Monday, 5 March 2007

No more Capers?

I heard some sad news tonight. Wild Oats Markets, which owns Capers Markets in Vancouver, has been bought out by Whole Foods, the massive US corporate monolith of industrial organics. It was hard enough to take that Capers was bought by an American chain, but at least they left Capers as Capers. They still support the local community, and most importantly, they still source as much as possible from local farmers.

Whole Foods, it seems, likes to get their fingers into the batter a little more than Wild Oats. All the newly acquired stores will become Whole Foods. They will be remodeled and restocked to fit the Whole Foods image and product line. That means produce too. This is potentially devastating for local farming around Vancouver. While Whole Foods claims to support local agriculture, the evidence isn't there that they do so to the extent that Capers does. Without this huge market for their produce, our local organic farms could be struggling to survive. The farmers will suffer, and consumers will have to work a lot harder to locate their products.

All is not lost, however. It will be more important than ever to support your local farmers' market, and those shops that do sell local produce. Choices Markets, Granville Island Public Market, and Eternal Abundance Organic Market (1025 Commercial Drive) come to mind. Check out Farm Folk City Folk's Knowledge Pantry for more links to sources of local food: coops, buying clubs, farms, restaurants.... And, there's never been a better time to start that garden in your back yard or on your balcony.

Perhaps the most important thing we can do is get on the back of Whole Foods and don't get off until they prove they are in support of local farmers. They have to respond to consumer demand, so get out there and demand local produce. And while you're at it, demand that they pay a fair price to those farmers so they can make a living wage by growing the food that sustains us. No need to stop there, either. Whole Foods has been known to require farmers to pay for a third party inspection on top of their already very cumbersome and pricey organic certification in order to prove they meet standards set by the Whole Foods chain. These farmers don't need this kind of added burden. So get on the phone, get out your pens, and get your typing fingers warmed up. If we're stuck with Whole Foods, we might as well encourage them to do a little more good.

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