Albertsons gets organic: From organic milk to organic oreos

Major grocery stores are getting into organics, big time. Vons got its "O" line of organic products a while back, and now Albertsons is getting Wild Harvest, an organic line of about 150 different products, to become 250 to 300 products over the long term.

For those who fear this Wild Harvest line will just be about junk food made with organic ingredients, rest assured that the line includes basic food staples too. Yes, you'll see organic oreo-type cookies at Albertson's now, but you'll also be able to get organic milk, eggs, meat, and fresh produce too.

The good news here is that organic food is becoming much easier to find -- as well as less expensive. Go into Albertsons now, and you'll be able to pick up items previously only seen in health food stores and Whole Foods -- at prices that are, according to SUPERVALU, about 15 percent lower than branded organic products.

The potential downside: Often, the push for bargain basement prices has meant a push for a weakening and cheapening of organic standards. As Samuel Fromartz already showed in his book Organic, Inc., big companies that get into organics sometimes don't embody the spirit of organic agriculture. Certainly, locavorians are unlikely to be psyched about stores selling inexpensive organic lettuce grown in China, especially if that undercuts the price competitiveness of the local, organic lettuce we can easily find at the farmers' market.

I still see the Wild Harvest line as good news, however, even if I'll continue to get my fruits and veggies at the Santa Monica farmers' market. Long term, my hope is that the debates surrounding local, organic, and sustainable food will gain increased public interest and scrutiny.

If you get the paper delivered, you should see Wild Harvest featured in your Sunday grocery circular. Wild Harvest, which was created by Albertsons' parent company SUPERVALU, will also show up at SUPERVALU's other stores, including Acme, bigg’s, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.