Whole Foods to Grow its Own Produce
by Sarah Parsons June 25, 2010
Whole Foods may have organics covered, but the store is about to start cornering the local foods market, too. The company recently announced plans to develop a fruit and vegetable garden at one of its Virginia stores. The garden is the chain's first on-site, field-to-store garden, and Whole Foods hopes the initiative will cut back on the food miles and carbon emissions associated with some of its products.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the garden sits on a one-acre plot of land which can grow as big as six acres. The garden incorporates composting, an orchard, and individual gardens. Initially, the garden's produce will serve as ingredients in the store's prepared foods and salad bar section. Whole Foods is hoping to eventually earn approval from Henrico County to sell the fruits and veggies directly to consumers.
In addition to growing food for its store, Whole Foods plans to rent some of the garden space out to wannabe farmers. That particular scheme comes with a broader mission: To educate consumers about the value of eating local foods. Whole Foods says it will provide on-site demonstration and education programs for consumers and gardeners.
Normally I would pass an effort like this off as nothing more than a PR move, but the idea here is actually really innovative. Whole Foods may carry a lot of organic items, but the store doesn't always offer up the greatest assortment of local goods. Relying on local products, preferably those grown and produced within 100 miles, helps cut back on carbon emissions associated with food miles. According to the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), the average American meal travels about 1,500 miles from farm to table, spewing greenhouse gases along the food's entire journey. Whole Foods may offer up organic asparagus, but if it's shipped in from South America, it's obviously not a very environmentally friendly option. Sourcing local, seasonal foods from an on-site garden will help eliminate some of those food miles.
I've no doubt that an on-site garden will help decrease the carbon footprints associated with some of Whole Foods' goods, and I hope the store implements similar schemes at its other stores. Whether locally grown produce will cost less and help abolish the chain's "Whole Paycheck" reputation remains to be seen.
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