NEW STORE MAY HAVE HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES

Fresh & Easy is a chain of stores opening around the country. It touts itself as a "neighborhood-sized market that's quick and easy to shop." Their promotional mailers quote USA Today as saying "They're about the size of a Trader Joe's with lots of Whole Foods-type natural foods and prices that can seem Costco-esque." It sounds almost too good to be true. It may be.

When I first got their mailer I was intrigued. One was opening just down the street so we decided to check it out as soon as it opened. I love Trader Joe's and Whole Foods but they're both a bit out of the way and Whole Foods tends to be pretty pricey so, of course, Fresh & Easy sounded like a great alternative - until I got another flier that looked almost exactly like theirs stuck in my door.

The flyers design and logo were very similar to Fresh & Easy's so it got my attention. The group calls itself "fresh & easy facts" and claims to be a project of Grocery Workers, Food Professionals and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

According to them, Fresh & Easy is anything but a "neighborhood market." It's owned by Tesco International which is considered to be the "Wal-Mart of the UK." It touts itself as being environmentally friendly and their subsidiary, Fresh & Easy, claims in its mailer and on its website to offer "fresh and wholesome foods."

Unfortunately, Tesco has been fined for selling expired and spoiled food, altering the sell-by dates on labels and selling organic food tainted with pesticides.

As far as their environmentally friendly claim goes, it's estimated that their environmental impact could be as much as 12 times what the company claims. And just recently a Riverside, California distribution center was cited by a district judge for not complying with the state's environmental planning legislation.

I just just got over food poisoning from tainted food and that's something I don't want to repeat. For that reason and because of the immorality of misrepresenting themselves, my partner and I have decided not to shop there. As appealing as their stores may seem, for us it's just not worth the risk

If you want to check out Fresh & Easy Facts, go to: freshandeasyfacts.com