The word "concierge" most often relates to the hotel industry. But a new sustainable grocery delivery program via electric-powered bicycles is bringing concierge hospitality and convenience to Whole Foods shopping. FreshFoodBike.com delivers up to 100 pounds of concierge-shopped groceries and other store products from the Whole Foods at 3rd and Fairfax to L.A. residents from UCLA to USC and most points in between both campuses. more ›

Another day, another salad ruined by the threat of salmonella contamination. Friday, Church Brothers, LLC has issued a recall for 560 bags of clipped spinach as a precautionary measure after one bag tested positive for Salmonella during a random USDA Microbiological Data Program sampling. So far no illnesses have been reported. more ›

Silver Lake hipsters are now going to have a new place to spend the change they put in their piggy banks after taking their glut of PBR cans to the recycling depot. The vacated Circuit City at 4400 W. Sunset is going to become a Whole Foods. more ›

Grocery workers negotiating for a better health care plan have rejected a proposal by the management of Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons. Supermarket chains may come back with a better offer, the Orange County Register Reports. If not, union members could decide to give immediate notice to strike and then walk out 72 hours later. more ›

Ballots are being cast today and tomorrow by unionized grocery workers from the big local chains and a strike could be authorized as a result. "Depending on the outcome of this vote, a strike could happen as early as next week," notes ABC7. The issue remains the employees' health care plan, and its monthly cost. more ›

Here piggy piggies, we've got some news for you: The price of bacon could potentially skyrocket. You may have already noticed it the last time you were trolling the meat aisle for your slab of choice. "The price of pork is giving many consumers sticker shock at the supermarket, where bacon prices alone have jumped at least 30 percent in recent weeks," explains CBS2. more ›

National grocery retailer Supervalu, whose Albertsons brand stores are one of our regional grocery options, recently announced they will enact a "zero waste" model at 40 of their stores. The eco-friendly move will begin with primarily focusing on Albertsons stores, says TreeHugger. more ›

Vons, Ralphs, and Albertsons announced in a statement that a tentative agreement has been struck with the grocery workers' union, United Food and Commercial Workers Locals (UFCW), regarding the pension portion of the paperwork. Terms of the agreement that affects more than 60,000 employees in the region were not disclosed. more ›

The gentrification of Echo Park continues, as evidenced by the guessing game du jour covered by The Eastsider LA today: Will a Trader Joe's or a Fresh & Easy move into the vacated Save A Lot space? Ready, set: Speculate! more ›

Greenpeace's latest scorecard measuring various supermarket chains' commitments to sustainable seafood may come as a surprise. The polesitter is not Whole Foods and certainly not Bristol Farms... it's one of the largest grocery chains in the United States. Safeway, which owns and operates all VONS and Pavilions supermarkets (among others), captured the top spot in Greenpeace's fifth update of its Carting Away the Oceans rankings. more ›

NPR's "All Things Considered" profiled the East L.A. community of Ramon Gardens yesterday, shining a spotlight on the city's oldest housing project's lack of food options. Unlike in South L.A., where civic leaders are trying to tame the omnipresent fast food beast and lure in grocers, this community doesn't even have a bunch of lousy liquor stores or burger stands. more ›

Walmart announced today a five year plan to provide healthier and more affordable food offerings. The nation’s largest grocer promises to reduce sodium, sugar, and fat content in its own private brand, as well as working with suppliers to improve the nutritional content of national brands. Walmart also plans to work to reduce the price of fresh fruit and vegetables while adding a seal to help shoppers identify healthier options. more ›

The Alliance for Healthy and Responsible Grocery Stores, and none of them are on the honor roll, according to ABC7. more ›

Despite the "recession blues" that prompted UK-based grocer Tesco to shutter 13 of its Southwestern U.S. Fresh & Easy stores earlier this month, the El Segundo-based chain has announced plans to open 10 new Southern California stores in the first quarter of 2011. more ›

Former Price is Right host and longtime animal rights advocate Bob Barker has become the public face of a campaign to urge retailer Costco to stop selling veal produced under cruel conditions. The national organization Mercy For Animals launched the campaign, which involved obtaining hidden camera video recordings at Buckeye Veal farm in Apple Creek, Ohio, the supplier used by Costco for the meat. The video shows "baby calves covered in feces and chained by their necks in narrow stalls, where they cannot even turn around or walk," according to a release issued by Mercy For Animals. more ›

Sprouts Farmers Markets are opening in California at a time that is both fortuitous and a bit dubious. The chain of warehouse-style markets proffering locally-sourced produce and other health and eco-conscious oriented groceries is taking advantage of business failures--Circuit City, Linens 'n Things, Mervyns--for their retail spaces, but the company itself hails from Arizona. more ›

For many, the crux of the raw foods debate has to do with the politics of eating. Should the government tell us what we cannot eat? more ›

Today the Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek and the City Attorney's Criminal Branch filed suit against Ralphs grocery stores and their parent company, Kroger, following an undercover inspection that revealed 14 Los Angeles locations were overcharging customers on pre-packaged and weighed products. more ›

A project five years in the making finally became reality this morning when the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market opened its doors to the public for the first time at the corner of Central and Adams in South Los Angeles. On hand to cut the ribbon and speak about the significance of the neighborhood having access to fresh and affordable food were City Councilmember Jan Perry, Vice President & General Counsel for Fresh & Easy Mary Kaspar, Store Manager Aaron Davis, and a number of local officials and professionals. more ›

'Tis the season to give thanks for what so many of us have, and to take some time, effort, and, if possible, funds to help out those who may be less fortunate. Right now organizations focused on feeding those who are in need are in need of donations from those who can afford to spare, and this includes our local LA Regional Foodbank. more ›

When compared to New York City and Chicago, Angelenos score a cheaper price when buying organic, finds a study release by IBISWorld. "The study looked at three product categories: Private label or store brands, commercial brands, and organic items," explained Wallet Pop. The cost of groceries depends largely on what part of the country you live in. Chicagoans get a cheaper groceries than the next two bigger cities (but pay among the highest sales taxes), except for organic items. If you want to eat more naturally, you'll pay less in L.A. But organics in general will set you back more, about 18% more than branded products and 37.6 % more than store brands, according to the findings." more ›

There is a new Trader Joe's on the Sunset Strip at Crescent Heights in the old Virgin Megatore Complex. It's been open almost a month--since March 13th to be exact. more ›

Working to cut low performing stores in a tough economy, Albertsons announced the slashing of 9 stores, which is expected to only affect 12 people's jobs as others should be reassigned. The stores are located in Canoga Park, Chula Vista, Encinitas, Lakewood, Cathedral City, Lancaster, Rancho Cucamonga, San Diego and Temple City, according to the LA Times. more ›

Take a close look at the shelves next time you're in the aisles of your local grocery store. Notice anything different? Like maybe there's a bit more room on either side of the rows of items? Pick something up and feel the bottom--as the LA Times suggests, grab a jar of Skippy brand peanut butter--now do you notice the "dimple" at the bottom? more ›

Fresh & Easy opened its 62nd US "neighborhood market" this morning in Manhattan Beach which began with a press conference and store tours and a ribbon cutting ceremony before the waiting crowds descended upon the grocery store to fill their carts. (More story after the jump!) more ›

The Downtown News is out with its annual Best of list. In the spirit of the awesome map that appears each week in the Downtown News, we're mapping the DTNews Editors' "Best of" picks. Play along by clicking on any placemarker below and adding your rating/photos/comments. MapKit.display();... more ›