The Big "O" at Vons/Safeway/Randalls

I've fallen off the Whole Paycheck wagon, and gotten on the Safeway "O" (or Organics) pony.

When Safeway first began offering organic milk and other dairy products in a distinctive, Whole Foods-ish color scheme, I was intrigued. As ambivalently as I feel about large supermarkets, and as ambivalently as I feel about the expense of Whole Foods' inventory, in the end I am price conscious. And I don't want to "go back" to using fresh ingredients that are pesticide-laden, antibiotic-filled, or hormone-injected.

There's no way to be completely innocent of carbon footprint sins and other stains on my ecological purity. So I have to do the best I can, and try to bring it in under budget.

The "O" line at Vons is actually a pretty good solution. I buy those products on sale and it's a practically a bargain. When a half gallon of organic milk is hovering at $3.99, buying it for $3.50 or $3.29 helps. It all adds up. They're starting to expand their product line, too.

They offer fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, diary & eggs, baby/toddler foods, and beverages. My son likes the drink pouches--the tart-tasting apple is his favorite.

In another post, I'll check on exactly how organic this relatively new line is. Is it for real, or is it just really really good greenwashing? Stay tuned.