Local? From Salinas? 

Editor:

Good article on organics ("What's Organic?" June 21). It is wonderful to see the chains like Costco and Safeway expanding their selections and mainstreaming such an important item.

Worth noting is a label Safeway uses in its produce department. "Local," the sign says, but when this gardener wondered how any local fruit was available in our area this early in the year, I looked and saw the Salinas, Calif., location on the label. The clerk said that Safeway uses the word "local" very loosely, and it can often simply mean California.

Joshua Kinch, Freshwater