Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. is an American supermarket chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The stores are full-service and emphasize organic foods including fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, meat and seafood, deli, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items. The chain was created to respond to consumers’ growing demand in health and wellness. Sprouts employs more than 24,000 individuals and operates more than 240 stores in 15 states from coast to coast, primarily in the southern tier of states. Sprouts is traded on the NASDAQ as SFM.
Products
Sprouts Farmers Market aims to sell products that are minimally processed and free of hydrogenated fats as well as artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives. The company sells many USDA-certified organic foods and products that aim to be environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible.
Sprouts offers beef products that range from choice cuts to grass-fed.
Also available are fermented milk products, also known as cultured dairy foods, cultured dairy products, or cultured milk products. They are dairy foods that have been fermented with lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Leuconostoc. Examples include cultured kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, butter, cottage cheese, kumis, and villi. Cultured products contain high levels of probiotics. Probiotics are microorganisms that are believed to provide health benefits when consumed.
Sprouts carries a variety of produce, including sprouted and fermented options. Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked.
Fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented vegetables enrich the diet through development of a diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures in food substrates, preserve substantial amounts of food through lactic acid, alcohol, acetic acid, and alkaline fermentations, enrich food substrates with protein, essential amino acids, and vitamins and eliminate antinutrients.
Charitable giving
In 2015, Sprouts founded the Healthy Communities Foundation, which supports local health and wellness related causes. In 2016, the Healthy Communities Foundation awarded $1.6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations.
Animal product concerns
In April 2017, a group of activists organized under the network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) released an investigation into cage-free Sprouts egg supplier Morning Fresh Farms on social media platform NowThis. Sprouts disputed the accuracy of the video, which showed mass starvation and dehydration at the farm.
Possible merger
A possible merger between privately held Albertson’s and publicly traded Sprouts Farmers Market was announced Q1 2017. Albertson’s is a private conglomerate and Sprouts is publicly traded and would have to be taken private. Discussions are ongoing.
References
External links
- Sprouts
