Trading Partners

It should come as no surprise that organic and natural products have launched a peaceful invasion into grocery aisles. Make no mistake, however:

Weis Markets, Inc. has launched its new “Unmistakably Weis” television commercials, which aim to highlight the regional grocer’s commitment to being a locally focused company offering a strong combination of value, service and quality.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spartan Stores says it has redefined grocery shopping with the opening of its newest D&W Fresh Market.

MOM’s Organic Market, a six-store organic grocery chain in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metro area, plans to launch a company-wide environmental initiative aimed at reducing plastic use by eliminating all bottled water in its stores.

Northeasterners normally must wait until July for local ripe tomatoes, but some upstate New York Wegmans shoppers received theirs a lot earlier: the first ripe cherry and grape tomatoes were picked May 21 at the grocer’s Organic Research Farm in Canandaigua, N.Y., a mere two months after planting — fulfilling Wegmans’ ambition to get the fruit in its stores before the unofficial start of summer.

Yesterday, online grocer FreshDirect doubled its locally sourced offerings to over 350 products during the peak summer season.

Internet grocer Peapod this week will host its first community forum as part of a continuing initiative to provide healthy food choices in “food deserts,” where mainstream grocery stores are scarce.

In an extension of Barilla USA’s goal to provide families with the necessary tools to make mealtimes special, the Bannockburn, Ill.-based pasta company has revamped its Share the Table online resource.