Big Grocery Retailers Jump On The “Locally Grown” Bandwagon

Walmart Stores, like other large grocery retailers, has found significant benefits in sourcing its produce from farmers close to its stores: it attracts customers and it’s cost-effective. A growing  trend among fruit and vegetable shoppers is “freshness,” and the best way to ensure freshness is to buy locally, a fact that Whole Foods Market pioneered. Now Walmart, Supervalu, Kroger and Safeway are hurrying to expand the array of locally grown food offered in their stores, and they are working hard to get that message across to consumers. But small farmers and organic advocates say the big chains are misleading shoppers. There is no clear definition of “local,” so  “fruits and vegetables harvested hundreds of miles away can be touted as locally grown,” The Wall Street Journal reports.