Since the renewed interest in local food over the last few
years, a proliferation of farmers’ markets and popular third party distributors
have worked hard to get their piece of the pie.
Still with only 1% of the food economy spent on local food, it’s a small
piece to share and local farmers are getting the crumbs.
It’s common to hear farmers discuss how they used to do
better business before “local” became popular.
Now many family farms have to work two or three markets to make the
sales that they used to make at just one market. The propagation of farmers markets have
spread the business thin resulting in lower sales and increased expenses (fuel,
booth fees, licenses, sales materials, tents, tables, etc. not to mention
staffing).
Speaking of Farmers Markets!
That’s the very venue where many of the third party distributors
introduced themselves. Riding on the
theme that they supported local farmers by offering a more convenient “CSA-like”
delivery program, they pitched their tents and flashed their fancy trucks next
to local farmers at markets whenever possible.
After wooing the public, they expand their “Whole Foods– like” delivery
program with suave marketing that no small family farm could compete with. Farmers are then forced to sell once again to
the middle man who controls the market price, buying from whoever sells the
cheapest.
The original intent of the “local” food movement: having a direct
connection to your farmer and environment, is now void and being done away with
by well-financed middle man distributors, pushing “local” produce 200+ miles and
statewide.
And here we are. “Local”
is now becoming as watered down as “organic” and the local farmers and
consumers are the ones who loose. You
see, the supply for local food does not fit the modern centralized distribution
program and the only way to know for sure that your food is local is to buy
direct from the farmer. Farmers Markets,
CSA Programs and other venues where the buyer can directly source their food
from the producer is the only way to assure that your money IS
supporting local farmers.
The truth of the matter is, Austin based distributors are
hurting the “local” food movement. Farmers across
the state are reporting decreased sales, up to 60% losses in 2013, as the “local”
food consolidators move into their communities taking over the market by promising
more convenience with no commitment.
This pseudo-local food trend may level out in another year or two as the
public catches on. The question is, can small
family farmers last that long?
If we want to save local food, we need to buy farmer direct.
Know your farmer.
Know your food.
