Posted on 12/22/2006 8:05:36 PM PST by Lorianne
As Wal-Mart and other supermarket chains follow the high-end grocer's lead and promote local produce, farmers are becoming the new American idols
After being pushed out of the spotlight for years, the local farmer is emerging as a new celebrity. From the foothills of Maine, through North Carolina in the South, the plains of Idaho, and the lush green valleys of California, a movement to celebrate the local farmer is sweeping the country. At the forefront of the movement has been supermarket Whole Foods (WFMI), which for years has put up photos of local farmers in its stores promoting their produce.
Now many other food chains are also playing up local produce, including Kroger (KR), Publix, and Food Lion, a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (DEG). Currently, Wal-Mart is running a "Salute to America's Farmers" program across several states to highlight its commitment to purchase from local growers. Large "locally grown" signs alert shoppers to local produce, and in some stores local farmers set up a stand for customers to sample their jams and pickles. "Consumers today want to lead a healthier lifestyle, and fresh fruits and vegetables play an important role in that," says Bruce Peterson, Wal-Mart Stores' senior vice-president, perishable food division.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.businessweek.com ...
It's about time we started recognizing and respecting the people who make sure we stay healthy and fed.
The next step is the backyard gardener. Grow your own. You know what goes into it. You have pleasure in growing it. And it tastes better.
Some of us skip Whole Foods Market and go directly to the farm stands...
I have always wondered about the sanity of growing produce in NM and shipping it to NY and then going to the grocery store and buying the same thing from Texas or Oregon or California.
The desert stores (that's where we live) may feature products from our Coachella Valley, and the more coastal units may feature stuff from the San Joaquin Valley. It's really kind of refreshing to see.
Good!
I think local produce is a good idea. On the other hand
I guess your not old enough to know that you couldn't get produce out of season in the old days.
Ditto and ditto. Mind you, we grow hay, not produce for human consumption.
The thing that will drop the "naturally grown" or "organically grown" or whatever it might be called that year in it's tracks is that the American consumer has come to expect a level of consistency and visual appeal in their produce that simply cannot be replicated with "locally grown" produce without severely constricting supply and raising prices to levels that will have Congress "investigating" farmers for "price gouging" and other twaddle.
The American consumer is spoiled beyond belief where their food is concerned. They've had it so cheap and so good for so long they're utterly clueless as to what is involved in producing a crop and bringing it to market.
What this country deserves is a good, multi-year starving. Then brain-dead consumers will start to realize what is important and what isn't in their food.
oH, YES, I'm old enough. Back then a peach tasted like a peach and a tomato tasted like a tomato because they were, for the most part, local produce.
Great minds think alike.
You bring to mind something that I have wondered about for years ... how is it cheaper to mine ore in the northwest, send it by rail to the west coast, ship it to Japan for smelting, ship the steel back to the west coast, then send it by rail to Detriot so it can be used by the automakers. Why not ship directly to the relatively idle smelters that are in PA and AL, only a few hunderd miles from Detriot?
Whole Life, Portland, ME carries my daughter's organic wild Maine blueberries from her Moon Hill Farm. I just had a couple handfulls on my oatmeal
One word, UNION!!!!
Cheap labor in many cases and less regulation in others and exchange rates. Did you know that there is only one cotton spinning mill in the US and no sewing mills?
Nothing better than wild blueberries. Best thing for yogurt ever!
*sigh* Good point
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