Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Bi-Lo, Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores, on June 14 announced a new local sourcing policy, committing to only source produce from local farms and orchards in the Southeast whenever possible.
Jacksonville, Florida-based Southeastern Grocers says this policy should help grow Southeastern agriculture as well as provide customers with the freshest local produce from farmers and growers.
The chain says that as much as 30 percent of its in-season fruit and vegetable offerings currently are sourced directly from the Southeast. That translates to more than 150 varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables directly from the Southeast in the chain’s 750 stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Ian McLeod, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said, “We are focused on providing our customers stunning fresh produce; which has been grown by our own neighbors, families and communities in the Southeast.
“The numbers clearly confirm our customers prefer locally sourced produce,” he added. “We sell more than 1 million pounds of local strawberries each month and more than 1.1 million pounds of local red potatoes a month each season.”
Southeastern Grocers’ standards for fresh produce are:
• We work with our growers to provide a high standard of fresh produce planting, growing and harvesting.
• All of our produce is inspected by our growers, by our distribution centers and by our stores to provide the best quality product we can for our customers.
• Southeastern Grocers’ organic products are sourced from certified organic farmers who follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for organic farming, ensuring their crops are grown without synthetic herbicides or pesticides.
Chef Curtis Stone is celebrating SEG’s new commitment with a 700-mile tour, visiting farms and grower partners.
On June 13, Stone and a group of Bi-Lo associates visited Fowler’s Farms in Campobello, South Carolina, to learn about local squash and zucchini, and Stone visited a Bi-Lo store in Simpsonville, South Carolina. That was followed by visits to J&J Family of Farms and Bullard Farms in Adel, Georgia, and Lane Southern Orchards and Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, Georgia.
Harveys customers will have an opportunity to meet Chef Curtis during his farm tour at the following stores:
• Thursday, June 16, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Harveys located at 2201 North 12th Street, Tifton, GA 31794
• Friday, June 17, from 2:45-3:45 p.m. at Harveys located at 1605 Shurling Drive, Macon, GA 31211.
