Inserra to offer local produce at all N.J., N.Y. Shoprite locations

Inserra Supermarkets has begun providing locally sourced produce to all of its 22 ShopRite stores across New Jersey and New York during the spring and summer.

“We have forecasted out our needs with all of our growers and are in constant contact with them,” said Eric Beelitz, director of produce for Inserra, in a prepared statement. “As always, we aim to provide the ‘best of the best’ to our customers at an affordable price point.”

The decision to up the locally produced supply is a commitment to freshness and a belief that customers can discern when produce has been harvested only hours before landing in their cart.

“Consumers can taste the robust flavors and freshness of produce that was picked that same day or the day before,” said Beelitz in the release. “That taste is important, and of course, really makes a difference.”

One of the local providers who make this initiative possible is Abma Farm. Based in Wyckoff, it is Bergen County, N.J.’s only produce and poultry farm.

The supplier has been stocking Inserra ShopRites for years.  Now, its produce will be even more readily available for ShopRite customers, with sweet corn deliveries reaching stores by 4 AM.

“We did this last year with Abma’s, and our customers couldn’t get enough of it,” Beelitz said in the statement. 

The report stressed that the move is not just about taste and quality of the locally grown ingredients, but that the environmental impact is equally important. With less items being transported across the country, choosing local produce allows the company to reduce its carbon footprint.

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., which is a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, N.J. It is also the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States.