Dollar General will not offer produce

NORWALK — While Norwalk's newest Dollar General store at 580 Ohio 20 does not offer fresh produce, the company says it does offer healthy food options in all its stores. "While we are not adding produce at every new store, each of our stores provide customers with components of a healthy diet such as milk, eggs, bread, cheese, frozen and canned vegetables, grains, lean protiens and more," the company said in a statement to the Reflector. The company also said it packages food options so that customers will know how to select healthier items. "Additionally, we've created the Good & Smart private brand and our 'Better For You' assortment both to provide healthier food options to customers. We've also partnered with a registered nutritionist to create DG Better for You meals, which provide healthier recipes for each meal of the day with items sourced from DG stores." Dollar General has more than 19,000 stores and currently offers produce in 3,200 stores, the company said. The company's other store in Norwalk on U.S. 250 North also does not offer fresh produce, but stores in nearby Wakeman and Birmingham do offer produce, the company said. Dollar General has been criticized in the past for not offering fresh produce in stores that are in so-called Food Deserts. Generally speaking, a food desert is an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food, according to the Food Empowerment Project's, an organization whose mission is to create a more just and sustainable world by recognizing the power of one's food choices. In addition to providing healthier options, the Dollar General said it is proud to provide area residents with an affordable and convenient store location to puchase household essentials, including cleaning supplies, paper products, over-the-counter medicines, hygiene products, baby items and more. In addtion to those items, the new Norwalk location includes the company's new stylish, on-trend home decor and an expanded party preparation section, the store's company said in a press release. To commemorate the opening of the new Norwalk location, Dollar General plans to donate 100 new books to a nearby elementary school to benefit students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. In partnership with the Kellogg Company, the donation will be part of a planned donation of more than 60,000 books in fiscal year 2023 across the country to celebrate new DG store openings, the copmany said. The Norwalk store will employ six to 10 people, according to the company.