Oranges and Apples

This story about the new SuperValu distribution center caught my eye today. The long and short of it is that the company is building a $25 million facility right here in Champaign “designed to provide “higher quality, wider variety and faster delivery of produce” to its retail customers in eight surrounding states.

I’m a grocery store snob (and proud of it) of the first degree, and I’m a staunch produce critic (frankly, the Urbana Farmer’s Market and others can’t start soon enough for me). I wonder if this new facility will have an impact locally, besides creating new jobs. Besides going the farmer’s market route — an option limited to the summer months — I struggle to find a consistent source of quality produce in this market. One can only hope that having this facility in our backyards will force our local groceries to upgrade the quality and freshness of our food supply.