The following table was compiled from a series of visits to grocery stores in the Chicago and Philadelphia suburbs in January and February, 2007.
A few interesting things to note:
1. Most of the brands source a significant portion of their assortment from China. Notable exceptions are the O brand at Safeway, although they do source from Mexico, and the Sunrich brand which is highlighted with “Grown in the USA.”
2. Another thing to note is that the chains specializing in organics (Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Wegmans) generally charge less for organics than the mainstream super markets like Safeway.
3. Finally, vegetables that are grown both in the U.S. and in China, such as Edamame in Wegmans, do not charge a premium for U.S. production.