I’m sure a lot of you have already heard the news on this, but just in case you haven’t, I have a couple links for you, and my two cents (shocking)!
Walmart will begin carrying a lot more organic foods (they already carry some), since partnering with Wild Oats. They will be more competitively priced, than some of the natural food stores. There are 2 news stories, I thought were interesting. For the story from The Wallstreet Journal, click here. For the story in Reuters, click here.
I think it’s great that organic food will become more accessible to a lot more people. I do believe that for overall health and well being, eating the highest quality food you can afford is definitely worth your hard earned dollars. And as I’ve said before, in the long run, you will be money ahead, because eating healthier, equates to less dollars being spent for doctors and / or prescription or over-the-counter remedies. It’s a benefit that is seen over time, not necessarily in the short term.
Also, it’s worth mentioning, that while providing organic food on a larger scale is certainly a plus, there is a quality issue to be aware of, even in the organic sector. There are usually compromises made, when companies try to industrialize organic food. It’s a very difficult proposition, because it’s hard to produce truly organic food from soil that has been chemically fertilized, or sprayed with chemicals for pests and weeds, even if it’s been a number of years since those practices have been stopped. Remember, all types of livestock graze on grass in pastures that may still have residual amounts of chemicals.
Having said all that, it’s still obvious that even large scale organics is far better than commercially produced food. Also, Target is starting to carrying many more organic choices.