Walmart Organic....I just dont trust walmart

[mypinkbow]

I bought some "organic strawberries" that were so expensive and tasted horrible. I am not convinced they were actually organic. Thoughts on Walmart and organic?????
I just dont trust Walmart. They rip off their employees by not providing adequate health insurance or affordable insurance for their employees and family.

[sevenbravo]

Well hopefully WalMart's efforts to provide organic produce will send a message to fruit and veggie producers that there is a growing demand for it. Eventually, this would spur an increase in organic food production as a whole, and lower the cost for all of us. At least that is what I am hoping. I personally go out of my way NOT to buy things from WalMart.

[mypinkbow]

I too go out of my way to avoid walmart.........but chose to stop there last night to get my dog some food and thought i would check out their selection.

Never again is all i have to say. I agree hopefully it will make more organic available but I think I will stick to supporting the various health food store/grocery stores that specialize in organic and/or fresh produce etc.

[ChaiLife]

I don't have anything against Wal Mart, at this point, but it's just not my favorite place to be. That being said, I also stopped in a while back and NONE of the produce smelled good. Actually much of it had no smell whatsoever. It was so odd. I applaude them for wanting to carry more organic but was very disappointed in the selection. They had apples prepackaged by 4s and they were so expensive and not that pretty.

So I take my business elsewhere. I have noticed that many canned and bottled products (such as Ragu and Libby's) are starting to carry organic products. Of course they are not raw, but I am happy to see that they are also starting to regocognize the demand for organic. Maybe organic won't cost me and arm and a leg one day! :o

[Sharon in Colorado]

I've never had a problem with Walmart organic produce. However I've gotten organic strawberries elsewhere and they were rotten in a day or two. Organic strawberries in general will ripen and rot too fast, especially if you are in a remote location where they have to be shipped in.

I think you are going to find "at least" a problem or two in general that rubs you the wrong way with any huge chain of stores such as Walmart.

If you are looking for an all around perfect place to shop, you will be dissapointed. Grocery stores all support butchering animals and cooked foods, and if you were to avoid anything that went against your belief system, maybe you should look into a green house and produce cooperatives.

Don't mean to come across harsh or offensive, just that it is hard enough to avoid going out to a steakhouse along with cooked friends. I just don't find a good enough reason to blackball all establishments that are trying to cater to a wide variety of consumers.

[Oceana]

I LOVE WALMART.
They are the only place I can find craft supplies that don't burn a hole in my pocket!

If it says they were organic ; they were!
There are safeguards in place to protect consumers!
You cant just say they are organic to make more money!
They are a consumer conscious chain.

I hope this don't turn into a walmart bashing thread!

[Pailani]

You cant just say they are organic to make more money!


I think it's illegal to label something organic if it isn't. I don't think a big chain like Walmart could afford to take that kind of risk. They're too concerned about their consumer image to lie about something that blatantly.

[Lady Green Jeans]

Anytime I am dissatisfied with a product--back it goes for a refund. I believe Walmart stands behind its products as much as anyplace I have shopped. As much as the dollar you spend on organic produce is a vote for more of the same, asking for a refund is just protecting that same dollar against less than acceptable produce.

[MangoMommy]

My family is not raw, except for me but they do eat mostly organic food. Walmart is selling the exact same items that my coop sells but for a fraction of the price, for example: Cascadian Farms Organic Cereal: Coop price around $5.00 a box and Walmart sells the identical cereal for $2.72 a box. Annies organic canned Arthur Loops (like spagettios). Coop price..$1.98 a can and Walmart sells it for $1.22 a can. Those are the prices that I can remember off the top of my head but there are many more. My family deserves to at least eat organic food if not raw and I am on a budget so why wouldn't I take the savings where I can get them?

[NoGMO!]

just the other day, I was reading these two very interesting/alarming articles about Wal-Mart and organic standards shifting in general ... ugh! :(

http://www.satyamag.com/apr06/cummins.html

http://www.satyamag.com/apr06/edit.html

[fruit]

I always shop at walmart.thay have great prices.
I buy a 5 pound bag of organic apples for $2.97.
my walmart does not carry to many organic items yet,im hoping they will though.
Another great place to get organic produce for cheap is vons,when its on sale that is.but thay usually have several organic produce items on sale weekly.

[NoGMO!]

I really liked the new documentary "Wal-Mart The High Cost of Low Price"... very good. ;)

http://www.walmartmovie.com/about.php

http://www.walmartmovie.com/wmtv/2005/11/ebert_roeper_two_thumbs_up.php

[Denise Nicole]

I really liked the new documentary "Wal-Mart The High Cost of Low Price"... very good. ;)

http://www.walmartmovie.com/about.php

http://www.walmartmovie.com/wmtv/2005/11/ebert_roeper_two_thumbs_up.php
I watched it and loved it. I do not shop and will not shop there. Knowing what I know now....I wouldn't sleep at night.

Walmart is going to buy from the lowest bidder period. Yes, it will be labeled as "organic" walmart can claim ignorance later if they need to since the company they bought from said it was organic. Organic is not monitored enough and I think we'll see a fall in standards before something is done about it.

