conventional produce at whole foods

[themindless]

some of the produce at whole foods says conventional. does anybody know if that means they're just as bad as the food from regular stores? the prices of the conventional produce at whole foods are still fairly expensive so if i'm getting the same stuff from whole foods as i would at a regular store...

[RawHeaven]

I'm guessing conventional means it's not organic. :confused: I personally only eat organic produce from either my co-op or whole foods. I wouldn't want to eat regular produce obtained at whole foods or a grocery store regardless of less pesticide usage or price. But good question, cause I always wondered about what conventional really means there. I do know whole foods does label their produce usually above the item, so maybe the true status of conventional produce is listed there.

[VeggieMel]

I don't think conventional produce at Whole Foods is any better or less tainted than conventional produce at the grocery store.

[kaybee]

nope, i dont think so either; just more expensive :mad:
the conventional stuff does strike me as fresher as say giant or safeway (our other grocery stores) though. but its likely the same stuff from the same sources. ur paying for the ambience at whole foods.

[supergreen]

They certainly understand marketing. But they do provide lots of information with all of their produce, and I think they try to get it somewhat locally with some items.

I'm not about to complain about Whole Foods. I have to drive 3 hours one way to get to a Whole Foods. That's my only complaint. Be grateful you have one nearby. Their produce section is spectacular compared to most grocery stores. No store near me comes even comes close.

[soulstar]

Supergreen,

I hear you about being grateful, if you live near a well-stocked Produce Store, Whole Foods, or otherwise. I live 2 hours one way from a well-stocked HFS in another state, and I am grateful it isn't 3 hours away. Sorry yours is so far away.

In terms of OP, I agree that the pesticides are probably the same, though the food may be fresher, and more local at Whole Foods.

All the best,

Soulstar

[RawSweetie]

I sometimes choose conventional produce, for financial reasons, even though I aspire to all organic, all the time. The local grocery stores don't hold a candle to WF, in terms of quality of conventional produce, in my experience. Even though the pesticide issue is the same, the WF selection is sooooo much higher grade than the kind of third-rate stuff available at the other places.

[northernstars]

But to get to a real health food store we have to drive 160 miles one direction through a mountain pass! That is a bit difficult during the winter! So, we make do with what we can buy from the grocery store here.

[BGVDiva]

It may not be organic, but I have noticed many of the "Conventionally Grown" produce at Whole Foods often says that it was "Locally Grown".

This would definitely be an advantage over the mass produced/gassed/trucked/air freighted produce that is sitting on most chain grocery shelves. Also, from what I've heard here and elsewhere, "Locally Grown" produce is sometimes actually organically grown but the farmers choose not to pay the fees necessary to be "certified" as organic. I would say that if you can't afford organic, your next choice would be conventionally locally grown produce and your last choice would be conventional shipped chain store produce.

[themindless]

But to get to a real health food store we have to drive 160 miles one direction through a mountain pass! That is a bit difficult during the winter! So, we make do with what we can buy from the grocery store here.


wow i never knew it was so hard for you guys to get to whole foods or other health food stores. being from nyc, all i do is hop on a train and i guess we get to be picky since there are so many stores and everything, but unfortunately a lot of things are more expensive in nyc. convenience for price i guess.

[kaybee]

re: locally grown; yeah, i have noticed that whole foods does try to stock locally available where they can, at least on some products. i think one of the problems is with the availability of locally grown--where i am (western mass), you would have fairly small-scale farms (our garden is 2 acres), and were we to sell to whole foods or a grocery store, instead of just selling our stuff at farmers markets, we would be paid significantly less per pound or per item by a grocery store than by the farmers market. so its more worth it for small farmers to sell at farmers markets, because we can sell stuff for cheaper and fresher than whole foods, AND make more profit, so hit the farmers markets when you can--just something to keep in mind.

