 100% olive. Most were diluted with cheaper oils, especially those from Italy. They don't label those other oils, they claim it's all olive so they can make more profit. So, in order to prevent myself from having an allergic reaction, I stick to olive oil from California (oils are so concentrated it doesn't take much to set me off using an oil I'm allergic to).
Here's the price difference. Almost double to ensure I'm not going to rash all over. Same brand. Both ostensibly olive. But one is from multiple countries mixed together (why do that? even if it's all olive are some of them bad and they're hoping to mask the flavor in the others?), and one is from California.
"They pay higher wages in California" do you know how terribly they treat farm laborers here? This money isn't going to the workers.
It makes me more suspicious of what exactly is in that blended one than anything.
Also, do ya wanna see what $100 looks like?
Those two bags were $102. Yes, there is less than two pounds of whey protein in there (the priciest item), but that's only about 1/4 of the cost.
"Why do you buy expensive shit, Phoenix" because allergies. Conventional dairy can set off the allergies, I assume because I am allergic to corn and soy, because I can eat grass fed yogurt just fine (and goat milk yogurt, one of the six tubs). This is also the mac and cheese - grass fed over conventional. Two small bags of candy because conventional is full of corn. And lemon and lime juice that doesn't have sodium metabisulfites which can cause breathing problems in some of us (I do sometimes buy just lemons or limes and juice them at home, but it's generally not cheaper unless there's a sale on).
Yeah, my grocery cost has gone up, but they were already expensive. Being allergic to half the world and having to read ingredients really shows you how processed and mixed together and contaminated everything is in a US supermarket. Corn. Is. In. Everything. And nothing is just what it seems. There's cellulose (ground up corn cob or sawdust) in chocolate milk, for goodness sake. "For texture." Chocolate milk should have milk, cocoa, and sugar, the end.
Whee groceries!