GRAND RAPIDS, MI - More than 125 Midwest growers have been promised a $100 million investment from Meijer as part of its promise to support locally-grown produce.

“With today’s shoppers seeking more information about how their food is grown and produced, Meijer is vital in bringing consumers and farmers together to share knowledge and build trust and confidence in our food supply, while putting a face to the farmer,” Larry Alsum, Alsum Farms & Produce President and CEO, said, according to a press release. “As shoppers look to provide healthy choices for their families, locally grown and produced products provide that value.”

Jerry Suter, Vice President of Fresh Merchandising said that, as long as the quality meets the retailer's high standards, it has a longstanding commitment to buying locally-grown produce when available. “Not only is buying local produce the right thing to do, it’s what our customers want and deserve. We are currently one of the largest purchasers of local produce in the markets we serve.”

Meijer has bought local produce since its inception, according to the company, but has shown extra vigor in that commitment in recent years, with the web of local growers in the program increasing 25 percent over the last two years alone. E. Miedema & Sons, Inc.’s Dave Miedema, whose grandfather, Ralph Miedema, delivered cabbage and squash to Hendrik Meijer at the Greenville store almost eight decades ago, now operates the 1,500-acre farm and continues to work with and praise Meijer’s practice.

“Buying local is important to us because many of our friends and neighbors see our produce in our fields and wish to purchase it. They like to support us,” Miedema said in the release. “Meijer is a great partner.”

Thanks to its partnership with Mastronardi Produce, whose state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse in Coldwater, Michigan, gave the retail chain vine-ripened, Michigan-grown tomatoes year-round as of 2013, Meijer is able to stay within its commitment to local produce while still having it all year. In fact, the partnership expanded this year to sweet peppers is the colder months.

As we previously reported, Meijer has 11 new stores slated for the year. The retailer stated that it will continue to seek partnerships with local growers that meet the high standards it sets for its fresh produce as it continues to expand in the Midwest.