Would You Buy Organic Produce at Walmart?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:30AM 
In the movie Food, Inc., Stonyfield Farm "CE-Yo" Gary Hirshberg makes the case for selling his organic yogurt at Walmart, arguing that going big will help propel organic food into the mainstream. Walmart is of course the largest grocery retailer in the US, and these days they sell a lot more organic food than just yogurt.
In the latest issue of The Atlantic, food writer Corby Kummer puts Walmart's produce section to the test, conducting a blind taste test with ingredients bought at Walmart and Whole Foods. The results of that test were mixed, but in the process of researching the story Kummer discovered that there's more truth to Hirshberg's claim than I might have thought, and that Walmart is supporting sustainable food in a way that most people probably don't know about.
Walmart's local food program, which is called Heritage Agriculture, encourages "farms within a day’s drive of one of its warehouses to grow crops that now take days to arrive in trucks from states like Florida and California." And while browsing the produce section, Kummer found many of the same fruits and veggies that are for sale at a nearby Whole Foods, but he reported that they looked fresher at Walmart.
I've always been against Walmart. When I was a kid, Walmart announced plans to build a superstore in the town where I lived, so my parents helped organize some small business owners to block the store from opening. They won the battle, and the town still supports a bunch of independently-owned business. Walmart destroys communities, I learned. But after reading Kummer's piece, I'm wondering if Walmart might have the power to actually reinvest in farming communities.
Kummer, like me, didn't approach the article with an open mind. "Buy food at Walmart? No thanks," he writes in the opening paragraph. But by the end, he changes his tune. "If there were a Walmart closer to where I live, I would probably shop there," Kummer says towards the end of the story. For my part, I don't think I'll be shopping at Walmart anytime soon (we still don't have one in Chicago), but I'm at peace with the idea that so many other people get their groceries from the store.
-Mark
Reader Comments (6)
A significant portion (18% to 20%) of the groceries purchased by consumers in the US are bought at a Wal-Mart store, many serving more remote rural populations. The broad organic movement is well served by having a wide range of healther organic choices made available to consumers and at affordable prices in these stores, and in other chains like them. IMO, organic cannot be just food for those with household incomes in the upper third, or the real promise of organic and expansion of sustainable agricultural systems and economies will never be fulfilled. We need to expose the mass market to good healthy food choices. Do we need to keep the spotlight on what this retailer and many others are doing in order to make sure they are complyiing with the rules and the spirit of the organic movement? of course. From what I have seen, they seem to be doing a good job thus far. Good story, thanks for posting this. JF
Very interesting article and it is interesting to see the pro's and cons. We have reposted to our Fan page https://www.facebook.com/prana
Cheers!
I live in Chicago. The Wal-Mart on Cicero Ave. looks nothing like this...
WHOA! I am sharing this with Blayne and my parents. They live in rural Arizona, and Wal-Mart really is the most affordable and closest large grocery shopping chains for them. I have always taken it with a grain of salt, but if they can begin supporting local agriculture in a way that is accessible and easier for them, I know that they will. - V
I'm with Giselle on this one. My Wal-Mart looks nothing like this, and the closest one that does is over 50 miles away.
All it certainly is interesting but how to live further?