The push to “buy local” is greater now than ever. How can you support Wisconsin agriculture locally? By purchasing Wisconsin-raised products from your local grocery store!
You may not see them, but they are there sitting in the shelves, fridge, freezers and even the check-out lines. Here’s what to look for next time you get groceries.
Wisconsin Brands
Wisconsin has some very recognizable food and beverage brands. Most of these brands can be found in grocery stores, and they are all tasty products of Wisconsin agriculture.
- Palermo Pizza – Milwaukee
- Johnsonville Brats – Johnsonville
- Usinger’s Brats – Milwaukee
- Sargento Cheese – Plymouth
- Ocean Spray – Tomah
- Cranberries – Northern & Central Wisconsin
- Birds Eye Foods – Darien
- Kringle – Racine
- Cedar Crest Ice Cream – Cedarburg
- Sprecher Brewing – Milwaukee
This is a list of just a few Wisconsin brands. There are so many more that you can find in grocery stores. But how do you know which products are made in Wisconsin?
Identifying Wisconsin Products
Wisconsin products earn the honor of being labeled “Made in Wisconsin.” Wisconsin agriculture has a lot to offer, and it is important to know where our food comes from.
Numerous Wisconsin-made products are labeled with a “Something Special from Wisconsin,” “Proudly Wisconsin,” or will have the state of Wisconsin on the packaging. These are indicators of Wisconsin products.
Since 1983, the Something Special from Wisconsin program has helped Wisconsin-made products and businesses stand out above the rest. The program logo provides a quick and reliable way to identify genuine Wisconsin products and services at grocery stores, retail outlets, farmers’ markets and restaurants throughout the state, and beyond. Any business may participate if at least 50 percent of the value of the product or service is attributable to Wisconsin ingredients, production or processing activities.
Source Codes on Packaging
Where is my food coming from? Many products that have codes and numbers to tell you where that product came from. Milk, for example, has the sell-by date and a series of numbers after it. That series of numbers is a source code. The first two numbers in that series, range from 01-56, which correspond with an alphabetical list of states, followed by a dash and the last set of numbers tell you which dairy plant it came from. The number “55” means it came from Wisconsin!
Look for the number “55” on your chocolate milk, yogurt, coffee creamer, cottage cheese, ice cream and more to support Wisconsin’s hard-working farmers! Next time you head to the grocery store, look at the dairy product’s packaging, that way you will know if the product is local.
Find out where your milk is from at whereismymilkfrom.com/
Next time you go to the grocery store, look at the product’s packaging. Does it have a source code? Does it have a “Something Special From Wisconsin” or “Proudly Wisconsin” badge on it? Shop local and support Wisconsin agriculture!