I know of at least three people, including myself, who are now getting the vast majority of their groceries from Freshfields.
I rarely purchase meat or veggies from Publix or Winn Dixie anymore and since I hardly purchase boxed foods...
Publix and Winn Dixie have become the CVS/Walgreens of groceries, lower quality (many times) and higher prices (all the time).
Any one else find that much of their grocery budget is going to Freshfields?
http://www.freshfieldsfarm.com/
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-jan-freshfields-farm-a-raw-vegans-perspective#.U8USrCxOWUk
I dont get it...ive been there 4 times...its nothing special..their stuff is no better than anyone else in town..local?..doubt it..the only way to guarantee its local is to pick it yourself or grow it yourself. Sorry but im not impressed.
Publix gets their produce locally as well.
I love FF for meat and some veggies, it's handy that it's on my way from work. It's no frills, but I feel like I'm running a food gauntlet every time I go in there. They're brutally efficient. Get in, get a cart, get your food, get in line, get checked out, get out. So you really have to be careful if you're comparison shopping and not just grab the first pack of meat/fruit/veggies on the pile. It's like the way the place is designed is to make you feel as uncomfortable as possible to get you in and out. It works, and it's actually fun, but I still prefer Publix for some things (and you can't get other ingredients that you need to really cook there.)
Is it cheaper for this stuff than Costco or another value club? Probably not, but I don't have a membership to one of those places, so I can't compare. Is it cheap and has it saved me a boatload on grocery bills? Heck yeah, it has.
I've also been there, nothing special but I certainly welcome the competition (I still miss harris teeter).
I'm not sure what you're saying about the publix quality at least as far as meats go. Publix still offers nothing lower than USDA Choice (which is what they've always sold) and they also offer USDA Prime (the highest grade) for more money.