When big stores and restaurant chains choose to raise their food standards, it changes the country’s food market in big ways. Walmart’s decision in the mid-2000s to sell organic dairy products made organic foods cheaper and more widely available than ever before. McDonalds’ choice to use antibiotic-free chicken shifted the chicken production industry for the better. With McDonalds being the second-biggest buyer of chicken in America (behind KFC), their demand for higher standards affected how chickens were raised nationwide.
Dollar General and Dollar Tree have recently gotten into the naturals and organics game themselves, bringing wholesome foods to an even wider market. You can now find Annie’s Homegrown products and some other natural foods on Dollar Tree shelves. And Dollar General has introduced “Feel Good Food” sections to its stores featuring organic and all-natural foods from brands like Kashi, Back to Nature, and even its own new private label “Good & Smart.” It’s a big difference from just a few years ago when organic foods were only available at health food stores. Nowadays, an array of organics and natural products can be found at your neighborhood dollar store for a great price.
Dollar Tree and Dollar General are now hoping to sell only cage-free eggs in their stores by 2025 if cost and availability make it feasible. Because dollar stores only have refrigerator space for a limited selection, if this vision becomes reality, the only eggs sold at both DT and DG will be cage-free eggs. And with a combined store count of over 27,000, that’s a lot of eggs! The transition will mean easier, more affordable access to healthier eggs for millions of customers and more humane treatment for all the chickens that produce them.
Until then, be sure to check out the growing selection of organic foods at your local dollar stores!
