Don Silvers

AP and EP are terms used all of the time in the grocery sector. AP means As Purchased and EP means Edible Purchased. These are important terms to think about the next time you are at the grocery store shopping for your meat and produce.

The first example I would like to use is lettuce. When you bring your lettuce home and clean it for use, you usually end up tossing out the outer round of leaves as well as cutting off the bottom root area. So if you purchased 16 ounces of lettuce, the AP, you now only have 9 ounces of lettuce left to use, the EP.

Another example is purchasing a whole turkey. If you purchase a 10-12 pound turkey, there will be a 70% loss with carcass and skin and 30% edible meat. If you purchase a 25 pound turkey, there will be a 50% loss with carcass and skin and 50% edible meat. The carcass did not get that much bigger on a 25 pound turkey, the edible meat portion grew. Your EP to AP ratio gets better with the larger turkey.

Just something to think about when you are next shopping and see what you think is a great purchase. Figure out your AP to EP ratio and make sure you are getting the best deal.