H-E-B grows its organic food options

Fresh herbs are included in the H-E-B Organics line. Fresh herbs are included in the H-E-B Organics line. Photo: Gary Fountain, Freelance Photo: Gary Fountain, Freelance Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close H-E-B grows its organic food options 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — H-E-B is unveiling its own line of hundreds of organic products Wednesday in hopes of making the healthy items more affordable to customers in its stores across Texas.

The H-E-B Organics line has been in the works for several years and will debut this week in more than 300 stores in the state. The label will include hundreds of food items including: canned vegetables, cereals, condiments, chips, breads, butter, fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, lunch meats, bacon, beef, pork and chicken, according to Houston Chronicle reporter Craig Morago.

“Our goal is to create an organic line that would make those items more prevalent and affordable for all Texans,” spokeswoman Dya Campos told Express-News reporter Neal Morton. “The No. 1 comment we hear from customers who want more organics (is) not only do they want a wider variety of organics, but they want them to be more affordable.”

The H-E-B Organics are USDA-certified organic, which prohibits the use of genetically modified foods and the produce must come from farms that practice sustainable soil-management methods and be grown using only organic-compliant materials, Morago reported.

Pantry staples meet those standards as well as no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The fresh meats and dairy items promised that animals will be raised on organic feed with no added growth hormones or antibiotics and that they will be processed in certified-organic facilities.

For more details on this developing story, read the full story on ExpressNews.com and in Wednesday's paper.

kparker@express-news.net

Twitter: @KoltenParker