ITHACA, N.Y. — Successful farmers markets can make important contributions to public health, community wellbeing, and small farmer livelihoods. Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that farmers markets find ways to continue to thrive in a competitive environment for the attention of local food shoppers. Farmers markets are known for fresh fruits and vegetables, but many also feature shelf-stable, value-added products (VAPs) like sauces, jams, and fermented produce. Despite the potential importance of locally sourced VAPs to farmers markets, farmers, and food-insecure communities, few if any studies have examined consumer preferences related to small-batch VAPs of the kind often prepared for sale at farmers markets.
To address this gap in knowledge, this article, “Preserving farm freshness: Consumer preferences for local value-added products at urban farmers markets,” presents the results of a collaboration between farmers, researchers, and a not-for-profit community kitchen in New Jersey. The researchers conducted focus groups and controlled sensory evaluations (taste tests) with community members in a midsized New Jersey city. Overall, findings suggest that locally sourced VAPs tailored to the preferences of particular markets can make a valuable addition to the local food landscape in food-insecure areas. Contact corresponding author Dr. Virginia Quick for more information.
KEY FINDINGS
- Cost, quality, and healthiness of food were top priorities for community members and farmers market customers who participated in the study.
- VAPs created by the research team were judged to be largely comparable to brand-name products used in taste tests.
- Consumers’ concerns about the freshness of VAPs present a challenge for farmers who may be interested in selling at farmers markets.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
Partnerships that use community-based, mixed-methods market research to bring together small farmers, food aid organizations, local food producers, and food-insecure consumers can yield many rewards. But it cannot be taken for granted that farmers market customers will associate locally sourced VAPs with freshness, quality, and health; producers must make this connection explicit. This can be done through (1) marketing and product design that center the healthfulness of the original ingredients; (2) displaying samples of the raw ingredients or posting illustrations of the production process; and (3) showcasing VAPs in on-site demonstrations that introduce customers to new products and highlight their roots in nearby farms. Future projects could treat these possibilities as hypotheses to be tested through field experiments at farmers markets, perhaps conducted in collaboration with cooperative extension or public health organizations.
–Peer-reviewed article by Virginia Quick,
Lauren B. Errickson,
Graham E. Bastian,
Grace Chang,
Sarah Davis (all at Rutgers U),
Anthony Capece (Elijah’s Promise),
and Ethan D. Schoolman (Rutgers U)
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development