I want to make a broad statement to the many producers of produce, meat and dairy who sell their products themselves. In other words, to the guys and gals who are up early on Saturday to sell at the local farmers market, have a storefront on their property and who rely on the local market to makes ends meet. There is no question, in my mind, that the products these folks sell are the best you can buy. Sustainable, local agriculture is by all means the best way to eat.
However, not all share this opinion of mine. Sure, you can find restaurants in most cities touting the 'all local' menu and hell, even the fast food market has realized this is the way to go (more on this movement, and the leader, Chipotle Mexican Grille, in another post), but what about the home cook with a family of 4 and a 9 to 5 job? How are THEY supposed to find the time to do their grocery shopping for local, sustainable ingredients in their community? You and I both know that the only places these people shop are the convenient grocery store within a 5km radius of them.
And do you blame them? I don't. There's no way a busy working family can find the time to get their weekly groceries from the individual storefronts of the local agricultural community (many of whom are on average, in Canada, a 30km drive, each way, from their homes). So HOW do these families eat local, for a reasonable price without schlepping out to the farm?
Easy. Do it the 'normal' way. These families are used to their fancy stores with flashy signage and professional looking promotions. The colourful packaging and clearly labeled produce make it easy for the at-home cook to easily gather their ingredients and get back to whatever is next on the endless list of to-do's. So, it's time for the local agricultural community to band together and share in this principle of convenience.
Producers need to come together and market their products in a way that is familiar to the average home cook. Will this be more costly? Yes, and no. Yes, the cost of packaging may increase, but when shared amongst those in the same predicament, these costs become negligible. Look at Rowe Farms, for example, who act as a cooperative for sustainable meats produced by farmers in the Wellington County, Ontario area. Sure their meat is more expensive than the supermarket meat, but it costs a heck of a lot more to raise sustainable meat, doesn't it...
I truly believe that the future of grocery is through the co-operative work of local, sustainable producers who can use their collective resources to market and sell their wares to the consumer of today. I see this more as a goal, than a dream.
