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But truly the best was yet to come. I turned around and noticed a little burger station. Above a chalkboard read:

"Our burgers are made with local beef. Ground In-House daily and handformed"

From that moment on I was no longer in Whole Foods as merely a consumer. I put on my LHM detective hat and got right to business. (After I placed my order for a burger of course) The cynic in me expected to find another local bait and switch job as I had experienced just a few months ago. First I asked the guy working the grill. I was directed to the meat department. That's where I got a name. Pineland Farms, I was told. Fair enough, I had enough info to call it an afternoon and go back for my burger which was likely to be ready.

In addition to my local healthy double bacon cheeseburger, I also got french fries! Throw in a couple of cans of some healthy looking soda for 99 cents each and I made out like a bandit. For a few dollars more than a value meal at a fast food joint, I had a way better burger, that was local and healthy! There were all sorts of toppings to choose from and I went with a chipotle mayo, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce and raw onions.

Now I've eaten so many burgers in my life, that I'd rather not even speculate. But I can tell you of all the burgers I've consumed this one tasted phenomenal. I could taste how fresh the beef was and each bite was juicy and full of flavor. The patty also seemed to retain much of it's size after being cooked. I'm not sure what that means, just an observation.

Sometime later after scoping out the Taco Truck on the roof, we made our way back to the office. Vowing to not only return, but often and with aggressive appetites, I decided I needed to get in touch with someone at Pineland to find out more details. Expecting resistance as is often the case in the food industry, I was met with none. Within a few days I was well on my way to discovering a plethora of information about not simply my burger, but ALL the beef, chicken, and pork at Whole Foods!

Turns out there is an extremely interesting supply chain going on between Pineland Farms Natural Meats, Whole Foods Market, and local farmers in the Mid Atlantic region. First I spoke with Alicia Depatsy from Pineland. She was very forthcoming with information, and it was quite clear that Pineland was comfortable with full disclosure. There are 28 farms that serve the Mid-Atlantic region and they are all graded by an independent entity.

Alicia went on to explain that "We operate as sort of a modified Co-Op for small farmers to supply their cattle to Pineland. Our goal is to keep farmers – Farming!"

It's reassuring to see companies that are forging a new path for scalability while maintaining the core focus of local healthy farming. It's tough to go it alone, and it's beneficial to everyone involved when responsible corporations set the standard and then help guide the implementation, which is exactly what happened in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Alicia put me in touch with Diane McDade, who is the Regional Meat Buyer for Whole Foods Market Mid-Atlantic. Diane was part of this tremendous undertaking recently to get all the farms in the region up to GAP 5-Step Program standards. Most of the participating farmers in the region wanted to make the investment in upgrading their farms. But the ones who refused, were out of the program. There was also a zero tolerance policy towards segregation of animals. For instance a farm wouldn't be able to get away with keeping a separate pen of animals not up to GAP standards in order to maximize profits by selling through other channels. This was an all or nothing, 100% commitment to the program. The farms were either in, or they were out!

Around the time when I first spoke with Diane, all the beef, chicken, and pork in any Whole Foods Market in the Mid-Atlantic region adheres to these strict standards, including my local healthy double cheeseburger! The program just went live at the beginning of May.

So where did the meat for my burger come from. Well from one of the 28 farms in the Mid-Atlantic region. Now if I had remembered the exact day I was in there, Alicia or Diane would have been able to tell me from which farm it originated. And I have since been back to WFM Plymouth Meeting so many times I have lost count, so it's safe to say I've sampled beef from quite a few of the farms. And soon, with some help from my new friends, I'm hoping to get a tour of one of these farms!

The full article is here.