Recently, I visited my local Whole Foods Market in Northern California and talked with Jill Miller about local sourcing, the grocer’s organic certification and the company’s new supplier rating system. See below a report from our conversation. Click here to access the photo report.
Local sourcing
Whole Foods Market prefers to source produce from local growers, but how local is local? “It depends on the fresh produce variety,” says Jill Miller with Whole Foods Market. “If we talk about nuts, they can be coming from an orchard a few miles from here while avocados are sourced in Southern California. A maximum of a day’s drive is our criteria for local. We are in the heartland where produce is grown and the majority of this store’s produce is sourced in California,” added Miller.
The produce team for this store is not looking to source fresh produce that sustains forty stores in a region. “We actually work with a berry farmer who can only supply our store,” mentioned Miller. “His crop is so small that he can only sell to us and within two weeks he has sold all his berries. That is OK for us. However, if we find a great relationship or great product, we do collaborate with other Whole Foods Market stores on the sourcing side. We’ve had growers that started selling at one individual store and now they sell to Whole Foods Market nationally.”
Organically certified grocer
“It is a misconception that all our produce is organically certified,” said Miller. “However, we are America’s first certified organic grocer and became organically certified in 2003. As a result, many customers shop in our store because they want a good selection of organic. Customers pay a premium for organic produce and we want to make sure that the integrity of that organic produce variety has not been compromised. There is a lot of contamination that can happen between the time the apples are picked, put on the truck, shipped to the store, washed, prepped and then merchandised. As a certified organic grocer, we have certain procedures to ensure that an organic apple is truly organic.”
All 420 Whole Foods Market stores across the country have to be in compliance in order to maintain the organic certification. A third party audits on an annual basis and if one store is not compliant, all stores lose the certification.
Supplier rating system
About six months ago, Whole Foods Market launched its Responsibly Grown program to make an environmental impact. It is a supplier rating system that includes three levels, ranging from Good to Better and Best.
“We are rating our growers and let our customers decide who they want to buy from as all information is disclosed,” said Miller. “With the signage in the store, we are educating our customers and creating awareness. Ultimately, they choose what is important to them. If needed, we coach our suppliers through the process and give them an opportunity to increase their rating,” finished Miller. The photo report includes some examples of supplier-rating signs.
For more information:
Jill Miller
Whole Foods Market
Tel: (+1) 916-781-5300