(Community Matters) the Sustainable Food Center responding to an earlier posting
Price comparisons between conventional foods from supermarkets and locally and sustainably produced foods from farmers markets abound, with mixed results. Many have found that locally produced, direct marketed foods are the same price or cheaper. Other studies, of course, do indicate that fresh local foods may carry a bigger price tag. The comparisons are confounded when product quality, production methods, and externalized environmental and social costs are considered (factory farming versus small family farms, farm worker wages, etc). Plus there’s the broader issue of the prices of unhealthy foods compared to a nutritious diet, including the long- and short-term costs to individual, community, and public health.
I was amazed to read a previous blog post that cited three particular food items from a local farmers market which were found to be double the price when compared with the same or similar product at an independent food co-op. There was obviously no need to adjust for source, quality or growing method since the tomatoes, at least, were from the exact same farm. Having become familiar with other price comparison studies, I certainly had an interest in seeing a description of the methodology and the documentation of the research that yielded this “double the price” finding.
Upon reading this more recent post, my next and potentially more productive inclination, was to offer support from SFC to design a more scientific comparison study that can truly capture accurate data about pricing disparities between supermarkets and farmers markets, with multiple data samples gathered over a period of time. Further, SFC is willing to recruit and train community volunteers to assist with this study. SFC also encourages additional input from those familiar with farmers markets about pricing and, more importantly, about the real costs and value that they perceive in their choices to buy directly from local farmers at direct markets.
-Andrew W. Smiley
Farm Direct Projects Director
Sustainable Food Center
Community Matters 