A new organic grocery has opened up in Port Credit, Mississauga's “village by the lake”: Planet Organic. This is a Canadian chain with several locations out west, one in Halifax and they've just opened this first store in Ontario. A cashier I talked to today said they were planning to open three more in the area. They haven't had their official grand opening yet (end of March) so this is a soft opening for them to work out any problems. This store replaces the Alternatives Market that was in the plaza, right next door to the Elmwood Meat Market.
They have a small prepared food section, but I didn't see anything I really wanted. On the other hand, the bakery section has items from Vege Hut, Kensington Natural Bakery, Ace Bakery and even Thuet (pain au chocolat and Alsatian danishes). In produce, there were 25 lb bags of carrots (for juicing)! There's an entire gluten-free product section (with Kinnikinnick products) and a very impressive selection of flours and grains, many of them in bulk, wrapped in house-brand paper bags. And look, the entire line of Liberté yogurt, including the dessert ones. Some of the dried fruit was in the refrigerator section (I'm guessing they were unsulphured and preservative-free) but they didn't keep the ground almonds in there, tsk tsk. Not a big selection of canned/bottled goods, but lots of pasta sauce. They carry vitamins and supplements, an $800 dual-gear juicer, books and CDs.
I used to shop about once a month at Alternatives, and I think this store will be a regular stop for me as well. Prices tend to be on the high side for items available in conventional stores, as with Whole Foods but they carry things that are hard to find elsewhere. But, price isn't everything, and I believe in supporting a Canadian business, as well as making more informed choices about what I eat, where it comes from and how it got to me.
Leave a comment