Whole Foods

Yesterday I had to go down to the Natick Mall to return a Christmas present. Despite the barrage of Sale and Sale and Sale and SALE and SALE! signs, I escaped having only purchased a spicy Mexican Mocha from the new Chocolatier; so yummy! The mall is so crazy right now that there were police directing traffic out, and no matter how I tried I couldn't hop right on the highway to head home. It was a pain in my behind getting out, but soon I found myself heading up route 9 and stopping at a light beside the Whole Foods Market. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to stop in for some research.

This store is not what I expected at all. Based on what I had heard about it I thought the store would be 80% fresh produce, meats, and breads, with a strong focus on local seasonal goods, but that was not the case. The produce section took up the usual amount of space, and while the majority of what I saw came from inside the US, they did have products from Chile and Costa Rica (though really, where else are you going to get a banana from?). One good thing is that all of the food was boldly labeled with it's state or country of origin so I didn't have to read the fine print or the tiny little sticker on the food itself. I have to say I was really surprised that the closest local produce I saw was from New York. Isn't there anything grown in this area in the winter time? I mean, what did the Native Americans eat all winter?

Anyway, I picked up some New York onions and squash, and some strawberries from Florida. Which got me thinking: how do I keep my kids eating healthy fruits if they're not shipped in? I'm sure that before there were supermarkets kids did without, but I'd like my kids to exceed the pioneer day life expectancy of 30. How else are they going to make me grandkids? It's really all about me.

The bakery had a nice selection of fresh bread, so I had them slice me a loaf. Which got me thinking something else, does bread count as local if I buy it locally made? I mean, they surely didn't grind their own flour from locally grown...well, whatever flour is ground from. (Wikipedia says mostly wheat.) Do I need to find locally made flour if I'm truly going to eat local? And make my own bread? I'm really not interested in turning into a Pilgrim.

After the produce and bakery areas I headed into the aisles. As anyone trying to eat healthy, fresh meals knows, the aisles are the area you normally try to avoid. Filling your cart from the perimeter of the store means less preservatives, chemicals, fats, sugars, etc. However, I was in a Whole Foods market so I dove right in.

The first thing I came across was the baby goods aisle. I was very happy to see a broad assortment of organic baby foods. My Shaws only has a few varieties for each stage. Economically and environmentally speaking I should probably make my own baby food, and I've added it into my goal list for the year, but again, I have a 4 years old and a 2 year old as well as the baby so don't expect miracles. I picked up a package of Seventh Generation diapers to try out on my 2 year old. I'll let you know how that works out.

Beyond the baby goods I found a dizzying array of Organic and Natural foods of every kind. I think it would have taken me hours to make my way through the store if I was really shopping and not just trying the place out. One thing I did not find, however, was anything that looked like it was local. I mean, this place is 22 miles from the fantastic Italian food in the North End of Boston. I know some of those places produce their own sauces, and I read every label in the Pasta Sauce section and didn't find a single one that was closer than New York.

Moving on, the next aisle had some fresh ground peanut butter. I could even grind my own if I wanted. Being a die-hard Skippy fan, I was hesitant, but felt it was only fair to give this fresh stuff a chance. I bought Honey Roasted, figuring the honey might help out my sweet tooth. Like the bread, though, I wondered if this could be considered local. After all, peanuts are most definitely not grown in my area.

By the time I got to the meat area at the end of the store my daughter was starting to lose it. She'd patiently wandered around the mall with me and admired the bags at Coach, the bright colors at Hanna Anderson, and the Jimmy Choos at Neiman Marcus (no, I would never). Her limit had been reached. I picked up some nice looking pork chops from I don't know where, and went to the checkout.

All in all I have to say that Whole Foods is probably a great place if your goal is to eat an organic and healthy diet. It is not however a place for a woman on a mission to find local foods. I certainly didn't examine every item, but of what I did see there was not a single item that came from a local source except their Stonyfield Farm products, and I can find those at my Shaws 4 miles away. My search continues.