Dinner was nearly on the table, but Veronica Nuno had forgotten ingredients for the salad. The 54-year-old Altadena resident headed for a nearby market, warning her husband, "We're going to pay an arm and a leg."

Nuno, a teacher, usually treks to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rosemead for food bargains — sometimes seeing prices half what is charged at other groceries. She is counting down the months until the Wal-Mart grocery opens in her hometown.

But not all her neighbors share her view. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s plan to open a neighborhood market in Altadena early next year has exposed a rift among locals over a basic issue: food.

While some residents see cheaper groceries as a boon, others are passionate advocates of organic and sustainable agriculture. They view the retail giant's plan as an anathema threatening Altadena's identity.

An unincorporated area of 43,000, Altadena has fought off annexation for decades from its southern neighbor Pasadena, preferring Los Angeles County rules instead. In a place where residents are allowed to raise chickens and goats and it's common to cultivate and share backyard bounty, food can be a sensitive issue.

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