s.diver
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> From Rt66.com!flowers Fri Apr 19 08:33:40 1996
> Date: Fri, 19 Apr 96 08:27:07 MDT
> Message-Id: <9604191427.AA07733@Rt66.com>
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> To: steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu (Steve Diver)
> From: flowers@Rt66.com (Wilderness Flowers)
> Subject: Re: Barriers to Local Food Buying:some solutions
>
> From: "New York State Vegetable Growers Association News",
> > March 1996 issue.
> >
> >A survey by University of Wisconisn specialist Greg Lawless,
> >"Farmer/Food Buyer Dialog Project" found from 46 responses
> >among restaurant chefs and produce buyers at natural foods
> >and traditional groceries in Wisconsin and Minnesota the
> >following reasons why they don't buy more locally
> >produced food.
> >
> >1. Erractic availability, seasonality
>
> :grow 12 months per year with
> proper crop choices low temp winter crops with high value can be grown
> economically:if you have the educated palate demanding fresh produce
>
>
> >2. No central supplier of local products
>
> this is the easy part: do
> it!there is money for some one to set up this part of the food chain on
> local levels
>
>
> >3. Lack of professionalism among local growers
>
> : also easy educate and
> provide the incentive to the growers to become professional
> :financial rewards.
>
> >4. The high prices of local food
>
> : local producers must match prices or
> small increase with the incentive to the customer that the variety tastes
> good ,and is fresh.our success is in growing varieties that are not
> available from the normal distribution chains (oregon giant snow peas for
> example)and have some flavor appearance and texture as well as nutritional
> advantage:also organic.Also we need to let the customer know that they have
> already paid part of the price of mass distribution products so the higher
> local price is really what the mass distribution procduct costs ;it is just
> not reflected in the 'store 'price but in the store price plus taxes,farm
> suplements foreign aide, school costs for migrant workers etc
> >
> >5. Consumer indifference to food source
>
> : educate:educate:educate:mexican
> produce is cheap but is reported to have use of pesticide products
> (paraquat)no longer allowed on US products.Part of the education is also to
> help the customer develope their palate if your local produce does not taste
> any better than that at the chain why are you growing it?
>
> >6. Food insufficiently processe:?
> >
> >7. Restrictive contracts with current suppliers were a
> > problem for only a small number of buyers
> >
> >For more info, contact Lawless at 608-265-2903
> >
> >In New York, Dr. Jennifer Wilkins at Cornell is currently
> >looking at ways to encourage their foodservice buyers to
> >work more directly with local growers. For more
> >information, call the NYSVGA office at 607-539-7648
> >
>
> contact my broker SARAH GRANT 505 579 4386;lsfc@aol.com
> she is daeling with all these issues with some succes.
>
>
> Martin Connaughton
> Wilderness Flowers
> Flowers@rt66.com
> Rt 19 Box 111-D
> Santa Fe, NM 87505
> 505 988 3096