I have three supermarkets within three miles of my home; Kroger, Publix and Fresh Market. My "what's local?" trip to each produced some interesting results.
Kroger: Nothing is marked as local, although I have found TaylOrganic's blueberries there in the past. I'm guessing Neil Taylor got wiped out of blueberries after the frost, along with most of the other Georgia farmers. I emailed the store manager about the possibility of locally-sourced food and received this quite nice reply:
Thank you for your email inquiring about locally produced organic meat
and produce and wines. At this time we are not carrying any locally
produced organic meats. We do carry locally produced organic produce
items. However, because of our size (number of stores) and sales
volume, most of the product is only carried by a small number of our
stores (usually those stores closest to the producers). I have spoken
to our local buyers and will notify you if they have any additional
information to add.
Publix: The most exciting local product in Publix is grass-fed beef from White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, GA (200 miles away). According to the White Oak Pastures website, 220 Publix stores carry its beef. Grass-fed. Certified Humane. Georgia Grown. Family farm since 1866. Worth checking out!
Fresh Market: The organic and pesticide-grown produce at Fresh Market is not separated as it is at the other two stores, so it is a pain to find the organic produce (of which there is very little). The good news, however, is that there are signs indicating where much of the produce originates. A sense of place. Good. Some corn and tomatoes (although not organic) come from our sister foodshed in Florida. Of course, I had to laugh at the signs that read, "Fresh from New Zealand." Please. Spare consumers the insult.
If you are interested in asking your local supermarkets, retail stores and restaurants to carry local, sustainably-raised and/or organic choices, take a look at the easy-to-use tools available at www.sustainabletable.org. This site is a treasure chest of information and resources.
In the meantime, I'm off to a truly super market today--my local farmers market.
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"If you are interested in asking your local supermarkets, retail stores and restaurants to carry local, sustainably-raised and/or organic choices, take a look at the easy-to-use tools available at www.sustainabletable.org. This site is a treasure chest of information and resources."
Excitingly enough, the Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org), which is the main link under Sustainable Table, will be freshly renovated this summer! Not only will we be updating much of the information already available, but we will be adding a tremendous list of farmers markets across the United States and Canada! You might also find more farms selling sustainably raised animal products in your area as we complete the revisions. I welcome any suggestions or ideas regarding your particular area or the directory in general!
Many thanks for the positive mention on your website!
Rachel De Dora
rachel@eatwellguide.org
Eat Well Guide
215 Lexington Ave, Suite 1001
New York, NY 10016
tel: 212-991-1858
fax: 212-726-9160
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