Comments | inqueery: I like Whole Foods generally but...

inqueery

I like Whole Foods generally but...

Apr 07, 2009 20:32

...I've had a long suspicion that they have been trying to sell food as being locally or from a small farm - and at one time that might have been true - but no longer is. Nonetheless, the signage is still there. Today I was looking at my jar of 365 Peanut Butter and found this little gem:

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Comments 9

33mhz April 8 2009, 02:07:23 UTC

It's the 51st state.

inqueery April 8 2009, 02:47:56 UTC

I have a feeling they feel otherwise :-D

chris21718 April 8 2009, 02:08:50 UTC

Ha Ha. Reminds me of the "Natural Artificial Ingredients" that appeared on some label back in the late 80s or early 90s.

Not a lot of Peanuts grown in Canada... dr_ew April 8 2009, 02:09:30 UTC

Peanuts are grown primarily in the Southern United States - I bet it is simply produced in Canada using imported US Peanuts - the packaging would be USA specific because all of our (Canadian) packages must be in English and French. Why WF's house brand (365) would be produced in Canada - I don't have the foggiest idea...

http://www.peanutbureau.ca/Canada/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.page&pid=43

"Because of the Canadian climate, the amount of peanuts grown within Canada is very small. About a dozen peanut farmers are located in Southern Ontario, many of whom sell their crop directly from their farms or at local community markets.

The total amount of peanuts farmed in Ontario may be as small as a couple hundred tons -- compared to over 76,408 tons imported to Canada from the U.S. in 2005."

Re: Not a lot of Peanuts grown in Canada... inqueery April 8 2009, 02:49:17 UTC

Yes I would wager the label mismatch has to do with the difference between *grown* and *manufactured*. Still seems really silly to ship peanuts from "the south" up to, say, Ontario, and then ship them back.

Re: Not a lot of Peanuts grown in Canada... pa747sp April 8 2009, 05:11:04 UTC

This is one of those examples where the 'free market' makes no sense at all. All the Canadian manufacturer is adding to the product is their branding - surely peanut butter can be made in the US in the same way, much closer to the source of the raw material.
What is even more cynical is that I bet that the manufacturers target the 'soft green' market, people who are concerned about food miles, food additives, food processing etc.

richie73 April 8 2009, 02:52:59 UTC

Maybe another outgrowth of globalization? Peanuts growing in USA and then shipped to Canada for processing?

inqueery April 8 2009, 02:57:10 UTC

Ya I would wager that's the case ... still misleading to bang the "made locally" drum I'd think...

waxmaster May 14 2009, 09:26:03 UTC

I'm going to guess that whole foods wanted to offer a store-brand peanut butter that met their requirements (whatever they may be - organic, fertilized only with poop from organically fed non GMO cows, peanuts grown in the US) and they found a canadian manufacturer willing to private-label their product for the most competitive price compared with other suppliers soooooo it's a natural fit. It meets the requirements of their philosophy and their business model.

It's been too long since I've seen you, Joel.