Wal-Mart's Pubicity Coup

[NashVegas]

My local Whole Foods claims to use local farm produce, but I've never seen anything but juices marked as such.

My Harris Teeter occasionally has boxes with the Tennessee produce logos, but they don't identify.

Kroger I don't know. I'm just not a Kroger gal. And Publix has never made an issue of local produce.

Wal-Mart made the 4:30 news because they are carrying Tennessee, and they're marking the product bins with, at the very least, county of origin. The spokesman they interviewed spoke of the savings in transportation costs. Turns out it's part of a national initiative they're taking on to carry more local stuff.

I have to confess, here, I've been sneaking in, occasionally because their SuperStore really does have the best fried chicken I've had anywhere, pretty much, and their frozen food prices beat everyone for the most part. But they're way out of my way, so I don't go very often. Like maybe 4x per year. The Farmers' Market is still most convenient for me.

I just thought I'd point out some sharp marketing on their part. Because, though they are the Evil Empire and all, today Evil struck a blow for people who like the idea of independent farmers.

[hippywife]

1. Something to bear in mind

is that even if it is local, doesn't mean it come from independent farmers. Agribusiness takes up the lions share of all farm land and product. It's just like when congress is debating a so-called Farm Bill. Everyone involved wants the American public to picture the beautiful family farm with cows grazing on the hillside when nothing could be farther from the truth. Most farm bills and subsidies these days work to support big agriculture and squeeze out the small independent farmer, both here and around the globe--our agriculture policy puts small independent farmers out of business both here and around the globe, too.

A very eye opening book, which I just finished, is Diet for A Dead Planet by Christopher Cook. Reading it I finally understood so much about what goes on with the production of the food in this country and the terrible toll it takes both here and abroad. It made me angry and more determined to break away from the grocery stores as much as possible to support truly local producers and even more determined to keep growing what I can. For all that, it's not a very big book but he sure does hit the salient points and makes it easy to understand the cost, sometimes in blood, of what we are putting in our mouths each day without much thought.

[supernova]

2. Surprised your Whole Foods doesn't

list the origin of their foods.

My WF clearly marks NC-made and grown produce and other foods. Sometimes they even have a write up about the particular farmer. Now, they have conventional and organic, but from far away too. But they do a fairly decent job of labeling where stuff is coming from and you can decide whether to buy it or not.

If you're WF isn't labeling enough stuff, perhaps speak to the manager?

[mtnester]

3. Our Whole Foods does that too....even for their imported foods

Giant Eagle here also lists Ohio Grown product (agree it does not mean it comes from small farmers...could be Con-Agra mega farm somewhere in Ohio). They carry a lot of Ohio produce in the summer

Kroger does not list, or for that matter, carry Ohio produce, and they are BASED in Cincinnati.
Meijer - same as Giant Eagle

On edit - I wanted to say Whole Foods here will even TELL you the name of the small farm and what city it is in her in Ohio...pretty specific....eggs they get all year long from local producers

Our North Market indy sellers are also local...I go there for meat.