August 2, 2021

Confronted with so much uncertainty last year, many people took comfort in the simple act of supporting their neighborhood retailers. And when it comes to food shopping in particular, research suggests that Americans’ desire to buy from local and regional growers won’t be fading anytime soon. Regardless of how large or small their community is, 70 percent of people recognize the importance of purchases that support their local economy, and about 60 percent value locally grown products when they go food shopping.

It doesn’t hurt that local food is more readily available, even in the midst of a crisis, according to the majority of shoppers. But the benefits of filling grocery carts with locally sourced items, especially produce, extend well beyond convenience alone. For starters, purchases from local growers can generate income for other local businesses. Additionally, produce that has traveled shorter distances to reach grocery store shelves tastes fresher and retains more of its nutrients. Moreover—and perhaps most important for today’s environmentally conscious consumers—shopping from local and regional growers can help curb carbon emissions, waste and pesticide use.

“It's about building relationships. We grow our business together, so we’re both in it together.”

Ricardo Dimarzio, Mid-Atlantic Produce Sales Manager for Safeway

A harvest crew manager transports fresh kale to the Consalo Family Farms central warehouse in Vineland, N.J.

Some grocery stores are helping lead the way forward for a local food movement that benefits the environment. Safeway, for example, has been working with sustainable local and regional farmers for generations, and more recently began sourcing vegetables and herbs from low-impact vertical farms in the D.C. area. These efforts are reducing negative effects on the planet, while also ensuring that shoppers get the freshest blueberries and crispest salad greens. What’s more, Safeway’s approach is helping support a network of family growers and modern farming companies alike.

“It's about building relationships. We grow our business together, so we’re both in it together,” said Ricardo Dimarzio, Mid-Atlantic Produce Sales Manager for Safeway.

How local farming provides a foundation for a sustainable food system

Over the past two years, half of consumers have adjusted their eating habits in an effort to live more sustainably, whether that has meant cutting down on food waste, paying more attention to food companies’ environmental impacts, or adding more fresh and local foods to their diets. But the pandemic showed people just how important those habits can be to their health and survival, according to food industry experts. Eating certain fruits and vegetables can boost immunity, for example, especially if they are picked fresh.

“Locally grown crops are being harvested at their peak. That's when they're dense in nutrients,” said Chelsea Consalo, who represents the fourth generation of New Jersey-based Consalo Farms, which began doing business with Safeway in the 1960s. After they’re picked, local fruits and vegetables spend less time in transit, ultimately reaching grocery stores and consumers more quickly and with nutrients intact. On the other hand, when produce is shipped across long distances, factors such as air quality, artificial lighting and temperature changes during transport can lower foods’ nutritional value, according to Consalo. Her family farm specializes in growing, packing and shipping blueberries, citrus fruits, cooking greens, herbs, salad items and hard squash, all of which can be found at Safeway stores in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Consalo Farms also exemplifies how growers can contribute to a more sustainable food system. For starters, shorter shipping distances mean less fuel consumption and air pollution. Consalo Farms also has a local recycling program and is working to reduce waste by using top-seal packaging that contains 35 percent less plastic than conventional packaging materials. Another big priority for the farm is water conservation, which the family achieves through an app-controlled drip irrigation system that sends just enough water to crops at specific time intervals. Soil health also contributes to the farm’s overall sustainability and helps cut down on water use, according to Consalo.

“Something as simple as mulching increases moisture retention in the soil, and it can regulate the soil temperature,” she said.

How a local food supply chain works

Local produce can benefit our health, our planet and our taste buds.

The environmental benefits of choosing local food at the grocery store

The basis of Safeway’s relationship with Consalo Farms—high quality products, delivered consistently—is still there. What has changed is how both sides approach sustainability. For the Consalo family, new technologies are making it possible to boost water conservation and soil health and cut back on packaging waste. For Safeway, efforts to work with more regional and local growers have only intensified. The company has stopped shipping California produce to its East Coast stores, for instance, in favor of stocking its produce sections with seasonal, regional specialties, whether it’s blueberries from New Jersey in June, honeycrisp apples from Pennsylvania in the fall, or corn and watermelon from Maryland during the summer.

“They grow it right there and they ship it right there, and it's in our warehouse within two hours. That's what's going to be the future.”

Ricardo Dimarzio, Mid-Atlantic Produce Sales Manager for Safeway

Fostering relationships with local growers has been crucial for Safeway, according to Dimarzio. By giving local and regional farmers regular business, Safeway can be among the first to know when new products come available. To that end, Safeway has also branched out beyond traditional agriculture to work with a new integrated farming company called Bowery Farming, which grows a variety of salad greens and herbs at its vertical greenhouse in Baltimore. The company is also experimenting with growing strawberries and cucumbers, according to Dimarzio. Safeway is able to specify which products they want to buy, how much they need and when they need it, reducing food waste and ensuring a fresher product. Lettuce, microgreens, and basil, for instance, are all cut to order.

“They grow it right there and they ship it right there, and it's in our warehouse within two hours,” Dimarzio said. “That's what's going to be the future.”

These kinds of efforts ultimately help ensure that shoppers can access the freshest possible products, get the most nutritional benefits, and know that they’re doing their part to help reduce waste and carbon emissions. And they’ll be supporting people like Consalo, who is paying it forward by donating blueberry plants to a local school and speaking to students about local agriculture and sustainability. In turn, she said, “the community can support the farms.”

Lead Photo: Driven by the pandemic and the growing environmental movement, grocery shoppers and stores alike have a renewed appreciation for locally grown products