Shoppers Value Local
Oct-14-2011

Shopping local and being a locavore is definitely a trend these days, that's been gaining popularity for the past several years. The California legislature has even passed a resolution naming Sundays, "Eat Local Day." SupermarketGuru wanted to know if consumers are actually seeking out locally grown foods and where they purchase them. Here are the results from an exclusive SupermarketGuru.com quick poll.

Sixty-eight percent of consumers say they buy locally grown foods whenever they are available. Most often, consumers sighted supporting local farmers and helping the local economy as the two main reasons they are motivated to buy locally grown foods - followed by "better taste" and "higher quality." But overall, the most important reason was to support local farmers.

There are many places consumers can shop for local foods, but consumers say they most often purchase local foods at the farmers market (53%), followed by supermarket (26%) and roadside stands (12%).

As mentioned above, Sundays in California are "Eat Local Day." We asked the panel if their state or community celebrated an Eat Local Day once a week, would they participate. Fifty-one percent said, "Sometimes, if products were easily available," while 30 percent said "Yes, always." Only 19 percent said they might but they wouldn't commit to it.

Looks like local foods are important to most shoppers, and the benefits are numerous including a lighter carbon footprint, often less packaging waste, fresher seasonal foods which in turn means better nutrition, getting to know where and who your foods are coming from, supporting the local community and more! If you don't already shop for local foods it's definitely worth seeking them out - ask the produce manager in your local supermarket what's locally grown, and if there are no local products ask if they can stock them. If you're lucky to have a farmers market nearby - check it out - you will be surprised with the selection and recipe suggestions from the farmers and vendors.

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Posted by Ken at 12:00 AM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print