I buy from my local Health Food store and from my CSA. I wish I had a space (and the time) for a garden such as RawPriestess and others here (you guys are so lucky).

[heabrook]

Well, I can't really comment because I don't shop there. But I would check the organic certification on the vegetables to see who certified the produce as being organic.

What did it say for the strawberries?

[ljcoolj]

Well, I can only speak for the Wal-mart close to my house...but I absolutely hate that store. I will go out of my way to avoid it, which luckily for me, is easy to do. I'm on a budget too, but I will spend extra $$ to keep Wal-mart from pocketing ANY of my money. They've been known to ruin smalll businesses, not only within the communities that they are located in, but also because they demand such cheap prices from their suppliers. Its all very well documented. Snapper lawnmowers comes to my mind, they actually said 'No' to marketing their products thru Wal-mart, they would've had to compromise their products to meet Wal-marts demands. Good for them!!! Wal-mart doesn't carry anything that I can't find somewhere else and they certainly don't carry anything that I can't live without. Sorry to burst anyone's Wal-mart bubble, but its the only place on earth that I absolutely refuse to shop.

[mypinkbow]

They are certified thru USDA Organic Qualty Assurance International??????
distributed by Pacific Gold Farms in Watsonville CA

[Sheryl]

I think it really comes down to differing levels of organic. Stores like Walmart need a HUGE supply of organic. They aren't going to be getting organic from a little mom and pop farm that's been growing organic for 40 years. They will either own or contract a regular farm to go organic, wait until it's certified, then sell the produce.

This happened here with the large supermarkets initially using the small organic growers (many who we know from markets) then doing a sudden switch over to 'in conversion' organic just a year later. The organic standards here in Australia work like this:

1) Decide to go organic
2) Register intent / do paperwork and switch to organic methods
3) Wait one year
4) Second year you can sell with all logos for organic (with a little 'in conversion' note)
5) Year 3+ you are fully organic

I prefer to buy from local farmers who have been doing this kind of thing much longer, who have their heart in what they do.

I can taste the difference!!

Sheryl

PS I know not everyone has access to organic farmers markets like me - I am very lucky. It's all about finding the best you can right where you are!

[NoGMO!]

They are certified thru USDA Organic Qualty Assurance International??????
distributed by Pacific Gold Farms in Watsonville CA

mypinkbow,
this might help, I hope. this is an excerpt from the Satya article I mentioned in a post above. the whole article can be found at http://www.satyamag.com/apr06/cummins.html

"Can you discuss the corporate takeover of the organic food market?
Well the good news is there is a huge demand on the part of health conscious and environmentally conscious consumers for organic products. On the downside, right now there is a shortage of organic foods and ingredients in the marketplace. And unfortunately, corporations are noting this huge demand and are not only moving into the organic sector, but doing it in a way which is not helping American farmers and ranchers go organic. Instead, they are basically degrading organic standards, bending the rules and starting to outsource from slave labor and exploitive nations such as China for organic foods and ingredients."

isn't that sad? :(

[Oceana]

You guys are probably right; but I LOVE my walmart!
I have a VERY limited budget and walmart lets me stretch my money further.

For example;
when i buy kotex at my local store (1 block away) they want 8.99 for 14 overnight pads

walmart I pay 2 for 5.00$

With a very heav flow I need MORE for my money!

I (like most) have to shop without breaking the bank.

But I understand what you are saying!

[NoGMO!]

I have a VERY limited budget
boy, I can relate!!! :p no offense, just passing along free information and opinions. cheers

[Sheryl]

Oceana - check out http://www.thekeeper.com/

I bought one about 5 years ago, and literally had not spent a penny on monthly supplies since. It might sound a little strange, but takes only a very small amount of time to get used to. The cost savings is so huge, as well as the savings to the environment.

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Oceana]

Oceana - check out http://www.thekeeper.com/

I bought one about 5 years ago, and literally had not spent a penny on monthly supplies since. It might sound a little strange, but takes only a very small amount of time to get used to. The cost savings is so huge, as well as the savings to the environment.

Cheers,
Sheryl

No; my flow is to heavey and messy for that!
I dont like the idea of putting something ~inside~.

[Sharon in Colorado]

The Diva cup I hear is great too. Oceana you might want to check this out - women with very heavy cycles have been raving about them. I use back up cloth pads, but leakage is very rare - the cup and the cloth pads just feel so much nicer, I haven't bought tampons or disposable pads in so long, and I'm not contributing to wasting resources.

[Denise Nicole]

I found this video, I do like JibJab:
http://www.jibjab.com/JokeBox/JokeBox_JJOrig.aspx?movieid=122

[berrymarymac]

I found this video, I do like JibJab:
http://www.jibjab.com/JokeBox/JokeBox_JJOrig.aspx?movieid=122

Haha, I love JibJab!!!

[alex]

Walmart may be the most unethical company on the planet. I haven't bought or gone near a WalMart in over four years and don't plan on ever going back.

