Personal Project Update

One of the goals of my food project was to research the locally-supported, organic, and sustainable foods that the three main grocery store chains in Bloomington supported: Marsh, Kroger, and Bloomingfoods.  I have found out some interesting things!  Starting with Marsh… I was a bit surprised that a grocery chain that originated in Indiana would not have more information regarding the local farms and food products they support (or, if they do, it is not easily accessible).  I will keep looking, but thus far, all I’ve been able to find out regarding support of local farms/sustainable foods, etc., was one webpage that contains a list of “local” farmers throughout Indiana and Ohio, from which Marsh purchases some of its seasonal produce.  Of the farms listed, only one was located in Bloomington. 

Kroger, on the other hand, had a wealth of information regarding its support of local/organic food and products, as well as its support of sustainable food and practices.  I was pleased to find that they source sustainable seafood, and have a sustainable seafood policy link on their website, as well as a sustainability report for the year.  Looking further into both of these, here are some of the major points that I found:

• They are working with the World Wildlife Fund to ensure that their top 20 caught species are sourced from areas that are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, or are part of the WWF improvement project.  Right now, they are at 56% of their top 20 species sourced from sustainable practices; their goal is to reach 75% by 2015. 
• They have stopped the sourcing of sharks, tuna, skates, rays, and a few other species
• They have instituted an educational campaign for their customers, utilizing countertop stanchions and brochures, as well as providing their sustainability report online, to spread the word about the importance of sustainable practices.
• They offer fair trade products (the selection of which has more than doubled in the past few years), Private Selection and Nature’s Market organic brands, and BPA-free products.
• They require their suppliers to meet the Food Marketing Institute’s animal welfare standards; along this line, more than 10% of their egg sales in 2010 were from cage-free chickens.
• They buy local from 20 dairies across the U.S. to supply their stores; they also have a number of certified organic processing facilities.
• Although their food delivery trucks travel quite a bit (295 million miles in 2010!), they are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact.  They have improved their transportation efficiency (measured by cases shipped per gallons of gas used) by 15.5% from their baseline in 2008; they hope to reach 40% by 2014.  
• They have increased their cube efficiency (number of boxes they can fit into their trucks), increase their miles per gallon, and reduced the number of empty miles they travel (trucks driving without products).

I would never have given Kroger credit for so many environmentally and sustainably conscious practices!  Although they still have a lot to work on, I was excited to see how much initiative they’ve taken in ensuring that their producing and shipping methods make less of an impact on the environment and resources.  

That leaves Bloomingfoods, which, as we all know, is the WORST place to go when looking to support local farmers, seeking foods produced with sustainable practices, and eating organically-grown produce.  All facetiousness aside, it was interesting to learn more about their products, as well as all of the different local programs they support in the community.  They have numerous articles and information about their food, activities in the community, ways for you to adopt more sustainable practices in your own life, and many other topics of interest.  Some of the info I gleaned from their website:

• They promote “Share the Harvest” in cooperation with Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, and support numerous local farms and nonprofits, including the Local Grower’s Guild.
• They host panel discussions on a variety of topics, including local foods
• Their meat products are hormone and antibiotic free. 
• 30% of their produce is produced locally, and each section of their grocery offers multiple options for organic and fair trade foods/products.

Along these lines, here is a description of the criteria for organic foods and products:

Organic standards prohibit:

Synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fungicides

Antibiotics or added growth hormones

Bio-solids (sewage sludge) and synthetic fertilizers

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), seeds or ingredients

Animal by-products in animal feed

Organic practices require:

Inspections of all farm fields, processing facilities and production and sales records by agents accredited as USDA Certifiers

Periodic testing of soil and water used in production

Continual monitoring, maintenance and improvement of soil health

Crop rotation, mulching and other practices to prevent soil erosion and enhance soil health

Specific composting methods for both animal and plant waste

Outdoor access for livestock

Pasture for all ruminants

100 percent certified organic feed for organic animals

(bloomingfoods.coop)

Some of these facts I knew, others I did not; having it available on their website was very helpful for me, and is an example of just one of the ways that Bloomingfoods serves its community by providing important information and tools that people can use to make more educated, responsible choices in their lives.  Researching all of this has really opened my eyes to many of the issues surrounding sustainable food, as well as all of the benefits one can receive from changing their diet to incorporate these foods in their lives.  More information to follow, but this was a great base of knowledge to find!