Big name, big selection, big farms?

Finishing my day at 11:30, and living my life with spontaneity, I hit Giant Foods grocery store late the other night in search of the local produce they’ve been touting in their summer advertising. Called the "Roadside Stand," Giant Foods works with 40 local farmers in the DC Metro area to provide fresh, local produce at all of their area locations.

I purchased local cantaloupe, melon, peaches and nectarines, cucumber and cheese, all labeled from Landover, MD. When I returned home that night, and thought of the mass quantities of fruit, veggies, and Giant dairy products it would take to supply all of the stores in the area (101 within 20 miles of my house alone), I wondered just how great this local campaign is.

When I strive to buy local, I am making a personal commitment to support the farmers and small businesses that often suffer due to agri-business interests seeking quantity over quality. At first glance, I was proud of Giant Foods for supporting something that I felt so strongly about, but after glancing over the amount of produce they have available, I have to wonder, how much of Giant’s local is just a label?

I’d be interested to see pictures of the farms and dairies that are supplying giant. Are they traditional family farms, the same farmers that I see when I visit the farmers’ market on a Sunday morning, or do they replicate images of corporate farming, and despicable production practices that are taking over the American landscape? I wonder who I have to call to find out? ~Brandi