Shop at These Health/Organic Food Stores in New Orleans

If you’re working toward healthier apartment living in New Orleans, the best way to start is with healthier food. While NOLA is not often thought of as a farming community, it is possible to get farm-fresh produce right here in the city. Here are some great places to not only find the fresh veggies you want, but to also support local farmers. 

NOLA Food Co-Op
2372 St. Claude Avenue, Suite 110

The NOLA Food Co-Op focuses on affordable, fresh groceries sold in an environmentally responsible way. First organized in 2002, the co-op grew slowly but steadily until it was on the verge of opening a retail store in the summer of 2005. Then Hurricane Katrina came and everything changed.

After the storm, New Orleans became a food desert, so the co-op branched out into a mobile market and then opened the storefront in 2011. You can become a member for $100 to support the operation, or you can just walk in and buy fresh, local food that has been minimally packaged and is sold with fair trade practices. The organization also partners with other health-minded businesses like Bike Easy, Joule Solar Energy and healthy restaurants like Sneaky Pickle and Fatoush Restaurant.

Veggie Farmers Cooperative
4626 Alcee Fortier Boulevard

Serving New Orleans East, this cooperative was established after the BP Oil spill to help Vietnamese farmers and fishermen whose livelihood had been hurt by the accident. The cooperative supplies local restaurants and sells produce and seafood at the Crescent City Market (3700 Orleans Avenue). You can order a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box online for $25 a week or $260 a season.

Hollygrove Market and Farm
8301 Olive Street

This organization offers a health-focused trifecta: an urban farm, a local produce market, and a community garden space. You can either purchase groceries in a CSA-style box, shop at their retail market, or sign up for the home delivery service. The market buys its goods from all different kinds of growers, such as backyard farmers, micro-farms and community gardens, and they help support small farms across Louisiana and Mississippi. 

If you’re really serious about changing your way of eating, investigate one of these organizations. Know of any other health or organic food stores in the area? Let us know in the comments.