Ralph's is a SoCal grocery chain that was purchased a few years
ago by Kroger, a grocery chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At first the changes in ownership were few and subtle starting
with private label canned products such as tomatoes being
introduced.

Recently have noticed the introduction of Kroger brand red meats
such as sausage.

Today, I stopped at Ralph's to get a ham, packed by a local
packing house, which was on sale.

Unfortunately, they were out of stock, but they did offer a rain
check,
which I accepted.

What was in stock, at a significantly higher price, was a SugarDale
ham.

I did a double take since SugarDale is a meat packer located in
Canton, Ohio, some 2,500 miles away from Los Angeles.

When I lived in NorthEast Ohio, SugarDale had a major portion of the
market including my business so I was comfortable with the brand.

Buying a SugarDale product in Los Angeles meant there was some
serious shipping involved.

Makes you think about all those 18 wheelers traversing those
interstates.

Lew

On 12/23/2014 8:35 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
Ralph's is a SoCal grocery chain that was purchased a few years
ago by Kroger, a grocery chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At first the changes in ownership were few and subtle starting
with private label canned products such as tomatoes being
introduced.

Recently have noticed the introduction of Kroger brand red meats
such as sausage.

Today, I stopped at Ralph's to get a ham, packed by a local
packing house, which was on sale.

Unfortunately, they were out of stock, but they did offer a rain
check,
which I accepted.

What was in stock, at a significantly higher price, was a SugarDale
ham.

I did a double take since SugarDale is a meat packer located in
Canton, Ohio, some 2,500 miles away from Los Angeles.

When I lived in NorthEast Ohio, SugarDale had a major portion of the
market including my business so I was comfortable with the brand.

Buying a SugarDale product in Los Angeles meant there was some
serious shipping involved.

Makes you think about all those 18 wheelers traversing those
interstates.

Lew


All it takes is one rail car full and it goes into the local store house
that serves the region. Let trucks do the short haul.

Martin

On 12/23/2014 8:35 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
....

I did a double take since SugarDale is a meat packer located in
Canton, Ohio, some 2,500 miles away from Los Angeles.
....
Buying a SugarDale product in Los Angeles meant there was some
serious shipping involved.

....

Pales in comparison to shipping Australian beef in...or US beef/pork to
Japan/China...

National Beef here ships 90% of "specialty cuts" to Japan from SW KS.

--

On 12/23/2014 8:35 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
Ralph's is a SoCal grocery chain that was purchased a few years
ago by Kroger, a grocery chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At first the changes in ownership were few and subtle starting
with private label canned products such as tomatoes being
introduced.

Recently have noticed the introduction of Kroger brand red meats
such as sausage.

Today, I stopped at Ralph's to get a ham, packed by a local
packing house, which was on sale.

Unfortunately, they were out of stock, but they did offer a rain
check,
which I accepted.

What was in stock, at a significantly higher price, was a SugarDale
ham.

I did a double take since SugarDale is a meat packer located in
Canton, Ohio, some 2,500 miles away from Los Angeles.

When I lived in NorthEast Ohio, SugarDale had a major portion of the
market including my business so I was comfortable with the brand.

Buying a SugarDale product in Los Angeles meant there was some
serious shipping involved.

Makes you think about all those 18 wheelers traversing those
interstates.

Lew



What do you suppose is in all of those other trucks Lew?

FWIW way over here in east Texas we get a load of products from
California. I know this because everything from California has a cancer
warning label.

On 12/24/2014 8:58 AM, Leon wrote:
....

FWIW way over here in east Texas we get a load of products from
California. I know this because everything from California has a cancer
warning label.

Not necessarily from CA at all; manufacturers put the CA-silliness
labels on all their product because it's cheaper than having multiple
labels and keeping track of what gets shipped where...

--

On 12/24/2014 9:08 AM, dpb wrote:
On 12/24/2014 8:58 AM, Leon wrote:
...

FWIW way over here in east Texas we get a load of products from
California. I know this because everything from California has a cancer
warning label.

