"Full Circle" brand Natural & Organic Foods

**ladycat** · #1 01/26/08, 08:43 PM

The supermarket I shop at is going to have this brand starting this spring. I searched and found the website: http://www.fullcirclefoods.com/

I searched more and found out it comes from this grocery cooperative: http://www.topco.com/corporate.htm It's like a store brand only organic.

Is anyone familiar with the Full Circle brand? If so, what are the prices and quality like?

I'm thinking some things will be safe to buy from them, like USA grown fresh produce (if they have any grown here). I will be leary of some things, like dairy and meat (a lot of organic meats are coming from S. America).

I think I'll email the company and ask some hard questions.

ruby_jane · #2 01/26/08, 09:59 PM

I believe our local Food City carries that brand...and my neighbor buys it

I'll have to ask her when I get to sneak out again! LOL

sancraft · #3 01/26/08, 10:10 PM

Our BiLo carries this brand. I've bought several items and I like them. The prices are much better than most organics and only slightly higher than the regular foods.

mldrenen · #4 01/26/08, 11:13 PM

what sancraft said. the local grocer has carried it for the past few years, and i buy it frequently. it's always cheaper than other organic brands, and often times it's even cheaper than non-organic brands. quality has always been excellent.

ozark_jewels · #5 01/27/08, 10:21 AM

We love Full Circle foods. Our discount grocery sometimes get that and other organic brands in. Full Circle is our favorite. Their dry breakfast cereals are really good. I haven't had anything from them that I didn't like.

**ladycat** · #6 01/27/08, 10:53 AM

I'm thinking I'll primarily just buy stuff in that brand that I normally have difficulty buying organic forms of (meaning I either have to buy non-organic, or can't afford to buy enough in organic forms). This would include things like fresh produce, mayonnaise, pickles and relish, and various other odds and ends.

If the meat is affordable, I'll try to find out where it came from and how it was raised. I don't know how many hard questions they will answer to my satisfaction.

Most of the organic products I'm buying now, I will continue to buy those same brands.

NWoods_Hippie · #7 01/27/08, 12:33 PM

LC,

I just got back from my local market, it is a privately owned store, I was pretty sure I had seen the Full Circle brand there. I was in kind of a hurry due to having to get back before the guy gets here to fix my busted water pipes, so I only had time to comparasion shop Spagetti Sauce.

Full Circle, Tomato Basil was 2.99 per jar (standard size jars)
MuirGlen, Tomato Basil was 3.09 per jar
Ragu Organic, Tomato Roasted Garlic was 2.59 per jar
Regular Ragu and all other non-organic brands were 2.79 per jar

I didn't buy any, because I am not in the mood for pasta right now, but if I was I would have bought the Full Circle only because it is cheaper than MuirGlen (love their stuff though), and I won't buy Ragu regardless of the price. Though it was interesting that Ragu Organic was cheaper than the other choices.

Peace,
Margie

NWoods_Hippie · #8 01/27/08, 12:38 PM

Doh, I forgot to mention, while Full Circle is under the TopCo umbrella, I found it interesting that the spagetti sauce label on the FC jar said it was certified organic under the State of Pennsylania regulations, nothing about fed organic regs on the label however.

Margie

**ladycat** · #9 01/27/08, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWoods_Hippie

Though it was interesting that Ragu Organic was cheaper than the other choices.

Thanks for checking!

Yes, it's interesting that the Ragu organic was cheaper than the other Ragu. But I do sometimes find organics cheaper than the non-organic counterparts.

I've also noticed that with the rapidly rising grocery prices, organic is not going up as fast. The price gap is closing.

NWoods_Hippie · #10 01/27/08, 01:35 PM

My guess on the Ragu being cheaper now that I have had time to think about it is maybe because they already have so many processing plants and staff they don't have the overhead that smaller companies like MuirGlen have.

I still won't buy Ragu regardless, somehow I just don't "trust" them like I do the smaller companies. Now I am curious how much my buying club charges for MuirGlen compared to my local market, got to look into that.

Margie

**ladycat** · #11 01/27/08, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWoods_Hippie

My guess on the Ragu being cheaper now that I have had time to think about it is maybe because they already have so many processing plants and staff they don't have the overhead that smaller companies like MuirGlen have.

I still won't buy Ragu regardless, somehow I just don't "trust" them like I do the smaller companies. Now I am curious how much my buying club charges for MuirGlen compared to my local market, got to look into that.

Margie

Muir Glen is owned by General Mills.

NWoods_Hippie · #12 01/27/08, 01:41 PM

Oh, Boy! Maybe I didn't want to know, my buying club charges $3.92 per jar for the SAME sauce that was in the store for $3.09, and three jar minimum order!

I REALLY have to pay more attention to stuff like this, thanks LadyCat for making me wonder about prices!! And now I see your post that they are owned by General Mills, cross Muir Glen off my list!

Margie

**ladycat** · #13 01/27/08, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWoods_Hippie

Oh, Boy! Maybe I didn't want to know, my buying club charges $3.92 per jar for the SAME sauce that was in the store for $3.09, and three jar minimum order!

That's why I compare prices so very carefully.

marvella · #14 01/27/08, 02:59 PM

our local food city carries it. i by as much as i can but have found somethings are excellent, others not so good. their frozen vegetables are yummy! way better than others with none of those awful sauces others have. spaghetti sauce full of sugar, which negates it's healthy aspect, imo.

i suggest trying them and seeing which of them you like.