simple + green

I am sometimes guilty of taking our array of food options for granted. Especially when it comes to the availability of organic foods, sustainable seafood and just plain 1-stop shopping for a (mostly) vegetarian family. Which is why I love Whole Foods, even though it can be so darned expensive.

If you live in Honolulu and eat like I do, today is your lucky day.

A healthy crowd turned out yesterday morning for the opening of the first Whole Foods Market store in Hawai’i, at Kahala Mall.

About 150 people lined up for the 7 a.m. opening to shop or see what the nation’s largest natural and organic foods retailer has to offer.

As the Honolulu Advertiser reported today, Whole Foods has opened their first store in Hawaii this weekend.

And apparently, this won’t be the last:

The new store is one of four the upscale retailer based in Texas plans to open in Hawai’i over the next two years, an entry that is bringing new competition to the more than 40 small, independent natural and organic food retailers in the state.

And perhaps this is the first step in a healthier food revolution for the Hawaiian Islands.

Whole Foods, however, with its big stores located largely in major malls or retail complexes, also is expected to raise consumer awareness about natural and organic foods, something that also will benefit smaller retailers in the industry…

Carter Allen, owner of Celestial Natural Foods in Hale’iwa, said he hopes Whole Foods will help accelerate the natural and organic foods movement that has been slow to build among consumers since the early 1970s, when he opened his store.

“They hopefully are going to turn more people on to natural foods and organic foods,” he said. “The proof will be in the pudding in a year or two.”

Even though I don’t live there, this definitely makes vacation food shopping that much better and easier. So, our next trip there will be much fuller with beaches, culture and organic food.