Food doesn't only have to be fresh, it needs a story as well

This from today's New York Times ("Food-Shopping Tips Direct From the Manager," by Ron Leiber):

Not every grocery store bothers to highlight local products. So you may need to ask what comes from nearby and who grew or made it. “One of the things Whole Foods taught us is the need to tell stories” about our products, Mr. Heinen said. In fact, Heinen’s has 50 stories that it trains employees to tell customers about its meat, produce, baked goods and other items.

I guess it's not surprising, in the wake of salmonella scares on tomatoes and spinach, that the dominant narrative for food products is becoming, "where did this come from, and how did it get here?"

narrative, food, produce, New York Times