This head of lettuce was purchased at Walmart. It was grown by Tanimura and Antle Farms and is one of a small selection of local foods the mega-chain now sells. There’s a display by the front door that highlights Walmart’s new local-food program which, as far as I could tell, included two items grown by farmers somewhere in or near Arizona.
Some thoughts: This could be the first part of the program, and if people embrace it perhaps Walmart will make more of an effort to support local farmers. Or this could be what one could call “local-washing,” nothing more than a marketing ploy that makes the megastore look like it gives a shit about the local economy/farmers.
It should also be pointed out that this lettuce is actually produced in Salinas, Calif., and shipped to Tucson from Yuma. How local is that? Not very.
Ever since I wrote a blog about how conflicted I am over the local food movement it has been on my mind constantly. I’ve gotten e-mails from some who couldn’t believe I would be so critical; others said I pointed out something they identified with. I remain conflicted. Some of the hardest working and most-intelligent people I know are involved in the local-food thing, yet I am sort of poor and, as you can see, sometimes shop at Walmart to stretch my pathetic paycheck out a bit.
So I ask all the local food advocates out there: Is Walmart less evil now that I can buy local lettuce there?
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2012.
That’s nice and all, but they still put other local business out.
I will continue to skip Walmart and buy from the local farms (and local businesses that sell from local farms) instead.
The local soil (Southern AZ) is not of the quality to grow produce on a scale to provide local produce to 1 million local humans. So, one would have to import soil from wherever but as soon as that is done, the “local produce” isn’t really so local, is it? A workaround would be to import fertilizers but as soon as that is done, the “local produce” isn’t really so local, is it?
The local water table and rainfall isn’t sufficient to produce produce for 1 million local people. The workaround would be to import water from wherever but as soon as that is done (as if) the resultant produce isn’t really so local, is it?
As an aside, Red Star considers lettuce, regardless of variety, locus of production, or marketer a foul and dangerous product. It’s banned here.
It’s been stated that Walmart’s policy is to buy local fruits and veggies and if they can’t get them, they go to the closest state where they can get them. I know that they sell EuroFresh cucumbers and they are produced in Snow Flake. Not sure about EuroFresh’s tomatoes grows in Willcox.
In this economy, I have to go where I can afford. Would love to support farmer’s markets a lot more but I can’t walk them so that is out of the question. At least at Walmart they have riding carts……
Most weeks either Food City or El Super sells iceberg lettuce 3 for .99. Walmart will match that ad. Point being, I will buy lettuce at the lowest price that I can — regardless of origin.
Have a problem with that? Feel free to donate generously to the “Organic/Local/Sustainable Produce Fund for Jim”. No Food Stamps, please.
Believe me, there is not one altruistic bone in Walmart’s body so why would anyone even think of giving them a shiny gold star for this pathetic marketing ploy. In response to:
I Bought This Head of Local Lettuce at Walmart
Posted by Adam Borowitz on Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Wanna know how Walmart really treats their suppliers? Ask one of them sometime. You will hear horror stories about how Walmart buyers grind suppliers down on their prices mercilessly and then want even more concessions. How can a small grower wanting to sell labor intensive organic or pesticide-free produce possibly afford to sell at a profit? Walmart will only buy from suppliers who are willing to sell to them at absolute rock bottom prices and justifies that onerous demand by claiming the seller makes his profit on volume. So the hapless supplier agrees and gets the golden opportunity to work his butt off 7 days a week only to earn a subsistence level income while Walmart does nothing and collects all the real profit. These are the standard conditions Walmart (and every other predator multinational retail outlet like them) makes of ALL their suppliers yet there are stupid slobs out there who buy into this draconian bargain with it’s profitless conditions for a chance to eke out a living. Reminds me of the quote about the guy who says that he doesn’t lose that much on each sale but plans to make up for it on volume.
And one final comment. Care to guess what the wages & working conditions are for the people who harvested and packed that head of “locally grown” lettuce from Salinas which found it’s way to the Walmart in Tucson? I didn’t think so. Better not to know except I’m pretty sure you can’t raise a family on it unless they all work there which they probably do.
No one benefits from these deplorable business practices except the Walton family. So screw ’em. Buy local produce grown by local farmers and pay a little more. Would you accept less for the fruits of your labor than you think it’s worth?
and the Walmarts ae supporting GMO genetically manufactured produce, hello folks…this is not the real thing……where do you think your immunity levels are going to be when you will need them…………in Walmart’s dumpster….who cares…that’s not their concern and then let’s wonder why the government isn’t worried about your health insurance…you won’t need it you;ll be a vegetable or dead………….chemicals that’s all you need, ask Monsanto and Walmart..
Just a thought to this.. and its just my personal experience. In the 80’s I lived in Salinas and shopped at the local Safeway store. I purchased a head of lettuce marked Antle farms, (which later became Tanimura and Antle) for 99 cents. I happened to travel to Sierra Vista a few days later to visit my parents and found it interesting that in Safeway in SV I paid 33 cents a head. The local growers make their money from the people closest to them. Triple the cost for a local head of lettuce in a local store that had very little shipping expense, vs paying 1/3 in a store that was 1000 miles away. Just a thought.
Nothing that WalMart does is in our interest. Read and then re-read desertmonkey’s post. Believe me, as an ex supplier of WalMart, he is dead on with his assessment of the situation. I am living on barely anything at the moment, but WalMart will never see a dime of my money. Food City produce is the least expensive. I’ll give my money to them (and Basha’s, the parent company) before I ever set foot in a WalMart.
remember, too, that walmart likes to keep as many employees at part time as possible so that they don’t have to provide health insurance. so although the sticker price of their products is low, the cost to the consumer is actually higher. we (taxpayers) are paying for their employees’ health care, for tax credits given to walmart to come to certain areas, and for social services to help keep all the people they put out of business alive.
i grew lettuce in a container on my porch from october through may; i think the packet of (organic) seeds cost $2.50?
The stories I heard about the way WalMart treats employees when I worked with the AZ Employment Service were enough to keep me away.
Buying local is a good thing but because we live in the desert, it can’t be everything. Buy local when you can and rest easy knowing that you are contributing to the greater good.