'Pride of NY Harvest Week' at Walmart Stores This Week

ALBANY, NY (09/22/2009)(readMedia)-- New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today announced that Walmart stores across the State will be highlighting locally grown and produced food in celebration of its annual "Pride of New York Harvest Week" that runs September 22 – 28. For the past eight years, Walmart has partnered with the State's Pride of New York Program to recognize the abundant bounty of New York's harvest.

"Consumers are demanding local products, and Walmart is responding," the Commissioner said. "In fact, for the past eight years, farmers and consumers alike have benefited from the burgeoning relationship between the mega-retailer and our Pride of New York program, which helps consumers identify New York products in the marketplace. I thank Walmart for their commitment to buy local, not only during this week, but all year long, as New York has a variety of both fresh and processed products to offer."

Paul Busby, Walmart's Regional Operations Manager, said, "In the U.S., we're buying more locally grown produce. For example, we now buy peaches from 18 different states, reducing transportation costs and saving about 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year. So, this is an exciting week for us because this partnership shines a spotlight on what we at Walmart do every day, bringing our customers affordable locally grown fruits and vegetables."

This week, 53 Walmart Supercenters across New York State will showcase fresh farm produce grown by New York farmers, as well as an assortment of processed and value-added products made in New York, including milk and dairy products, eggs, meats, and processed goods such as salad dressings, bakery items, pancake mixes, canned goods and more. New York products will be identified with Pride of New York signage, making it easy for customers to recognize which produce and products are locally grown or made.

On Thursday, September 24th at the Albany Walmart Supercenter, Commissioner Hooker will join representatives of Walmart and several New York farmers to publicly acknowledge the week-long promotion. Following are some of the New York growers that supply fresh New York product to Walmart and are participating in the event.

• Bushwick Commission Co. of Farmingdale (Nassau County) supply white, red and Yukon gold potatoes, which are distributed by Rapasadi and Sons, Inc. of Canastota (Madison County)
• Eden Valley Growers of Eden (Erie County) provide eggplant, bell peppers, green beans, summer squash and winter squash
• H2Gro Greenhouses of Lewiston (Niagara County) provide tomatoes on the vine
• Hinderwadel of North Syracuse (Onondaga County) provide their famous salt potatoes
• Mayer Bros. of West Seneca (Seneca County) provide apple cider, as well as natural fruit juices and spring water
• New York Apple Sales of Castleton (Columbia County) provide a variety of apples
• Reeves Farms of Baldwinsville (Onondaga County) provide winter and summer squashes, bell peppers, corn, strawberries, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and more
• Torrey Farms of Elba (Orleans County) provide several kinds of squash, cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkins, potatoes and more
• Turek Farms of King Ferry (Cayuga County) provide corn and green beans, as well as acorn, butternut, spaghetti, yellow and zucchini squash

There will also be an abundance of processed or value-added products featured during the week and throughout the store. Some of those New York products include Dinosaur BBQ Sauce and Gianelli Sausage from Syracuse (Onondaga County), milk and dairy products from Garelick Farms in Rensselaer (Rensselaer County) and McCadam cheese produced in Chateaugay (Franklin County).

Buying local has tremendous economic, health and environmental benefits. The money consumers spend on local produce stays in the local community and is typically turned over several times to generate even more economic activity locally. Local produce does not have to be transported far, reducing food miles, which reduces fuel costs and can cut greenhouse gas emissions. Buying local keeps farmland open and productive, and it means fresher fruits and vegetables, which are picked at the peak of freshness, taste better, and are more nutritious.

The Pride of New York is the State's branding program for the promotion of New York State food and agricultural products. In addition to helping consumers find New York food, the Pride of New York Program assists farmers and food processors in promoting their products by using the Pride of New York emblem, and encourages retailers and restaurants to highlight the New York State products they use and sell by displaying the emblem. To find out more about the Pride of New York Program, call 1-800-554-4501 or visit www.prideofny.com.

PHOTOGRAPH: To request pictures from the event on Thursday, please email Jessica Chittenden Ziehm at jessica.chittenden@agmkt.state.ny.us.

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