Wegmans is our ethical grocer of the week. Let’s find out why…
Wegmans is a regional supermarket chain with 101 stores. If you’ve ever visited a Wegmans you were undoubtedly dazzled by its displays of fresh produce, artisan breads, and other baked goods. Aesthetically, Wegmans feels like grocery store heaven. That first time you walk in you almost hear the angels sing.
Yet, what you may not know about Wegmans is all the wonderful things that they have going on behind the scenes. For starters, Wegmans brand items contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Also, to meet the demand for more organic items Wegmans offers over 3,000 organic items, with many more on the way. Then, to guarantee the freshest food, produce is sourced from a network of 400 family farms that are close in proximity to Wegmans stores. As a bonus to consumers, Wegmans uses a Wellness Keys guide to show consumers at a glance how each food helps to meet their health and wellness goals.
Sustainability Practices
Now Wegmans has several sustainability practices that also factor into why they are our ethical grocer of the week. Since 2016, Wegmans has increased the use of renewable plant-based material, mineral fillers, and post-consumer recycled plastic in their packaging. In doing so they have avoided the use of more than 6 million pounds of virgin fossil-based plastic, equating to approximately 150 truckloads worth of packaging.
Wegmans has also committed to reducing emissions. Here are some of their key initiatives.
- Utilizing highly efficient LED technology
- Using natural refrigerant technology, which reduces the amount of traditional refrigerant used in their stores and facilities.
- The use of compressed natural gas fuel in trucks, helping to reduce consumption of diesel fuel.
- The installation of solar panels at several of their corporate office buildings, a distribution center, and various store locations and at their Organic Farm in Canandaigua, NY.
Wegmans has also pledged to continually improve their packaging, with a focus on reducing food waste, increasing renewable/recycled content, and recyclability to get closer to zero waste. This is being accomplished by diverting more than half of the waste generated by their stores and facilities from local landfills. Instead, Wegmans has formed partnerships with farmers, composters, haulers and recyclers to use the waste in more sustainable ways.
So that’s why Wegmans is our ethical grocer of the week. If you haven’t yet had the honor of shopping at Wegmans, you are in for a real treat. When you do you’ll feel like a kid in a candy store. Though besides the aesthetics, it’s good to know that Wegmans is just as passionate about sustainability, wellness and environmental advocacy as they are about being an outstanding grocer.
Are you a Wegmans fan?
