Supermarket Swap founder Nabula El Mourid shares the simple habits that help families save money, eat healthier and support SA businesses.
You know the moment. Two almost-identical products in your hands, an ingredient list full of numbers and unpronounceable words, a toddler mid-meltdown in the trolley – so you give up and grab whichever one has the nicest label.
Adelaide mum Nabula “Nabs” El Mourid has made a career out of taking the stress out of that moment. The founder of Supermarket Swap has built a loyal online following (almost half a million, in fact) by helping everyday shoppers make better choices in the aisle.
She’s encouraging South Australians to shop local – and says it’s easier and cheaper than you’d think.
How it started
Six years ago, Nabula was a time-poor mum juggling two little kids, cooking plenty from scratch but still leaning on the supermarket like the rest of us.
“I was shopping quite blindly,” she says. “Ingredient lists had become so overwhelming and confusing that I’d almost given up on reading them.”
When she started paying closer attention to what was in the family’s everyday food, she got a shock – finding artificial additives tucked into staples like butter, tomato sauce, cereals and stock powders. So she began making small swaps to healthier alternatives and sharing them online, convinced no one would care.
“I thought nobody would be interested in groceries, because it wasn’t cool,” she says.
She was wrong. What started as a Facebook group of 10 friends is now Supermarket Swap – an online community, popular app and book that all help to pass on what she’s learned.
It’s a story that’s even won over the ultimate SA food icon. Maggie Beer was the first person to read Nabula’s book, sending pages of notes back to the publisher before declaring the food “full of flavour and freshness”.
“She is the queen of food – there’s no one like Maggie,” Nabula says. “I was in shock for a week.”
Convenience, health – and local – can go together
Nabula’s tips mean you can eat better without shopping farmers’ markets or making homemade sourdough. “Convenience and health can work together,” she says. “It’s not either-or.” The same goes for shopping local: you don’t have to trek to five different stores to do it.
“Before I had little kids, I’d go to the markets, the butcher, the grocer, and then the supermarket,” she says. “Now there’s only time for the supermarket. So I’ve done the research so I know I can have a great food shop in one place – and there’s so much local produce and so many local brands right there in the aisle.”
And it doesn’t have to cost more. “We don’t want people thinking you have to be a particular socio-economic demographic to eat well,” she says.
While the cost of living is on the rise, Nabula says it’s still possible to shop at the supermarket and create nutritious meals on a budget if you plan ahead and know what to look for.
And she says South Australians who don’t shop local are missing out on some seriously delicious food.
Ask Nabula for her local favourites and she asks how much time you’ve got: La Casa Del Formaggio, Carême Pastry, Paris Creek Farms, Pure Origins Manuka Honey, Kangaroo Island Olives and Harris Smokehouse are just some of the brands on her list.
“Every time I travel interstate, I’m South Australian proud – we really do food the best here,” she says.
Plus, small swaps can make a big difference. Brand SA’s Buy SA. For SA. campaign has done the maths: if we each switched just $1 in every $20 of our grocery spend to local products, it would pump up to $2 billion a year back into the state – funding jobs and backing small businesses.
Nabula’s tips for buying local on a budget
- Buy in bulk: Grab the big pack or a whole chicken when it’s on sale and freeze portion sizes. “The cost per kilo is often half.”
- Skip the pre-cut packs: “When it’s ready for a stir-fry or crumbed for schnitzel, you’re paying for that. The extra couple of minutes in the kitchen is worth the savings at the checkout.”
- Shop in season: Local produce that’s in season is fresher, cheaper, and tastes the way it should.
- Go South Australian, not just “Australian”: “When it says South Australian, you know it’s come from somewhere two, three, four hours away – it’s so close.” You know exactly what you’re getting, and it hasn’t racked up the food miles.
- Be prepared: Nabula says the most important part of a shop is the preparation – 15 minutes to plan your meals, make a list and check the specials can make a big difference.
How to buy local
Joining the Buy SA. For SA. movement is easy:
- Look for the red ticket: SA-made products are marked with a bright red Brand SA ticket on supermarket shelves and on the products themselves.
- Shop at local markets when you can: Got time for a family outing on the weekend? From the Adelaide Central Market to the Barossa, there’s no shortage of options.
- Support SA-owned supermarkets and stores: Think Foodland, Drakes, Tony & Mark’s and your local independents.
Find the full Buy SA Week program and more tips for shopping local at brand.sa.gov.au
