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Wild Oats organic line coming to area Walmart stores [Detroit Free Press :: ](Detroit Free Press (MI) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 11--Walmart, the nation's largest grocer, will begin carrying the Wild Oats organic line of food products at select metro Detroit stores this month. This is a relaunch of the Wild Oats brand that was originally introduced in 1987. The brand, Walmart says, will be priced competitively with other nonorganic items and cost at least 25% less than other national organic brands. "We know our customers are interested in purchasing organic products and, traditionally, those customers have had to pay more," Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of grocery at Walmart U.S., said in a news release. "We are changing that and creating a new price position for organic groceries that increases access." Walmart's announcement prompted a response from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health and nutrition advocacy group. In an online statement, CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson said that "Walmart's big move into organics means that more of our land will be farmed with organic methods and more Americans will have access to organic food at prices lower than they'd find at other retailers. Like with everything else Walmart does, there will be trade-offs here. Regardless of the company's behavior in other spheres, it has demonstrated before that its marketplace power can help drive valuable progress on nutrition and the environment." Wild Oats organic products follow the USDA guidelines for organic certification and include chicken broth and canned vegetables. Contact Susan Selasky: 313-222-6432 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SusanMariecooks. Or sign up for The Dish, her weekly newsletter, at www.freep.com/newsletters. ___ (c)2014 the Detroit Free Press Visit the Detroit Free Press at www.freep.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |