With Wal-Mart “trying to make organic food more accessible to its budget-conscious shoppers” many (of us) cringe with fears conjured from the days of big-box stores destroying mom & pops shops.  That said, if only 5% of our food is sourced locally in the Northeast, aren’t big businesses already controlling our food system?  And, on the flip-side, considering Organics is only 4% marketshare, we have to look at this evolution from big-box as a huge step forward in promoting consumer awareness and setting stage for what could be next…

Acting as the proving ground for early adopters, consumers of Organic food have long paid ultra premiums & proved a growing market demand for better sustenance. Now, the true opportunity for “better quality real-food” is from regional production of local, artisanal foods as industrialized Organics (no doubt better than conventional production for many reasons) will not hold-water with consumers becoming increasingly more aware of their food system and demanding more transparency & traceability in tow.