Here is an interesting article:

Very interesting read !
What every American (or Canadian) needs to know about Walmart
The owners of one of America's premiere retail corporations is comprised of five of the ten richest people in the world, all from the same family. Their personal wealth eclipses $100 BILLION dollars. Last year the companies CEO was paid a cool $11.5 million, more than the annual salaries of 765 of his employees combined! The company's profits are over $7 BILLION annually. In these difficult economic times how do they do it?
- This company runs ads featuring the United States flag and proclaims "We Buy American". In 2001 they moved their worldwide purchasing headquarters to China and are the largest importer of Chinese goods in the US, purchasing over $10 BILLION of Chinese-made products annually. Products made mostly by women and children working in the labor hell-holes China is famous for. - Their average employee working in the US makes $15,000 a year, $7.22 per hour!
- The company brags that 70% of their employees are full time, but fails to disclose that they count anyone working 28 hours a week or more as full time.
- There are no health care benefits unless you have worked for the company for two years.
- With a turnover rate averaging above 50% per year, only 38% of their 1.3 million employees have health care coverage.
-In California alone it's estimated that the taxpayers pay over $20 million annually to subsidize health care benefits for these employees who get none from this behemoth corporation.
- According to a report by PBS's "Now" with Bill Moyer, their managers are trained in what government social programs are available for these "employees" to take advantage of so that the company can pass on those costs to you and me. It allows them to not only keep their $7 BILLION in annual profits, but to do so by substituting benefits they refuse to provide with benefits paid for with taxpayer dollars.
- This company holds the record for the most suits filed against it by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A lawyer from "Business Week" (not exactly the bastion for supporting Labor) said, "I have never seen this kind of blatant disregard for the law." They had to pay $750,000.00 in Arizona for blatant discrimination against the disabled! The judge was so incensed that he also order them to run commercials admitting their guilt.
- The National Labor Relations Board has issued over 40 formal complaints against the corporation in 25 different states in just the past five years. The NLRB's top lawyer believed that their labor violations, such as illegal spying on employees, fraudulent record keeping, falsifying time cards to avoid paying overtime, threats, illegal firings for union organizing etc., were so widespread that he was looking into filing a very rare national complaint against the company.
- Nearly 1 MILLION women are involved in the largest class-action suit ever filed against a corporation. Although women make up over 65% of this corporations work force only 10% of them are managers. The women who have become store managers make $16,400 a year LESS then the men.
- The corporation took out nearly 350,000 life insurance policies on their employees. They did not tell the employees and then named the corporation as the beneficiary. They are now being sued by numerous employees, and although the corporation has stopped this practice of purchasing what is known as "Dead Peasant Policy's", a company spokesperson stated, "The company feels it acted properly and legally in doing this."
- They force employees to work after ordering them to punch out. In Texas alone this practice of "wage theft" is estimated to have cost employees $30 million per year. Wage theft or "off-the-clock" lawsuits are pending in 25 states. In New Mexico they paid $400,000.00 in one suit and in Colorado they had to pay $50 MILLION to settle one class-action case brought against them.
In Oregon a jury found them guilty of locking employees in the building and of forcing unpaid overtime.
- With 4,400 stores they practice "predatory pricing." They come into a community and sell their goods at below cost until they drive local businesses under. Once they have captured the market the prices go up.
- Locally owned and operated businesses put virtually all of their money back into the community which helps keep the local economies vibrant. This corporation sucks the money out of the local community, decreases wages and benefits and ships the profits out of state.
- This company doesn't buy locally or bank locally. They replace three decent paying jobs in a community with two poorly paid "part- timers". - In Kirksville, Missouri when this company came to town, four clothing stores, four grocery stores, a stationary store, a fabric store and a lawn-and-garden store all went under. Eleven businesses are now gone.
(The above information can be found in "Thieves in High Places", James Hightower, The Penguin Group, New York, NY, 2003 p. 166 193.)
Now you know how they can claim, "Always low prices." Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world, larger than General Motors and Exxon Mobil. Wal-Mart will reap over 250 billion in sales in 2003, which is larger then the entire gross national product of Israel and Ireland combined.
It has over 1.3 million employees. It sells more groceries, jewelry, photo processing, dog food, and vitamins than any other chain in the world.
Wal-Mart is owned by the Walton family.
Only we, the citizens of this great country can stop this race to the bottom.
"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
And to realize that a lot of our products are even cheaper than Walmarts!


alex

[Lay-Lay]

I don't care how tight my budget is, how cheap Walmart has something, how much organic they have I will not shop there. I have seen them go into so many towns and promise all these jobs. People arer then so grateful for them. But what is not realized is they cause just as many people to lose their jobs. They put out most of the mom and pop stores. I think it is sooo sad. If walmart has watermelonn for $3.99 and my mom and pop store has them for $9.99, well mom and pop store here I come. It is worth the extra dollars I do not have. Those mom and pop stores are in part what makes up real communities. Walmart in my opinion makes a community so commercial and sucks the life out of our hometowns.

I ask all of you to support you local mom and pops stores in anyway you can.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Hey, you gotta love Walmart. If it wasn't for Walmart, then all those lawyers and website developers would have nothing better to do, and the "victims" who got their huge settlements would now have to work for a living.

Thank goodness we live in a country where we all can choose to shop at any store we wish.