I was listening to NPR earlier this week, and the show’s topic was centered around a feature article in this month’s Atlantic Magazine. Apparently, Wal-Mart is making the lucrative move into local and organic produce. After hearing the article’s author talk about a blind taste test between Whole Foods and Wal-Mart, I was intrigued. Especially after hearing that most of the food critics ended up choosing the low-price supermarket store’s fruits and vegetables.
I come from a very progressive, health-conscious, environmentally friendly family, so needless to say I’ve been trained to spend my money in places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods. I have never considered buying groceries at Wal-Mart, and in fact I avoid buying any type of product there. Similarly, growing up in an affluent part of California has led me to take access to quality produce for granted. Sometimes I forget that the everyday American doesn’t have access to ripe pomegranates and avocados. Or even a tasty red apple free of ugly bruises.
That’s why Wal-Mart’s new business plan is such a big deal. People often confuse organic with eco-conscious. While it is important to eat produce that’s free of pesticides, it is just as important, if not more, to buy fruits and vegetables close to your home. What’s the point of buying organic fruits and vegetables if it’s been trucked half-way across the country? Before such a venture, many Americans didn’t have the option to pick local produce over cross-country produce. And if they did, it ate up a large chunk of their budget. Now, thanks to Wal-Mart, many more Americans can grocery shop while simultaneously pleasing the environment, their wallet and their health.
Several listeners called into the NPR show, saying how they are now shopping in a store they had always morally opposed because of questionable labor practices. But with the state of the economy these days, how can you beat basement-low produce prices? One caller also said she had started shopping at Wal-Mart because it has started offering gluten-free food that is half as expensive as the same products at Whole Foods, making shopping for her daughter with celiac disease a much less expensive and stressful practice.
So what’s the downside? Just as Wal-Mart has driven local stores out of business across the country, it could do the same with local food vendors. This means that your regional agricultural sector could become dependent on Wal-Mart to sell its produce, which means if Wal-Mart demands to buy the same produce at a lower price, they have no choice but to say yes.
So, what to do? I think it’s important to get produce at a local farmers market when possible. Buy it straight from the source. Local markets and co-ops are a great alternative as well. But if Wal-Mart and Whole Foods are your only options, then you have to decide between a healthy diet and a healthy wallet. If you take your diet and the environment seriously, but have no room for negotiation in your budget, then I say shop at Wal-Mart. It’s also important to remember that “elite” grocery stores aren’t perfect, either. If you adamantly refuse to shop at a place like Wal-Mart, then look for other parts to cut in your budget to make room for your grocery shopping budget.
What’s your take on this story? Are you going to start shopping at Wal-Mart now? Tell us in the comments section!
