Organic Groceries in the Metro
Health and cost factor into Oklahoma City residents organic food buys
Shoppers’ options include clubs where they pay a little above wholesale
Oklahoman
BY JENNIFER PALMER
Published: January 22, 2009
A week after moving to Oklahoma City, Judy Cole searched for some of her favorite organic groceries at the Quail Springs SuperTarget.
Horizon organic milk, sugar-free apple butter and Ezekiel 4:9 Bread are all products she’ll buy — if the price is right.
"The price is a problem sometimes,” said the former Waco, Texas, resident. "I would buy it (organic) more often if it wasn’t so expensive.”
While many consumers are striving to slash their grocery bill, some say giving up the organic products they’re accustomed to is not an option.
"(Organic) milk we buy no matter what,” said Robin Naik of Edmond. She said she also chooses organic fruits and vegetables because they are healthier for her children.
Wide range available
SuperTarget grocery stores now offer more than 1,000 organic products — everything from milk and eggs to tortilla chips and olive oil — and the list is growing with consumer demand. Archer Farms, a Target brand, offers a number of organic versions of popular products.
"Organic is a trend we’re seeing,” Target Spokeswoman Michaela Gleason said.
"Our guests are really watching what they put in their bodies,” she said.
Though organic may not be as popular in Oklahoma as some other states, there are plenty of die-hard followers, said Jerry Lawhon, manager of Nutritional Food Center in downtown Oklahoma City.
Cutting costs
For some people, cutting organic foods out of their diet has been a way to save money. But others "make a cut somewhere else,” he said.
Joining a buying club is one way to save money on organic foods, said Nicole Imes, who coordinates the OKC Cultured Kitchens Buying Club.
It takes a little more planning than stopping at the store because orders are placed monthly, but the savings are worth it, she said.
In a buying club, members often pay a small fee but are able to buy organic groceries at slightly more than wholesale prices. Another buying club is coordinated through the Nutritional Food Center.
Oklahoma Ties
Places to find organic groceries
→Crest Foods (six metro-area locations)
→SuperTarget stores (three metro-area locations)
→Akin’s Natural Foods Market (two locations)
→The Health Food Center, 7301 S Pennsylvania Ave.
→Nutritional Food Center, 1026 Classen Blvd.
→The Earth Natural Foods & Gardens, 309 S Flood Ave. in Norman
→Native Roots Market, 132 W Main St. in Norman
→Dodson’s Nutritional Food Center, 1305 36th Ave. in Norman
→OKC Cultured Kitchens Buying Club, 684-6167
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Originally Posted by Jim Stark
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