The Long, Eaten Path

by Jonathan O’Keefe
July 1, 2009

Knowing where food and clothing comes from is important to many consumers. Stores that stock their inventories with local goods have a lighter carbon footprint, and customers can rest assured that the most money possible re-enters their local economy when they purchase items. We chose different goods from three local stores and three national chain stores in Jackson, and showed how far they travel before arriving to your shopping cart.

Produce, Strawberry
Kroger (Chain), Multiple locations
• Where do they come from? Driscoll’s, Watsonville, Calif.
• Driscoll’s has produced strawberries since 1944, and uses only natural growing methods.
• Mileage: 2,058
• Fuel consumption: 334 gallons of gas for an 18-wheeler
• Where do they go? When strawberries go bad, they have to be thrown out. Kroger donates many other items, such as bread, to local food pantry Gleaners (359 N. Mart Plaza, 601-981-4240).

Produce, Blueberry
Rainbow Whole Foods Co-Op Grocery, 2807 Old Canton Rd. 601-366-1602
• Where do they come from? Teresa Gilmore
• Teresa Gilmore grows blueberries in Madison, Miss., and transports them herself to Rainbow Grocery.
• Mileage: 13 miles
• Fuel consumption: .65 gallons in average car
• Where do they go? Rainbow manages to use most of their leftover blueberries in their own High Noon Café. They dehydrate the fruit, and sell them in that form. If all else fails, they will donate to Gleaners (359 N. Market Plaza, 601-981-4240) or give away as compost.

Clothing, Dress
JCPenney, Multiple locations
• Where does it come from? China
• The dress is fashioned in China and put on a barge to be shipped to America.
• Mileage: 7,190 miles
• Fuel consumption: Estimated 715 tons
• Where does it go? JCPenney says its stores do not overstock items because every time an item is scanned for purchase, the message is sent to the corporate office so they will know what the store needs.

Clothing, Dress
Libby Story & Company, Multiple locations
• Where does it come from? Magnolia Flea Market, Florence, Miss.
• Libby McRight, owner of Libby Story, picks up vintage dresses, art and accessories from the flea market herself and takes the items to the store.
• Mileage: 26.8
• Fuel consumption: 1.3 gallons in average car
• Where does it go? If the store does not sell a dress or is overstocked, the Libby Story will sew it into a new design or contract an outside local seamstress to do the same.

Food, Potatoes for French fries
Chili’s, Multiple locations
• Where do they come from? Adams Brothers Produce, Idaho
• Adam’s Brothers Produce is a distribution company for the southeastern region of the United States. The company gets its potatoes primarily from Idaho.
• Mileage: 1,988
• Fuel consumption: 332 gallons in an 18-wheeler
• Where do they go? Chili’s produces by order, so they rarely have any food left over.

Food, Potatoes for French fries
Cool Al’s , 4654 McWillie Drive, 601-713-302
• Where do they come from? Herman Cockrell Farm, Mize, Miss.
• Herman Cockrell grows potatoes himself to be sold at Herman and Brenda’s Farmers’ Market. Al Stamp of Cool Al’s buys potatoes here to produce his fries.
• Mileage: 55
• Fuel consumption: 3 gallons of gas on an average 18-mpg pickup truck
• Where do they go? The folks at Cool Al’s know how to produce just enough. Stamp says that they usually run out by the end of the day.