America's new healthy eaters find an unlikely ally: Wal-Mart

[T_i_B]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1805811,00.html

For the organic grape tomatoes to land in Tara Smoot's shopping trolley required a tremendous act of will. First she renounced all junk food, banishing fried chicken and chocolate milk from her children's menu, and the pasta, crisps and sweets she and her husband had enjoyed. Then she prepared herself for a higher grocery bill. "It's a lot cheaper to eat unhealthily than healthily," she says. And there is temptation every step of the way. To reach the fresh produce section in this Wal-Mart super centre Ms Smoot had to push her trolley past jumbo bags of peanuts and "sugar-free" chocolate cream pies - still 220 calories a slice. Ahead lie the ubiquitous chocolate bars at the checkout counter.

Families like the Smoots were part of Wal-Mart's calculation when the world's largest retailer announced last April that it would begin selling organic food at its famously low prices, charging a 10% premium over non-organic. Organic food for the masses has arrived, and at a time when America as a nation has never been fatter or eaten so badly. Seventeen per cent of children and teenagers are overweight, and 66% of adults, of whom 32% are obese. Seventy-eight per cent of adults admit they do not eat enough fruit or vegetables.

The Wal-Mart move is among several signs that Americans are beginning to think more seriously about what they eat. In a grocery market stagnant for many years, the organic and fair trade sector - though small - is expanding 20% every year, says Joseph Mendelson of the Centre for Food Safety in Washington. Demand for organic milk regularly outstrips supply, and each year more farm acreage is used for organics.

Amid the concern about diet, some researchers believe America's obesity epidemic has reached a tipping point. Across the country, the prevalence of obesity among women has stabilised - though it is still on the way up for men.

[Radical Activist]

1. How dumb.

Anyone who is socially conscious enough to eat organic isn't likely going to shop at Walmart. I imagine their main business will be in towns too small to have a store like Whole Foods or a Co-op.

[mod mom]

2. not this healthy eater. I refuse to shop Walmart.

[Warpy]

3. Wally World has had a pernicious effect on manufacturers

by driving wholesale prices so low the manufacturers either have to stiff the help here or move the plants out of the country to compete and meet the WallyWorld target price.

However, if they cause farmers to start changing over to organic methods to compete, that will start to deodorize them.

Well, a little. They'll still stink.

[niyad]

4. THIS healthy eater does NOT shop at wal-mart--I don't care WHAT

their latest publicity stunt is (and going organic is just that for them, I am sure)

thank goodness for whole foods, wild oats, the supermarkets in my area that are heavily into expanding their organic lines, and the farmers' markets, not to mention my tiny veggie garden.

[PatrioticLeftie]

5. Hmm

I still won't go there

[GliderGuider]

6. targetting family farms

Some of the few family farms to experience anything like a business success these days (in Canada, at any rate) are organic producers.
When Wal-Mart does their purchasing, do you think they're going to buy locally from small producers?

Hah!

They'll buy in enormous quantities, like they do everything else, and force farms to undercut each other or kneel in defeat to the Chinese farms that can still claim to use human power and not modern (read: toxic) farming practises.

The most radical, revolutionary thing you can do today is to grow your own food.

(sigh, typo)

[AlCzervik]

7. my local supermarket that employs union workers sells organic produce

and meat. We also have a food co-op which i love but for some reason the produce really sucks there.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Personally, I wouldn't trust that Wal-Mart's stuff marked 'organic' really

was! If they could, they'd buy commerical product and re-package to say 'organic' and then charge 3 times more.

[w4rma]

9. Good, maybe a start of a trend. (nt)

[notadmblnd]

10. I'll stick wiht Trader Joe's, thanks

nt

[Rainscents]

11. I don't trust Wal-Mart periods!

My guess is, they're now trying to push out small organic farmers and other locally grown farmers out by going national corporate who bought out big organic farmers. I will NOT shop at Wal-Mart periods!

[pinniped]

12. Where are these higher end labels they were supposed to get....

to lure upscale shoppers there?

What a joke.

[Javaman]

13. I would love to see the list of their suppliers and see for myself...

how "organic" they really are.

If you recall, China-mart is also behind the bill in congress to dumb down the requirements as to what is defined as organic.

This is nothing more than total bullshit.

And frankly, I would love to see the "organic" operation that has to fill the order that china-mart puts in.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. If they're thinking more seriously about what they eat

why wouldn't they think more seriously about who's screwing small businesses over left and right, and who's condoning sweatshops?

[KurtNYC]

15. With an ally like WalMart, who needs enemies?

"Every day low wages"

[gizmo1979]

16. Why would anyone trust Wal-mart

with their food?All the crap they do to keep prices low god only knows what's been going on with that food?!