From Local Organic Y’all:
New Report: Supermarkets in North Carolina Show Widely Divergent Commitments to Local Organic Food, with Most Failing on Key Criteria
Local Organic Y’All ranked sixteen supermarket companies operating in North Carolina; Whole Foods Market topped ratings with strong in-store performance and community engagement. Lowes Foods and Ingles, both NC-based, followed in second and third place.DURHAM, N.C. — Local Organic Y’All, a North Carolina-based independent food advocacy group, announced today the release of a report with findings from its two year study of supermarket sourcing and marketing. The report, “Many Miles To Go: Locally-Grown Organics in North Carolina Supermarkets,” found that most supermarkets operating in the state are failing to offer organic produce that is grown locally.
Produce of any kind that was identifiably local was difficult to find in many N.C. supermarkets. With Thanksgiving less than a week away and many North Carolinians thinking about where their food harvest comes from, the report is a troubling reminder that the food movement has yet to reach much beyond farmers markets and into mainstream food retail where the typical Tar Heel resident shops.
“We were disappointed to find so little locally-grown organic items at our supermarkets, with the potential for so much organic food to be grown in the state and with so many stores touting their support of local,” says Fred Broadwell, Project Director at Local Organic Y’All and lead author of the report. “We saw California and Florida organic product on store shelves, even when those products were at their peak season in North Carolina. This is partly due to the impact of big box and discount retail formats, which makes local sourcing difficult. But traditional full-service supermarkets are also struggling.”
The research noted the lack of a clear definition of local, which can lead to inflated claims. Regarding the growing demand for pasture-raised and humanely-raised eggs, dairy and meat, the study found a small amount of local product on store shelves.
There was some encouraging news. “At one food co-op, we found forty varieties of organic produce on a single visit,” says Broadwell. “North Carolina now has the knowledge and certainly has the climate to grow an amazing variety of food.” Organic vegetables are being grown year round in the state, through low-tech season extension techniques and without heated greenhouses. Volume is increasing, with larger organic growers in place. And North Carolina boasts a growing set of local food wholesalers and processors, including companies like Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO), New Sprout Organic Farms, Firsthand Foods and Seal the Season.
The report found that a few supermarkets were offering much more local product than others. Whole Foods Market and Lowes Foods stood out in both produce and dairy/eggs/meat. Not surprisingly, these are grocery chains which have been deeply engaged with local food and farming groups, and with local procurement programs. Whole Foods Market has been working for years to enhance store offerings, and support growers and resource groups in the state. Lowes Foods has partnered with the university-based NC Growing Together to get more local product in its stores. Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Ingles and The Fresh Market had somewhat more local produce on store shelves than the typical chain, while Earth Fare did better in meat.
During the course of the study, several chains communicated with the project, pledging to increase local sourcing. Lowes Foods, Walmart, BI-LO and Kroger have begun dialogue with Local Organic Y’All. Kroger, for example, has pledged to send in an experienced buyer to explore new sources of local organic product and Walmart just pledged to double local produce sales nationwide.
The study found that the retail food industry as a whole is well aware of increasing demand for healthy, natural, organic and local foods. However, after years of decline, local food infrastructure is not in place to move enough product to market. It has simply been easier for supermarkets to source all their carrots or salad mix, for instance, from one grower in California than to create relations in local markets.
Solutions to the problem are complex. Says Broadwell, “Supermarkets will need to decentralize some internal systems, train staff and adopt new technologies. They will need to start and expand partnerships with local growers and NC-based wholesalers and distributors, and invest capital in local food infrastructure like food hubs and young farmer training. “If those actions happen, North Carolinians can see their food miles decrease, supporting our farmers, saving farmland, and increasing food transparency. Let’s support supermarkets moving in the right direction,” he concluded.
Supermarkets’ scores:
1. Whole Foods Market (72 points of 100)
2. Lowes Foods (59)
3. Ingles (44)
4. Harris Teeter* (28)
5. Earth Fare (26)
6. Food Lion (23)
7. Walmart (21)
8. BI-LO (20)
9. Kroger (14)
10. Piggly-Wiggly (11)
11. Costco (8)
12. The Fresh Market (8)
13. Publix (7)
14. Aldi (6)
15. Trader Joe’s (5)
16. Target (4)(Scores are equally weighted on five criteria: goals/planning, in-store product, staffing/farmer networking, eggs/dairy/meat, infrastructure investment.)
* Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger.
The full report with key findings, recommendations, store rankings and company profiles is available at the Local Organic Y’All website: www.localorganicyall.org
We are proud of Ingles, Whole Foods and Earthfare for their efforts to support local and small business! Ingles recently brought our tempeh and Hempeh products into 27 of their top locations(Smiling Hara Tempeh)! Earthfare also expanded our line into all stores, and Whole Foods has been with us from the start! The Taste of Local events at Ingles happen every month, come by and check out ALL the local options!! It’s a great opportunity to meet the hard working folks behind these small businesses.
Something is amiss if Ingles scored a 44 . Each month Ingles hosts a taste of local event showcasing many NC vendors. It is great fun to meet farmers and vendors from all over NC who supply Ingles. Fine, fresh, local, organic, and conventional produce, meat, ales, tempeh as well as many other NC created products are available for sampling. ASAP ( Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) representatives are often there to educate shoppers about the local food and sustainability.
As a local vendor I would like to praise the efforts of Ingles and their support of local companies. Their support in the community is one of the things that makes them so great.
We love Ingles! As a local food producer, they have been so supportive of helping us grow- they were the first large store to take on our product and continue to put time and resources into helping us build our brand.
-Susie, Sunshine Sammies
After reading the 33 page report, I’m left with questions and the validity of the organization’s study. How many locations of each store was visited and at what time of the year? Also, did they read any of the label information on the produce and products in the stores? Shoppers are more savvy then this study gives them credit for! Not every grocery store carries every product, its a simple matter of supply and demand. Is there a demand for local, organic at every single grocery store? Can the store’s target demographic afford locally sourced, organic products? As the owner of a food business based in extreme NE Georgia, we are more local to western NC then most places in Georgia and are proud to be a vendor with Ingles Markets. Ingles hosts monthly events called A Taste of Local where you can meet and sample from local, regional producers. They are also very charitable and active in the community, donating to wildfire, flooding and hurricane relief, as well as the recent animal hoarding case in Haywood Co.
Ingles works SO hard to promote local companies. They are always doing Taste of Local events, where people can try the foods made in the region. They post “Made Locally” signage and are great about recommending local options if you’re torn on what to buy. Not sure why they didn’t score higher…