5 Rockland ShopRites Launch Fair Trade Produce Section

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Saying that they're aiming at promoting and protecting "the agriculture of the future," five ShopRite stores in Rockland County have created a fair trade/organic section for produce. The Taste Me, Do Good* displays are clearly marked with a colorful graphic.

The ShopRites owned by the Inserra family are in:

• Garnerville
• New City
• Stony Point
• Tallman
• West Nyack

"The program perfectly aligns with our family and company values of providing healthy and nutritious foods to people, giving back to the community, being committed to environmental sustainability, and taking care of the farmworkers who do the hard work of producing the foods we enjoy,” said Carl Inserra Jr. of Inserra Supermarkets ShopRite in a press release. “For us, it's a win-win – great products, a great story to tell, and a meaningful experience to bring to our customers."

Inserra’s Taste Me, Do Good* program will showcase seasonal and imported organic products year round. All Taste Me, Do Good* products are grown with the highest levels of food safety and strict social and environmental standards. The company operates “model best practice” farms in Latin America and around the U.S., and works with associated farmers, often small and medium-sized operators, cooperatives and rural workers.

“Our work creates a model for an agriculture of the future,” explains Rafael Goldberg, CEO of Interrupcion in Brooklyn, NY, marketer of Taste Me, Do Good* products. “Consumers get premium quality, great tasting, organic and fair trade products at a great value, and farmers and workers get dignified treatment and investment back into their communities. Our focus on organic and biodynamic agriculture is also a powerful way to protect the soil, water, and environment for future generations. It’s a win-win-win relationship for everyone involved.”

The organization offers various services to associated farmers to enhance product quality, and create social and environmental impact.

“We’re raising the bar on what food and agriculture can be,” says Goldberg. “We provide financing, quality assurance, agricultural technology and capacity building, technical support for organic farming and fair trade processes, bio-fertilizers and supply chain logistics services – all with the goal of growing exceptional produce that changes the world for the better, provides organic nutrition to consumers, and positively impacts lives and communities.”

The family-owned Inserra Supermarkets chain owns and operates 5 ShopRite stores in Rockland County and 17 in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties in New Jersey. Currently, shoppers will find multiple varieties of fair trade organic pears and apples from Argentina and organic blueberries from North Carolina and Washington State.

Lindsey Inserra, vice president of corporate retail health and wellness at Inserra Supermarkets ShopRite, adds, "When you put good things in your body, you feel good. And with these products, you're doing something good for others as well, and that feels great. We are a family-owned business, and helping other families – from our customers to our vendors, growers and well beyond – is one of our core philosophies. This project does just that in its support of dedicated farmers, farmworkers and their families, and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Through this program, Inserra is committed to offering a full line of Taste Me, Do Good* organic fair trade products in stores, including pears, apples, blueberries, strawberries, and tropical items such as pineapples and mangos. To tell the story, the company will be featuring Taste Me, Do Good* bin displays and signage, and be engaging shoppers via social media.

"On top of this program being very in-line with our company values, we're focused on bringing more and more organic items into our stores and providing the best quality product to our shoppers while creating great value for them,” says Eric Beelitz, director of produce for Inserra. “I'm really happy with what I've seen so far."