"Being an original Vancouver Island grown company, we have always supported our friends and neighbours who produce food right here whenever we can," say Noel Hayward, a founding partner with Quality Foods. "If the producer meets our supply needs, and they have the necessary credentials for food safety and  distribution, then chances are you have seen their products in our stores at one time or another."

Hayward points out that "although supply can be inconsistent at times due to weather, growing season and other factors, we still do what we can, especially for fresh produce."

In fact, one strategy is using our produce wholesaler for supply chain management. That way the producer has one drop for shipping, and it goes right into our existing store distribution. This works well, but because people don't always see the farm trucks delivering direct to the store (although sometimes they do for larger volumes) the perception may be that we are not buying locally.