Safeway was well ahead of the curve as far as the country-of-origin food labeling that went into effect on March 16. Recently, the company instituted new produce signage that both informs and entices the locavores among us.

We weren't able to rouse anybody over at corporate in Pleasanton to discuss the project with us (by the way, did you know that Safeway has a blog? It's written by a nice, chatty mom-of-three named Kate, and is criminally under-illustrated), but a produce guy in our local Safeway who didn't want his name used said, "People seem to like it." He reported that more produce actually appeared to be moving since the signs were instituted a couple of weeks ago.

We'll still keep Safeway at number four on our food chain (after farmers' markets, Berkeley Bowl, and Trader Joe's), though we must say it's number one when we have to do any shopping after 9 p.m. In reality, the stone fruit, however local, has to be picked under-ripe in order to survive its transit from farm to bin, unlike the tree-ripened fruit you find at farmers' markets, so ripe that you have to remember to eat it sooner rather than later. But we're pleased to know that the pearly white corn with still-green cut ends we've been feasting on from Safeway recently is from Brentwood, just like many of the the ears heaped on the tables at farmers' markets.