Who buys “local” food, why they buy, and where  they shop - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Who buys “local” food, why they buy, and where  they shop

Farm Fresh Food Boxes

USDA Grant 2016-67023-24853

June 28, 2019

Slide2

Trends in local food demandBetween 1992 and 2007 direct to consumer (DTC) sales grew rapidly—but were flat in 2012, perhaps due to waning consumer interest and a shift to intermediated sales (Low et al., 2015)

In 2017, sales through intermediated channels outperformed DTC sales 3:1 (USDA, 2019)

Slide3

How many shop local?

There are few national studies of shopping habits that include local food venuesBlanck et al. (2011 found 27%

of shoppers said they purchase food from DTC venues at least weekly in summertime

Older adults & those in N.E. were most likely to shop DTC

Packaged Facts (2014) found U.S. food shoppers will intentionally seek out local foods from any venue, even at higher price points

33% of consumers

consciously buy locally produced foods weekly.

~

50%

are willing to pay up to 10% more for local foods

Slide4
F3B marketing Survey

The rationale for the study is:Knowing who shops for locally grown foods, and why, is useful information for local farmers who sell through direct or intermediated channelsThe objectives are to discover:

Where U.S. consumers shop for produce; regional variations in shopping patternsWhether they seek out locally-grown foods & how often Attitudes & preferences regarding local foods generally… …and specifically (e.g., Farmers Markets, CSAs, Food Boxes, & Farm Stands)

Slide5
Methods

National stratified random samplePhone-based survey conducted by UVM Center for Rural StudiesData collected March 1

st-30th, 2018 (n=399)Sample skewed slightly towardsWhites (90%), Males (63.8%),

Educated (53% college)

Older adults (median, 67)

Prior to analysis, data were weighted to reflect % each state contributes to the US population overall

Slide6

Where people shop for fresh produce (N= 372-374)

Slide7

Shopping Direct-to-consumer venues & Buying local produce29% of respondents said they had purchased fresh produce from just one direct venue; 45% from two different venues, and 5% from three or more venues.

Regarding locally grown produce, nearly half said they buy it ‘always’ or ‘often’

2018 F3B National Market Survey

N=374

Slide8
How Consumers pay for local produce

2018 F3B Marketing Survey (n=373)

Slide9

Where Families & Friends Shop for local produce 2018 F3B Marketing Survey

Slide10

Regional Variations in direct-to-consumer (DTC) food shopping Additionally:

Farm Stand use: is significantly lower in the West than the SouthFarmer's Market use: lower in the West than the Midwest or NortheastCSA use: no variation by region

Lifetime prevalence of shopping any DTC venue

64%

89.7%

86.6%

81.5%

Overall, 79.5%

said they have bought produce at a direct-to-consumer venue, but this varies by region (below).

Slide11

Reasons to buy local produce F3B Marketing Survey (n=350)2018 F3B National Market Survey

Slide12

Drawbacks to buying local produce F3B Marketing Survey (n=350)

2018 F3B National Market Survey

Slide13
Reasons people never buy local produce F3B Marketing Survey (n=14)

2018 F3B National Market Survey

Slide14

Shoppers’ experience with various DTC Venues

Slide15

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first national survey of U.S. consumers to estimate current and past DTC shopping behaviors by market channelLifetime prevalence of DTC shopping overall is high (79.1%). An 2005 AL statewide survey found similarly high prevalence.

Untapped markets may exist in the Western region, particularly for Farmers Markets and Farm Stands.

Freshness, taste and concern for farmers and local economies are top motivators for shopping DTC markets

Inconvenience

and seasonality are barriers to purchase

Slide16

Project team: Investigators

Jane

Kolodinsky

Principal Investigator

University of Vermont

Center for Rural Studies

Lisa Chase

Co-Investigator

University of Vermont

Cooperative Extension

Marilyn Sitaker

Co-Project Director

The Evergreen State College

Ecological Agriculture and Food Systems

Julia E. Van

Soelen

Co-Investigator

University of California

Cooperative Extension

Hans Estrin

University of Vermont

Cooperative Extension

Diane Smith

Washington State University

Extension, Skagit and Whatcom Counties

Weiwei Wang

University of Vermont

Center for Rural Studies

10

Slide17

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by Innovation for Rural Entrepreneurs and Communities  project no. VT-0075CG from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Slide18

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=78934

 130 Farms in 2017



$2,800 unadjusted sales in 2017