Also, that IS true about some of the locally grown stuff likely being organic, or close to it. The WF near us was advertising that they were selling apples from a local orchard. the apples are labeled conventional, but because my family is familiar with the farm, we know that they are really IPM--integrated pest management-- which means that they do spray, they are not organic, but they spray on an as-needed basis, rather than a full-blown spray schedule; i think ipm also tries to use non-chemical methods first if they can, and i think that i was told that IPM is the step towards organic. whatever it is, i know i cant afford organic apples, and i know these ones are much better than the "standard" non-local conventional ones. i hate that theres still pesticides being put into the earth and into my body, but of the 3 farmers markets we attend, i have not seen ANYONE selling "organic" apples, with the exception of a few farmers that sell a few unsprayed ones where you have to look out for bugs and worm-halves ;)

A further note on the local=possibly organic is this: our 2 acre garden is not "organic" becuase my dad finds it necessary to use a commercial fertilizer in order to keep the stuff growing. yes, organic fertilizer would be better, but organic fertilizer for such a large area tends to be pricey; you cant make enough compost out of kitchen scraps to feed a thousand tomato and pepper plants :) that said, aside from the commercial fertilizer, and one application of a chemical spray to green beans before the plants blossom, there are no other chemicals used in the garden. my dad uses an organic-approved spray on the cabbage, and the tomatoes, peppers, basil, parsley, kale, blackberries, blueberries, collards, lettuce, onions are all unsprayed. not "organic", but unsprayed. thus, i suspect this is sometimes/often the case when you get the "local"stuff; it may not be purely organic, but its alot better than conventional; people may spray if necessary to save the veggies and keep the farm going, but it is unlikely that they spray all the time as may be done with some of the regular "conventional" stuff. some locals may spray often, i dont know, but it does seems that when people are working on a smaller scale and hand-applying pesticides, etc, they may be more likely to do so carefully and in moderation, especially when they are growing in their own backyards. so yeah, GO LOCAL

soulstar--where are you exactly? if you are in western mass, you know there is a whole foods in on rt 9 in hadley, betw amherst and northampton-- ?closer than where you go now, possibly?

kaybee

[RollinRaw]

Integrated Pest Management means that the least toxic methods are being used to fight off any pest that may interfere with the growth of foods in the garden. This includes the use of some insects to control aphids or other pests that may make some plants/flowers/foods look unsightly or invasive insects that may ruin the crop. Horticultural oils to prevent the growth of insects that will eat the entire crop and diseases that could ruin harvest.

Also, it is what is in the soil. A good soil has worms in it. Healthy plants do far better in soils that are nitrogen based from manures and composts than they would do in a soil that uses, for example, Miracle Gro as its base. That product is like an IV drug to plants. (Personal opinion) Soil composition has a lot to do with IPM too.

IPM can be a personal matter for many. It is what is tolerable to to YOU as the person who is growing flowers for show. How much can you tolerate?? Do you mind if a few leaves look a little distorted from "some" insect damage?

So, in many respects, yes IPM is as close to organic as you will get. You use the least toxic measures available to you.

:D

[Nurse in the Raw]

Ever wonder what those little stickers were for on fruit and veges?

Conventional means it is grown with as many as 15 different pesticides. You can identify the produce with four numbers. Example: 4589

Organically grown fruit has five numbers and starts with a nine. Example: 95623

Genetically engineered (GMO's) has five numbers and starts with an eight. Example: 85742 (stay away from these).

Local produce does not require a sticker and is better than conventional because they are not stored in a warehouse for eons and their soil is not degraded with 15 different chemicals. Most local gardeners only use one type of pesticide so if you can't afford organic produce, local would be the next best option.

[Dakini]

So "conventional" produce means unorganic, wouldn't that imply that organic would be "unconventional"?

I think it's poor choice of words for a health food store, non-organic would be more to the point.

[Nurse in the Raw]

Strange isn't it?

[kaybee]

hey thats really interesting about the 15 organic chemicals possible in most grocery store produce, versus the likely 1 or 2 from local. also, the local stuff is not gonna be WAXED and even some organic (not local) stuff has that nasty wax stuff put on it. id take a cucumber from my parents commercially fertilized but unsprayed garden ANYDAY over an organic one thats been waxed and transported several thousand miles, then sat on a shelf for a while.

[River Mom]

Stacie,
You are so educated in this area. How do you know all of that and thanks for sharing with those of us who are UNEDUCATED... I really needed to know that.
RM