Two years ago, Walmart announced that it would sell inexpensive organic food to a mass market under the Wild Oats brand, at lower prices than national brands of certified organic products. After just about 2 years, Walmart is ending its Wild Oats experiment, deciding instead to begin selling organic items under its own house brand, Great Value, and also sell more fresh produce. [More]
organic food
Shoppers Still Think Whole Foods Is Too Expensive, Not Worth It
By 1.26.16
With more competitors in the market for healthy and organic foods, the grocery chain Whole Foods has had to lower its prices. The company is both planning a lower-priced offshoot chain and lowering prices in its current stores. According to a recent survey of their customers, that effort really isn’t paying off: customers still think that the chain is expensive and not worth the extra cost. [More]
Company Behind Wonder Bread Shells Out $120M For Alpine Valley Bread Co & Its Organic Offerings
By 9.9.15
As consumers’ tastes shift toward healthier foods, the appeal of organic products has had companies scrambling to either trot out their own organic offerings or just buy out other businesses that are already in the game. Flowers Foods is taking the latter route, snapping up organic food purveyor Alpine Valley Bread Co. for $120 million, its second acquisition of an organic baking company in a month. [More]
Hormel Gobbling Up Applegate Farms For $775M
By 5.27.15
In a sign of the times, Hormel Foods Corp., the maker of Spam, is trying for that natural foods feeling and has decided that buying Applegate Farms for $775 million is the way to achieve it. [More]
Every Regular Grocery Store Is Already A Downmarket Whole Foods
By 5.14.15
The idea of a lower-priced version of Whole Foods aimed at younger consumers is intriguing, but there’s already a hugely popular downmarket alternative to Whole Foods for people seeking natural and organic groceries. It’s called Walmart. [More]
Whole Foods Planning Lower-Cost Chain Aimed At — You Guessed It — Millennials
By 5.7.15
The magic “M” word is making changes in the consumer world yet again: This time that all-consuming desire to reach millennials that we’ve seen everywhere from fast food to department stores has struck Whole Foods, prompting the company to announce a lower-cost chain designed especially to lure in the younger set. [More]
Wendy’s Jumping On Organic Bandwagon With Addition Of Honest Tea At Restaurants Nationwide
By 4.30.15
Though not many of its fast food rivals have taken the plunge into organic waters, Wendy’s is just going with the trend embraced increasingly by consumers, announcing that it’ll be serving Honest Tea nationwide at its restaurants, brewed fresh by workers and sweetened with fair-trade sugars and natural flavors approved in USDA certified organic foods. [More]
5 Food Prep Tips For Reducing Pesticide Risks
By 3.20.15
When you buy a sack of potatoes with dirt still clinging to the spuds, you know they’ll need a wash before going into your dinner. But those completely clean-looking apples, peaches, and strawberries may carry a less-visible danger in the form of pesticide residues. [More]
Customers Petition General Mills To Keep Annie’s Products Organic
By 9.26.14
Earlier this month, cereal giant General Mills announced that it would purchase Annie’s Homegrown, an organic foods company best known for its boxed macaroni and cheese and bunny-shaped crackers and cookies. The Annie’s board approved the sale, but many organic food fans feel betrayed. Almost 13,000 people have signed a petition urging General Mills to keep Annie’s exactly as it is. [More]
Walmart Enters The Organic Food Fight With New Affordable Product Line
By 4.10.14
Organic food is getting a bit of a makeover. Retail giant Walmart is joining forces with a one-time organic food powerhouse to offer the increasingly popular fare at more affordable prices for consumers. [More]
Kroger Sued Over Labeling Of “Simple Truth” Chicken
By 2.13.14
As we’ve discussed before, many commonly used food labels like “organic” and “natural” can mean very little and are often just marketing lingo. Now the folks at Kroger are facing a potential class-action lawsuit that could determine whether its Simple Truth products lives up to the promises on the label. [More]
Does It Matter If Your Steak Burrito Isn’t Locally Sourced If The Cow Was Raised Ethically?
By 6.24.13
For many discerning customers, a burrito is not just a burrito — it’s a thing of culinary beauty that tastes even better when the ingredients are organic, come from a farm nearby and were raised happily. But what if not all of those things can come together, what’s a business owner to do in a quest to please customers? [More]
Does It Matter If Organic Food Isn't Actually More Nutritious Than Conventional Products?
By 9.4.12
Clutch your kale close, organic food lovers — a new study says organic products aren’t any better for you nutrition-wise than conventional foods. The four-year project looked at 240 other studies covering nutrients in foods as well as potential contaminants like pesticides and found that even though we might pay more for our organic veggies, fruits and meat, they’re no better for us than regular food. [More]
Organic Food Dominates Non-Organic In Every Way, Science Says
By 9.3.10
Score one for the hippies. A study led by a Washington State University soil science professor finds that pesticides and weedkillers reduce nutrition, flavor, shelf life and overall attractiveness of fruits and veggies. [More]
"Dirty Dozen" Cheat Sheet Reminds You Which Foods To Always Buy Organic
By 4.22.10
To help you remember the “Dirty Dozen” foods to always buy organic, Heidi Kenney has designed this fun free cheat sheet to keep in your moneypurse (organic farming doesn’t use synthetic pesticides). Flip it over and you’ve got the “Clean 15,” which had the lowest pesticide count.. One time I was eating lots of fruits and vegetables and I ate a not-organic pear and my lip swelled up like a monkey’s for a few days… maybe I should start using this list! [More]
Eat Organic For Cheap
By 4.19.10
Organic food is pesticide-free free of unorganic pesticides and saves baby unicorns from exploitation, but darnit if Whole Foods ain’t a pricey pack of provisioners. But there are ways to buy organic and still be frugal. [More]
When Is It Worthwhile To Buy Organic?
By 6.30.09
Want to avoid eating pesticides without breaking the bank on organics? The handy “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides” makes it easy to keep track of which fruits and vegetables are likely to have bug spray all over them and which are not. Peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, and strawberries head up the “dirty dozen” with the highest pesticide load. At the bottom: onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapple, and mangoes, which have so little pesticide, you’re better off buying conventionally grown varieties (unless you’re rich).
