Wal-Mart holding its own against Whole Foods?

While it's hardly news that Wal-Mart has become a huge purchaser of organic milk and dairy products, few people think of the superstore giant as a place to buy organic and local produce. In this Atlantic Monthly article, Corby Kummer takes a look and conducts a few blind taste tests.

His overall takeaway?

IN AN IDEAL WORLD, people would buy their food directly from the people who grew or caught it, or grow and catch it themselves. But most people can’t do that. If there were a Walmart closer to where I live, I would probably shop there.

Most important, the vast majority of Walmarts carry a large range of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. And Walmarts serve many “food deserts,” in large cities and rural areas—ironically including farm areas. I’m not sure I’m convinced that the world’s largest retailer is set on rebuilding local economies it had a hand in destroying, if not literally, then in effect. But I’m convinced that if it wants to, a ruthlessly well-run mechanism can bring fruits and vegetables back to land where they once flourished, and deliver them to the people who need them most.

USDA Describes Organic Foods as "Increasingly Mainstream"

When you look in your fridge, chances are, you see at least something with "organic" on the packaging somewhere, am I right?

Last year, organic food accounted for more than three percent of US food sales, and according to the Organic Trade Association, organic food sales grew at a much faster rate in 2008 than general US food sales, which grew by 4.9 percent during the year – or about a third as much as organics.

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service said: “Organic products have shifted from being a lifestyle choice for a small share of consumers to being consumed at least occasionally by a majority of Americans.”

Though organic foods are still much more expensive and there are general trends to be noticed in terms of who's buying organic, overall, there are more and more people across the board purchasing organic foods. USDA went so far as to say that organic consumers have become "increasingly mainstream."

Does this mean that soon it's going to be ironic to eat, like, twinkies? Oh wait...

Read more here...