03 October 2007

The Grocery Store

I went to the grocery store over the weekend, for the first time in a month.

In September, for my 100-mile diet, I shopped only at farmer's markets and at a local farm store, all providing lots of local products and produce from the surrounding area.

Now I was confronted by the bright lights and wide aisles of the supermarket.

Here's my list:

Orange juice. Not labeled regarding the source of the oranges. I'll guess Florida.
Milk. Not labeled regarding the dairy site(s). I'll guess New York.
Ground beef. Label said it was ground in the store, but I don't know where the animals lived.
Apples. Labeled New York.
Lettuce. Fresh Romaine. Source unknown.
Carrots. Bagged baby ones. Labeled by a wholesaler in Massachusetts. I hope that means they were grown there.
Eggs. Carton said New Hampshire.
Cheddar cheese. Labeled New York.
Crescent rolls. Labeled by a wholesaler in New Hampshire. Not sure that helps me with ingredients.
Pretzels. Company in Pennsylvania.

Overall, not too bad. If not necessarily locally sourced ingredients, for the most part the producer or packager was in the Mid-Atlantic or New England regions. I'd be satisfied with that.

But it's still the unknowns. Where those steer lived and where that wheat was grown. I wonder if the local food movement will reach the point where labeling gets more informative and where consumers may choose food growers in their state.

I'm paying attention. Anyone else?

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