Dear Grocer...

photo by dmason via Flickr

by Fawn Pattison, Executive Director

If you live in a rural area, you may not have a wonderful grocery store full of organic items close by. Some larger grocery chains are incorporating more organics into their lines, in response to customer demand.

How can you get your local grocery store to do the same? Ask them!

One of the members of Toxic Free NC's Community Leadership Council, Connie Schultz, had a great idea. Why not create a sample letter that makes it easy for consumers to ask their local stores to do better?

Here's a sample letter that you can use. Just copy & paste the text and print it on your own stationery. Be sure to add your own name and address, and personalize it if there are other things you want to say.

If you hear back from your local grocer, let us know what they say!

Date, 2013

Your name and address

Dear Store Manager, 

I have been a customer at <your store> for many years. I appreciate all that you do to make shopping at <your store> a pleasant and convenient experience.  

You may know that organic foods are a fast-growing part of the marketplace. In fact, I and many of my friends drive all the way to <Raleigh or Chapel Hill, or Asheville...> to shop at the <large organic market>! That's inconvenient for me, and lost business for you. 

Would <your store> consider bringing more organic products in to the store so that I don't have to drive to another city to get them? In particular, I'd like to see:

• More fresh organic produce, especially North Carolina-grown varieties of sweet potatoes, strawberries, and greens

• Organic frozen vegetables like broccoli and spinach - they are so convenient!

• Organic dairy products, especially milk and yogurt

• <.... list the items you want to see!> 

Organic food is important because when you eat it, you take fewer toxic chemicals into your body. One of the other sources of toxic chemicals is actually the food packaging. Many retailers are getting Bisphenol-A (also known as BPA) out of their canned food and other packaging. I hope that <your store> will do the same.  

Thank you for considering my request. If you have any questions, you may reach me at <provide your phone, email or other method of contact>.  

Sincerely,
<Your full name>