walmart in bowling green ky

Amanda Loviza is a senior news/editorial journalism and Spanish major at WKU and will be pursuing a career in magazine writing after graduation.

"If that was available, I would definitely gravitate toward it because it's a wonderful thing, especially if it were at the grocery store," Shoemaker said.

Mustard greens can be grown in Kentucky, even during the winter months by using hoop houses. But these mustard greens were grown in Minnesota and are being sold in a Bowling Green Kroger. (Amanda Loviza/Farm to Fork)

Although Clary said a past phone survey showed that more than half of Kentuckians know about the Kentucky Proud program and a third of residents purchase Kentucky Proud items weekly, a lot of shoppers in Bowling Green are still unfamiliar with the program. Dacia Shoemaker, who supports the local movement by making many of her household items and nursing a large garden in the summer, had never heard of the program. Shoemaker appreciates the convenience of the grocery store during the winter, but she has never been able to easily find local products in the store.

"To me, a lot of these stores say they're doing all this stuff, but they're barely even trying," O'Daniel said.

O'Daniel doesn't think all Kentucky Proud producers are advertising honestly. A store may sell meat and  condiments, and the sauces are made in Kentucky but the meat is from outside the state. The store still calls itself "Kentucky Proud."

It is often difficult to find out where fresh produce was grown, since it is not packaged. Kentucky produce is rarely marked "Kentucky Proud," because of the labor-intensive process of labeling. (Amanda Loviza/Farm to Fork)

"Much of what we do is the honor program," Clary said. "The Kentucky Department of Agriculture doesn't have the resources, manpower or the mandate to do more… but I don't know of anything in our program that's not being at least processed in the state."

To be Kentucky Proud, a food item's main ingredients must be produced and/or processed in Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Proud producer application form. The legislation goes into no more detail.

"If you ask me, Kentucky Proud isn't worth the paper it's printed on," O'Daniel said. "It's not a very policed program. It's basically, ‘Give it to whoever applies.’"

But to some, simply having more Kentucky Proud products available to the general public is not enough. Joe O'Daniel, owner of outside of Bowling Green, is a Kentucky Proud member, but he does not use any of the program's marketing.

"I think you're gonna see as the next two to three years unfold, I think you're gonna see more visibility in Bowling Green… it's gonna be different," Clary said.

This pork was produced in Kentucky; however, would most consumers be able to read the fine print in order to see that? (Amanda Loviza/Farm to Fork)

Bill Clary, director of public relations for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and brand manager of Kentucky Proud Advertising, said that the use of the Kentucky Proud label is in the hands of the producer, and Bowling Green does not yet have strong retail partnerships with Kentucky Proud. Lexington, Louisville and northern Kentucky have a very visible Kentucky Proud presence in grocery stores, he said.

But searching the aisles of Houchens and Kroger, looking for labels and signs, revealed only one visible Kentucky Pride logo, in the Houchens meat department. Neither Houchens nor Kroger employees approached by a reporter had ever heard of Kentucky Proud.

"We do try to focus on Kentucky Proud products," said Alan Larson, who oversees purchasing for Bowling Green Houchens Industries. "If we can teach people to support local economies, we'll be much better off."

In Bowling Green, Ky., and , two of the city's three main grocery chains, say they carry Kentucky Proud items. Wal-Mart does not.

In Houchens, Kentucky Legend ham has the Kentucky Proud label. However, the same brand of ham is not labeled Kentucky Proud in Wal-Mart. (Amanda Loviza/Farm to Fork)

The "locavore" movement is sweeping the nation. Many consumers are turning away from Mexican tomatoes and Peruvian asparagus, and instead they are going to farmers' markets and searching the grocery aisles for food made closer to home. In Kentucky, the has developed the program in order to make it easier for Kentuckians to recognize food products made in their home state. The program has approved more than 1,800 producers as "Kentucky Proud," and along with farmers’ markets, retailers across the state carry Kentucky Proud items.

How “Kentucky Proud” is the Bowling Green Food Industry? » Farm to Fork