The Local Difference

Ward's Supermarket - Pick up some fresh bread, pastries and bagels from local bakeries

Pick up some fresh bread, pastries and bagels from local bakeries

Think Fresh. Eat Local!

Did you know the average dinner travels more than 1500 miles from field to fork?

The 2009 Eat Local Challenge is gearing up in Gainesville! Hogtown Homegrown is challenging citizens of North Central Florida to pay attention to where their food comes from in this year’s annual challenge. The challenge urges participants to eat local, seasonal food either at home or in a locally-owned restaurant every day of May. For for information, visit the Eat Local Challenge page of Hogtown Homegrown’s website.

Eating locally benefits your health, the environment and our community. Ward’s Supermarket is Gainesville’s premier source of fresh, local goods. Stop in to check out our ever-changing selection of seasonal produce, local seafood, local baked goods, tempeh, honey, flowers and more!

Ward's Supermarket - We have a wide selection of organic and local produce that changes with the seasons

We have a wide selection of organic and local produce that changes with the seasons

Eat Local, It’s Good For You:

Local foods are fresh, so they don’t require the preservatives needed for shipping long distances. Local produce is picked hours before it reaches Ward’s, not days or weeks, so it contains more nutrients and tastes better too! Local foods keep us connected to the seasons and our diverse Florida environment.

Eat Local, It’s Good for the PLANET:

Buying food that has been shipped across the world, or even across the country, is a huge waste of oil and contributes to pollution and global warming. Local farmers are a part of the Gainesville community. They respect and protect our environment by practicing sustainable agriculture.

Eat Local, It’s Good for the COMMUNITY:

Buying locally produced food strengthens our local economy. Money spent on local goods stays in the Gainesville community and supports the families of local, hardworking farmers and food artisans.

Ward's Supermarket - Stop by our meat and seafood department for today's fresh catch and grass-fed local beef

Stop by our meat and seafood department for today's fresh catch and grass-fed local beef

What’s Local At Ward’s Supermarket?

We are committed to purchasing local produce, meats and a variety of other hand-crafted goods. Ward’s offers an ever-increasing variety of delicious and wholesome local foods, including:

  • Locally made organic tempeh from The Tempeh Shop and Artie’s Tempeh
  • Freshly baked bread, pastries and bagels from The Flour Pot Bakery
  • Certified organic, fair trade coffee from Sweetwater Coffee Roasters
  • Raw and low-temp pasteurized grass fed cow’s milk from Kurtz and Sons Dairy
  • Homemade hummus, tzatziki, lentil spreads and more from MaDame Blue
  • A variety of local honey, including orange blossom and tupelo
Ward's Supermarket - Taste the difference in local, homemade peanut butter and jellies

Taste the difference in local, homemade peanut butter and jellies

Interested in the Local Food Movement?

Here are a few resources to learn more about the benefits of eating locally produced food:

Gainesville Farm Fresh lists a variety of resources concerning Gainesville’s local food community

Slow Food Gainesville is our city’s chapter of an international association devoted to promoting local food

Hogtown HomeGrown offers recipes, menus and more based on Gainesville’s seasonally available food

Eat Local Challenge is a California-based site that offers advice and networking for local-eaters around the world