Grown Close to Home™ event is ripe for the picking

BRAMPTON, ON, Aug. 11 /CNW/ - There's nothing quite like the taste of summer fresh produce grown by Canadian farmers. Starting tomorrow in your local Loblaw banner store, Loblaw's Grown Close to Home™ event offers wholesome and affordable items from growers in your part of the country, conveniently available, seven days a week.

"Loblaw proudly offers a selection of up to 180 different varieties¹ of high-quality, fresh and affordable Canadian-grown produce that in some instances are in store within 24 hours of harvest," says Mike Venton, senior vice president, Produce, Loblaw Companies Limited. "We have excellent relationships with more than 400 Canadian growers - some more than 40-years strong - which allows us to offer customers outstanding products with the convenience of shopping at their Loblaw banner store."

As a part of Loblaw's Source with Integrity corporate social responsibility pillar, Loblaw works with vendors to provide customers with quality products, while considering the economic, environmental and social impact of those products. The Grown Close to Home™ event puts area growers front and centre during the months of July and August, with approximately 40 per cent of produce found in stores during this time sourced from Canadian growers.

By putting a spotlight on local fresh produce during harvest season, Loblaw customers responded positively evidenced by a 16 per cent increase in produce sales during the Grown Close to Home™ event over the past two years. Complementary to this event, fresh, seasonal, Canadian-grown produce is available all year long at Loblaw banner stores. In fact, approximately 27 per cent of Loblaw's year-round produce purchases are Canadian²!

About our Grown Close to Home™ event

It's time to take a bite out of summer and visit your neighbourhood Loblaw banner store. The stores are alive with sights from the farm! From August to September Loblaw banner stores will feature freshly harvested Canadian produce items displayed in special bins at the front of the stores. And, select Loblaw banner stores across the country will feature can't-miss John Deere tractors to highlight the produce section. Whether looking for Annapolis Valley wild blueberries; sweet corn from Southern Ontario; organic cherries from the Okanagan; Québec strawberries or whole-grain bread from Saskatchewan, products from many parts of the country will be available during the Grown Close to Home™ event- offering all of the great tasting products available to purchase on your timetable.

Also featured during Loblaw's Grown Close to Home™ event are Canadian-made products like cheese, bread and flowers.

These items and more are available at Loblaws^®, Loblaw Great Food™, Zehrs^®, Zehrs Great Food™, Fortinos^®, Loblaw Superstore™, Real Canadian Superstore^®, Atlantic Superstore^®, SaveEasy^®, Freshmart^®, Maxi^®, Maxi & Cie^®, No Frills^®, Provigo^®, Extra Foods^®, valuemart^®, YIG^® and more. Product pricing and availability may vary by banner and region. For more information, visit www.pc.ca.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ over 138,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice^®, no name^® and Joe Fresh Style^® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial^® services and offers the PC^® points loyalty program.

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¹ Variety and availability may vary by banner and region
² This number is based on a national purchase amount

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