Sprouts Farmers Market's New Initiative Is Making Organic Food More Accessible

Sprouts Farmers Market isn't your typical grocery store. The specialty food chain, which stocks natural and organic products, bills its fruits and vegetables as "the season's freshest, most delicious produce around." Inventory varies from state to state — 23 of which play host to Sprouts stores as of this writing — according to what's available. Unlike your average supermarket, you probably won't have strawberries, blueberries, or heirloom tomatoes in the middle of winter. 

In turn, the chain is dedicated to supporting local farms. Its website features plenty of information about the small businesses that supply its produce from around the country. Sprouts shoppers in New York, for example, can read about Fish Creek Orchards, Fix Bros. Farm, and Red Jacket Orchards, who supply Sprouts' Empire State outposts with a variety of fresh apples. 

This week, Sprouts announced a new initiative that will help it reach another level of sustainability. The program, which launched in all of its California stores on Tuesday, aims to save perfectly good produce from being thrown out. 

Sprouts Farmers Market launched its Rescued Organics program in all 130 of its California locations this week, per a Tuesday press release. The program aims to combat food waste by accepting "imperfect" local produce that, though perfectly edible, is usually destined for the trash. "Rescued Organic produce may be misshapen, under or over-sized or slightly off color, but has the same great taste, nutrients, and amazing quality as other Sprouts produce," reads the announcement. The produce is also offered at a lower price than its unblemished counterparts, which is a big step in making organic food more accessible to shoppers on a budget. 

In addition to reducing waste, the program also benefits local farms, which take a profit hit from damaged fruits and vegetables. "[The program] allows [our farm] to more efficiently fill our produce trucks which helps the success of our local farm and lessen our overall carbon footprint for delivery of goods," says Mindy VanVleck of Nevada's Peri & Sons Farms. 

Sprouts isn't the only grocery chain leveling up sustainability efforts. Grocery Dive cites recent waste-reduction programs at Kroger's and Walmart, the latter of which partnered with Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment in 2022 to hold it accountable for reducing food waste by 50% in its West Coast stores this year.