Not necessarily from CA at all; manufacturers put the CA-silliness
labels on all their product because it's cheaper than having multiple
labels and keeping track of what gets shipped where...

--


Oh, so California has mad this a problem for the whole country.

On 12/24/2014 11:13 AM, Leon wrote:
On 12/24/2014 9:08 AM, dpb wrote:
On 12/24/2014 8:58 AM, Leon wrote:
...

FWIW way over here in east Texas we get a load of products from
California. I know this because everything from California has a cancer
warning label.

Not necessarily from CA at all; manufacturers put the CA-silliness
labels on all their product because it's cheaper than having multiple
labels and keeping track of what gets shipped where...
....

Oh, so California has mad this a problem for the whole country.

Ayup...and it's only getting worse with their new rules for "importing"
eggs as just a starting point...

--

On Wed, 24 Dec 2014 12:22:21 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 12/24/2014 11:13 AM, Leon wrote:
On 12/24/2014 9:08 AM, dpb wrote:
On 12/24/2014 8:58 AM, Leon wrote:
...

FWIW way over here in east Texas we get a load of products from
California. I know this because everything from California has a cancer
warning label.

Not necessarily from CA at all; manufacturers put the CA-silliness
labels on all their product because it's cheaper than having multiple
labels and keeping track of what gets shipped where...
...

Oh, so California has mad this a problem for the whole country.

Ayup...and it's only getting worse with their new rules for "importing"
eggs as just a starting point...

When the San Andreas fault lets go at 9.something, California will no
longer be a problem. If it stays above water, it will be an island.
Probably useful as a prison island, as there will be no fresh water
other than captured rainwater - but they probably don't allow that...

"Leon" wrote:

What do you suppose is in all of those other trucks Lew?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Since the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach is the largest port
of entry into the USA, the answer would be almost anything
found on the shelves of the big box stores.

What is amazing is to see one of those unit trains heading
east out across the California desert.

I'm guessing that those trains are at least a half mile long.

They are visible from several miles and almost give the
appearance of being a model train layout.

After that, it would be the food grown in the central valley
headed east to the markets.

Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote:
"Leon" wrote:

What do you suppose is in all of those other trucks Lew?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Since the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach is the largest port
of entry into the USA, the answer would be almost anything
found on the shelves of the big box stores.

What is amazing is to see one of those unit trains heading
east out across the California desert.

I'm guessing that those trains are at least a half mile long.

They are visible from several miles and almost give the
appearance of being a model train layout.

After that, it would be the food grown in the central valley
headed east to the markets.

Lew

I bet that is a site to see.. I have seen long line trains in the middle
of nowhere in west Texas and probably 100 car plus trains making round
trip journeys hauling coal from Wyoming to a coal fired electric plant just
SW of Houston.

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:549b2a33$0$44734
:

What is amazing is to see one of those unit trains heading
east out across the California desert.

I'm guessing that those trains are at least a half mile long.

9,000 to 10,000 feet would be typical for a train on the
western railroads. If it's bulk, like coal, 10,000 tons;
if it's cans (intermodal containers) maybe 6,000 tons or
less.

And yes, when you see one of those double-stack container
trains in open country like the desert, it looks like the
Great Wall of China moving across the landscape.

John

On 12/25/2014 8:09 AM, John McCoy wrote:
"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:549b2a33$0$44734
:

What is amazing is to see one of those unit trains heading
east out across the California desert.

I'm guessing that those trains are at least a half mile long.

9,000 to 10,000 feet would be typical for a train on the
western railroads. If it's bulk, like coal, 10,000 tons;
if it's cans (intermodal containers) maybe 6,000 tons or
less.

And yes, when you see one of those double-stack container
trains in open country like the desert, it looks like the
Great Wall of China moving across the landscape.

John

This town is on the UP going from Houston to Dallas for east/west
and on north as needed. I don't live very close, but want to say
we have 8 every 24 hours. Many petrochemical and containers.

Martin