Newsletters: November - December 2006
General Manager's Report
By Larrane Hartridge
Return of The Spinach!!
As a consumer I was very distressed over the recent incidents of e-coli contamination of California spinach. Although Florida was not required to pull spinach from the shelves, and New Leaf Market had not been buying brands in question, we decided to remove spinach from our shelves until more information was available. After the FDA lifted the ban on spinach we returned it to our shelves. I want to assure you that we take pride in the quality of our food and will always err on the side of caution whenever the safety of our food supply is in question. Thank you all for your understanding and patience.
Board Retreat
I recently attended a board of directors retreat where I was able to raise my concerns over the spinach issue. This led to greater discussion about buying local produce and the challenges that arise in buying local produce-namely, inconsistency of product and pricing. Many of our small local farmers sell their produce at local farmers'markets because cutting out the middle man, us, results in greater profit. I can't blame them for that.
Back in the day, I sold local produce to the Leon County Food Co-op, and any money that I made for my labor went right back into the garden by way of feed for the chickens and seeds for the crops. Being a local farmer is a tough job with little compensation, but I feel that local farming is getting more attention from our co-ops all over the country. Our board of directors has made a commitment to educate themselves more about local farmers and Florida farming in general.
Locally Grown
We are very concerned about supporting as many local farmers as possible. Fortunately, New Leaf Market has two main produce distributors who purchase organic produce from many Florida growers. Unfortunately, Florida's climate limits the types of produce that can be grown in-state. This results in items like lettuce having to be shipped from miles away. To complicate the issue, Florida farms are comparatively smaller than California farms meaning that Florida-grown tomatoes may exist but there might not be enough to go around.
We are currently working with a few local farmers to coordinate their crop selections. Look forward to new produce signage that will clearly delineate regionally-grown products.
Kudos to the Deli
Thank you all for the positive response to our deli self-serve counter. The new set up is proving to be convenient and efficient. With fewer employees serving food, we have been able to expand the hot bar and our selections of cold salads and Grab 'N Go items. Several folks have expressed concern that we are offering fewer vegan choices. We strive to always offer vegan, vegetarian and meat options on the hot bar. With the expansion of product choices, it may seem that we have reduced vegan items, but I assure you we have not. We continue to include vegan choices daily. All of these changes have taken considerable time and I would be remiss if I did not thank our new deli manager, Shannon Percy, and all of her staff for a job well done.
Coming to a Paper Near You
This November's Co-op Advantage Sales Flyer includes a special holiday entertaining section and a feature article about New Leaf Market. We are very excited about the fliers and will be inserting them in all Tallahassee Democrat newspapers on Sunday, November 5. Thanks to the NCGA, this year we also are offering Party Planning Guides. These colorful guides include recipes, offer helpful suggestions and provide shopping lists. Pick up a copy of the Co-op Advantage Party Planning Guide next time you're shopping. I think you will find that it is a helpful tool year round.
