What do local foods consumers want?
The local foods movement is now firmly entrenched in the public imagination and as a feature of the larger food economy. With the most recent wave of local food retail markets now in its second decade, scholarly attention has turned to the factors that correlate with success, yet we know very litt...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1082 |
| _version_ | 1797703752630665216 |
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| author | Matthew Mariola Adam Schwieterman Gillian Desonier-Lewis |
| author_facet | Matthew Mariola Adam Schwieterman Gillian Desonier-Lewis |
| author_sort | Matthew Mariola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The local foods movement is now firmly entrenched in the public imagination and as a feature of the larger food economy. With the most recent wave of local food retail markets now in its second decade, scholarly attention has turned to the factors that correlate with success, yet we know very little about local food consumer purchasing patterns. In this study, we examine a comprehensive database of all food sales spanning ten years at a pioneering local food market in Wooster, Ohio. Analysis of over 1 million sales data points reveals a number of interesting trends: there are predictable seasonal patterns in the rise and fall of sales at the market; there is a notable increase over time in the proportion of sales accounted for by takeaway foods produced in the market’s commercial kitchen; co-op members spend more on average per visit than nonmember customers. A successful market needs a balance between a small number of large-volume producers, who dominate sales with a handful of products, and a deep pool of smaller-volume producers, who bring a diversity of products to the market shelves. We conclude with a series of points that are of use to local food scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T05:10:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e094fd83ac9b4a0397546627d17e2f35 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2152-0801 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T05:10:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-e094fd83ac9b4a0397546627d17e2f352023-09-03T08:42:51ZengLyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food SystemsJournal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development2152-08012022-06-0111310.5304/jafscd.2022.113.011What do local foods consumers want?Matthew Mariola0Adam Schwieterman1Gillian Desonier-Lewis2The College of WoosterLocal Roots MarketThe College of WoosterThe local foods movement is now firmly entrenched in the public imagination and as a feature of the larger food economy. With the most recent wave of local food retail markets now in its second decade, scholarly attention has turned to the factors that correlate with success, yet we know very little about local food consumer purchasing patterns. In this study, we examine a comprehensive database of all food sales spanning ten years at a pioneering local food market in Wooster, Ohio. Analysis of over 1 million sales data points reveals a number of interesting trends: there are predictable seasonal patterns in the rise and fall of sales at the market; there is a notable increase over time in the proportion of sales accounted for by takeaway foods produced in the market’s commercial kitchen; co-op members spend more on average per visit than nonmember customers. A successful market needs a balance between a small number of large-volume producers, who dominate sales with a handful of products, and a deep pool of smaller-volume producers, who bring a diversity of products to the market shelves. We conclude with a series of points that are of use to local food scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates. http://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1082ConsumersCooperativesFood HubLocal FoodLocal MarketRetail Sales |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Mariola Adam Schwieterman Gillian Desonier-Lewis What do local foods consumers want? Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Consumers Cooperatives Food Hub Local Food Local Market Retail Sales |
| title | What do local foods consumers want? |
| title_full | What do local foods consumers want? |
| title_fullStr | What do local foods consumers want? |
| title_full_unstemmed | What do local foods consumers want? |
| title_short | What do local foods consumers want? |
| title_sort | what do local foods consumers want |
| topic | Consumers Cooperatives Food Hub Local Food Local Market Retail Sales |
| url | http://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/1082 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthewmariola whatdolocalfoodsconsumerswant AT adamschwieterman whatdolocalfoodsconsumerswant AT gilliandesonierlewis whatdolocalfoodsconsumerswant |