Supermarket Chains Narrow Their Sights
today's NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/dining/06local.html
excerpt
Hannaford Brothers, with 165 stores in New York, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, has always sold local produce,
but in the last two years its customers have pushed it to offer more.
"There's been a 20 percent increase in sales" in the last year, said
Michael Norton, a company spokesman. "Our research tells us consumers
have about five or six reasons for wanting local: freshness and
taste; keeping farmland in the community and having open spaces; a
desire to be close to the food source and know where it comes from;
support of local farmers and keeping money in the community. Embedded
in all of this is concern about food safety. All this creates pretty
powerful interest."
Will Wedge, director of produce for the chain, said that in company
surveys, "82 percent of all customers told us loud and clear, locally
grown produce tastes better. We have over 200 farmers selling over 50
different commodities, primarily from June through September."
Wegmans Food Markets, a 71-store chain based in New York with
locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, has
been buying from local farmers for the last 20 years. Today it has
800 farmers and has also experienced a 20 percent increase in sales
of local produce over the past year. "There's a real emotional
connection with local," said Dave Corsi, vice president for produce.
Mr. Corsi said that in order to buy from local farms, the chain had
to stop acting like a chain. "We don't control these relationships
centrally - the produce manager in each store does this directly," he
said. "We only guide the stores."
--
Elan Shapiro
Sustainable Tompkins Community Partnership Coordinator
Sustainable Living Associates, Principal
Frog's Way B&B
211 Rachel Carson Way
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-275-0249 607-592-8402 Cell
"We must be the change we want to see in the world"
Mohandas Gandhi
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