PRIOR LAKE  (AP) -- The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is getting into the local and organic food craze with its own natural food market on its
reservation south of the Twin Cities.

The market called Mazopiya opened to the public this week. It offers a large inventory of organic items including free-range grass fed meats and local and organic produce, as well as a deli and prepared meal area with café seating and a coffee bar.

Community member Lori Watso, the driving force behind the store, says Sioux ancestors thrived on a diet free of foods with pesticides, growth hormones and manmade chemicals, and that trying to return to that tradition will pay health benefits for the community.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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