Food trends according to John Mackey

Local and international foods in the spotlight

By Kim Carlson

June 13, 2008

Sam Fromartz, author of Organic Inc., talked with Whole Foods chief John Mackey recently and posted the conversation this week in a two-part article on his blog, Chews Wise.

There’s much to take in here, including Mackey’s explanation of the company’s new meat-rating system and its difficulty finding sustainable seafood.

Mackey also addresses local foods, in Part 2 of the interview:

Fromartz: You’ve also put a lot of emphasis recently on local foods. Is it growing?

Mackey: I do think it’s a fundamental trend, and it’s going to grow. But I don’t think the locavore movement is going to sweep America.

The simultaneous trend along with local is ethnic and international foods — Asian food, Middle Eastern Food, Mediterranean food. It’s not just in the big cities, there’s been a big explosion in different cuisines and that’s happening at the same time as local, but they both reflect a growing awareness people have about food. People are looking for authentic artisan food rather than industrial food, or fast food.

Do you agree with Mackey? Is the ethnic and international food trend as significant for you as the locavore movement?