Shoppers who want organic options haven't always had a lot of options in the Costco produce department--strawberries, blueberries, salad greens, carrots and occasionally butternut squash. Buyers had to look for the word "organic" highlighted in yellow on the price sign to find them in a rush.
But with an organics promotion going on now through March 2, all the signs are easier to find because they've been replaced with an all green sign. It's part of Costco's push to save on organics with a coupon booklet available at the service desk. The coupons are for packaged products such as trail mix, snack chips, juice, cereal, whole grains, hummus, and a spinach-cheese ravioli, not on fresh produce.
The coupons on brands from Cascadian Farm, Seeds of Change, Kashi Stonyfield, and Harry's are for $1.50 to $3 off. Consumers do not need to have the coupon booklet to save. Savings are automatically deducted at the register.
Hundreds of likes and comments at the Moms Across America Facebook page indicate that having more organic choices is a big deal for many families. Still, one person criticized some of the brands that have recently been purchased by corporations, including Kashi (Kellogg's) and Cascadian Farm (General Mills), which have a history of including GMO-ingredients.
The Costco in St. Louis Park has the entire line of packaged organics featured on each cap end in one main aisle. Maybe this will propel Sam's Club to start offering more organics too. So far, the Arkansas-based wholesaler has been slow to add organic items.
