Feb. 9, 2021
By Matt Smith and Kane Webb, Walmart Corporate Affairs
Valentine’s Day is approaching. And even though it seems life could get back to a new “normal” sometime this year, it won’t be before Cupid arrives.
One of the most common plays in the Valentine’s Day playbook is to celebrate by taking your main squeeze to a nice restaurant. But this year, taking your boo out for a bite may be difficult with COVID-19 capacity restrictions still in place. On top of that, whoever scheduled this day of love in the heart of winter was especially cruel, because for so many, outdoor dining isn’t really an option either.
Well, we believe love will find a way, and there’s still time to make a dinner for your love to conquer all. This year, many of us will have to make compromises, but by shopping at Walmart, the safety and sustainability of your at-home Valentine’s Day dinner doesn’t have to be one of them.
For many years, we have been publicly demonstrating our devotion for food safety and sustainability. To affirm our commitment, we decided to make a simple dinner of steak, salad and (of course) wine to woo you with some of the work we’re doing.
Bon appétit.
Lettuce Into Your Hearts
Start with a salad, right? Or, if you’re feeling especially European, end with it. Either way, salad is the low-pressure, high-fiber complement to your romantic meal. And the foundation of any good salad is … the green stuff. Leafy greens. Lettuce. You don’t want complications. You want to buy, clean, plate and serve. No muss, fuss or worries.
But still. You’ve heard about the previous concerns linked to spinach and the Romaine recalls. Just where has this lettuce been, anyway? Well, thanks to something called “blockchain” technology, Walmart can track those leafy greens from your bowl all the way back to the farm.
What’s blockchain? It’s a shared, unalterable, digital ledger for recording the history of transactions along the supply chain. Romantic, right?
OK, let’s use a more apt analogy. Blockchain is like storing information in a glass locket. Once it’s in there, it’s locked up safe. Now information about where the lettuce was grown, washed, stored and shipped is available for all to see. Before our glass locket, the process of tracing the origin of produce was a complicated journey across multiple touchpoints along the supply chain, often tracked separately (and with great effort) manually. With blockchain, research that took days can now take seconds.
The benefit to better traceability is better transparency. Because you know that we know where your lettuce comes from, you have a little piece of mind and one yummy starter to enjoy.
Croutons optional.
High “Steaks” Romance
There may be no greater way to impress your one-and-only than by preparing the perfect steak. But when you and your loved one sit down to that perfect porterhouse, what’s put on the plate isn’t just the result of your own culinary devotion. There’s a deeper commitment to discover – a commitment to sustainability.
The ranch families and rural communities that help produce the beloved beef are top of mind when it comes to sourcing and sustainability. And Walmart is learning a lot from farmers and ranchers who understand the importance of soil health. With proper management, cattle grazing results in healthy grasslands which can play a critical role in carbon sequestration and storage. Walmart is committed to supporting these ongoing efforts to maximize the positive effects of cattle production. Now, who couldn’t fall in love with that?
But if you or your partner are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or some variation, beef is certainly not your main course. Not to worry. Our healthy obsession for sustainability isn’t limited to someone else’s steak dinner. We're working with our suppliers to help preserve our land and water as well as sourcing more sustainable products in a variety of ways.
The stakes are already high when preparing a Valentine’s Day meal, so whatever your meal plans, you can trust that we’re working to make your food more sustainable.
That peace of mind is (medium) rare.
Wine + Dinner = Winner
If you’re having steak and salad, wine ought to be at the table. Sharing a bottle of red is such a Valentine’s Day classic that it might even border on cliché. But classics are classics for a reason.
To complete this meal, we’ve curated a selection of Oak Leaf wines found in most Walmart regions around the country*. The wines themselves are great pop-and-pour selections starting at $2.97 a bottle, and you could be helping reduce carbon emissions with your selection.
Oak Leaf uses Eco-GlassTM, which is made with “25% less glass than standard wine bottles,” meaning potentially less fuel for transport and a lower environmental footprint. So, enjoying this bottle of vino with your valentine can also help you play a role in preserving our planet.
Cheers!
Love is sure to be in the air this Valentine’s Day. If you decide to stay in to cook a great meal, you can trust Walmart to help you make it as safe and sustainable as possible.
*Availability of adult beverages and brands varies by store. Quantities may be limited. Customer must be at least 21 years of age to purchase alcohol. Please drink responsibly. Walmart Inc. Bentonville, AR 72716.
