Grocery Shopping
Supermarkets are numerous and easy to find in Cape Town. The biggest and most popular ones are Pick’n’Pay (www.picknpay.co.za), Woolworth (www.woolworths.co.za), Checkers, (www.checkers.co.za) Spar (www.spar.co.za) and Fruit and Vegetable City (www.fruitandvegcity.co.za). Opening hours Monday to Saturday are mostly between 08h00 and 17h00 or 17h30. Shops at major centers like the V&A Waterfront and Canal Walk open at 09h00 and close at 21h00 or later, even on Sundays and most public holidays.

Here in Cape Town you will find most of the produce you are used to find at home but some of the branded products are not imported and are locally manufactured, you may find that the taste is not always what you expect (e.g. all major branded cereals have extra sugar, juices, cakes, chocolates and biscuits all taste too sweet etc).

The quality of meet, game and fish in Cape Town is superb, and you will be pleasantly surprised with prices. Most of the meet and game is locally produced while some of the fish and most seafood comes from the neighboring Mozambique. Vegetables and fruits are at times not as flavorful as what you may be accustomed to. Sometimes the organic option is the way to go to find the extra flavor for your fruits and veggies.

The quality of fresh produce differs depending on where you shop. The highest quality would generally be found in Woolworth. Pick'n'Pay, Checkers and Spar can be quite good, too but are not as consistent as Woolworths. Woolworths is about 10% more expensive than Pick’n’Pay and Checkers, especially with regard to branded produce. Our advice: order your branded foods from Pick’n’Pay (see Online Shopping), and buy fresh produce at Woolworth.

Most supermarkets will sell wine, but strangely not beer or other liquor. To procure those, head for the nearest liquor store. Ultra Liquors (www.ultraliquors.co.za) has the widest selection of wine and liquor and the best prices, and you can buy mixed boxes of wine at a discount. All supermarkets and most of the liquor stores will not sell alcohol on Sundays, so stock up during the week.

The best place to buy groceries and lots of other stuff in bulk is Makro (www.makro.co.za). Come with lots of boot space and avoid weekends.

Organic Shopping

The demand for organic products in South Africa has been on the rise. Organic shopping has certainly not hit mainstream yet but the choice of products available is growing. Here is where you can shop organic in Cape Town:

• Major outlets like Woolworths and Pick 'n Pay have both increased the number of stores with dedicated organic sections
  Porter Estate market in Tokai, every Saturday
• Neighbourhood Market at Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock on Saturdays from 9am - 2pm and Sundays from 10am to 3pm. (Not all produce is organic)
• Millstone farmstall and cafe, Oude Molen Eco Village, Alexandra Street, Pinelands. They also have a great playground, host kiddies parties and there is horse riding next door.
• Organic living, 39 Constantia Rd Wynberg 7800, www.organicliving.co.za (Shop and cafe)
• Wellness Warehouse, www.wellnesswarehouse.com
• Gardens Shopping Center Health Store (ground floor). Only dry food and organic body care & health.

You can order a box of organic produce delivered to your door from these companies:

Wild Organic Foods, www.wildorganics.co.za, box delivery scheme
Ethical Co-op, www.ethical.org.za, web-based ordering system and offers organic food and products in Cape Town.

For more information, check these great sites:
http://www.urbansprout.co.za/
http://www.go-organic.co.za/

Last updated August 10, 2008