Michiganders’ Local Food Perspectives

David S Conner, Kathryn Colasanti, Susan B. Smalley, C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable

Food SystemsBrent Ross

Michigan State University

Acknowledgements

State funds for this project were matched with Federal funds under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program of the Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

Overview: Increasing Farmers Market Patronage in Michigan

• Goal to increase farmers market participation, especially among under-served populations

• Outputs include recommendations to market managers, vendors to increase market traffic, broaden customer base, enhance sales

Increasing Farmers Market Patronage in Michigan:

Qualitative Results

Farmers Market Background

• Shoppers tend to be highly educated, professional, middle-aged to older, middle-upper income, Caucasian and female

• Produce freshness is a primary reason consumers prefer farmers markets

• Lack of awareness, inconvenient times or no market in the area are primary reasons consumers do not shop at farmers markets

Research Motivation

• Most research about FMs has been collected from market shoppers

• Typical FM shopper is not representative of diverse populations

• Under-represented groups– Young singles– Young parents– Low-income households– Racial and ethnic minorities

Research Questions

• What are consumers’ awareness levels, motivations and behaviors surrounding farmers markets?

• What are consumers’ perceived barriers or disincentives to greater participation in farmers markets?

Focus Groups

• Purposeful, maximum variation sampling method

• 7 focus groups with a total of 63 people1. Rural, Caucasian2. Rural, Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American3. Rural, Mexican-American women4. Rural, Caucasian5. Urban, Arab-American women6. Urban, Young Singles, Caucasian, Hispanic,

African-American7. Urban, Young Parents, Asian and Middle Eastern

Immigrants

Overview of Results

Overview of Results

Overview of Results

Overview of Results

Signs and Promotion

“You must let people know when, where, to open the farm market. Maybe many people like to choose fresh vegetables, fresh fruit from market. But if they always miss the time, they always miss the farm market in just maybe Saturday, one day in only one place, so I think you let people know where, when, is very important. Sometimes maybe you can from the newspaper in [name of city] even… Many people didn't know. They don't know where, when and what.”

Overview of Results

Time Constraints

“There is certain food that they run out of and that they only bring a certain amount of, and when it is gone it is gone. And this year I have noticed, because it is a lot busier than it has ever been, if you are not there early you do not have a lot of choices. Sometimes if I can’t get there until the afternoon I might not go. It might not be worth my time to go.”

Overview of Results

Location and Facilities

• Downtown location– Walkable vs. out of the way– Excursion vs. grocery shopping– Visible location vs. traffic congestion

• Facilities– Payment methods– General appearance

Overview of Results

Atmosphere

• Vendors and customers openly annoyed with their children

• Asked to purchase things that their kids had touched

• Feeling of “being watched”

• Offended by how vendors presented themselves

Key Themes for Follow-Up

• Fairness of prices

• Adequacy of selection and produce quality

• Convenience of hours and location

• Welcoming atmosphere of the farmers market

• Significant demographic differences

Quantitative Data Collection

• Questions on quarterly State of the State Poll conducted by MSU, October 2008

• N=953, representative sample of state• Questions included

• Behavior: shopper, market attendance, money spent• Attitudes: importance of price, quality, convenience,

atmosphere, food safety, etc. on shopping decision• Beliefs: are farmers’ markets good value, convenient,

welcoming? • Demographics: sex, ethnicity, income, age, education,

HH size; plus religion, political views

Data Analysis• Descriptive: means and frequencies• Cross-tabulation and group means• Regressions

–Ordinary Least Squares for expenditure–Binary (Probit) for FM shopper

Results: Descriptive Stats• 90% of respondents do some food shopping

(other 10% skipped subsequent questions)• Of those:

– 61% had attended a farmers market in past year– Reported shopping four times (mean) in previous month

(September 2008) and spending on average $25 per trip (median)– $200 million statewide in September ($100/month, ~4 million

households, ~50% of population shopped at FM)– Ag Census 2007: $50 million direct food sales statewide– Over/undercounting?

Descriptives, cont’d

Most important factors in where to shop • Food quality (3.80)• Food safety (3.75) • Supporting local farmers (3.71)

For FM shoppers• Agreed markets are: easily accessible, adequate supplies• Not able to use preferred payment method (e.g., EBT,

credit or debit cards)

Non-shoppers: agreed good value and welcoming atmosphere

Cross-tabulation &Comparison (race/ethnicity)

• Latinos – Less likely (than rest of population) to shop at FMs– More likely to cite variety, location and convenience

and welcoming atmosphere as important

• African Americans are – More loyal to current stores– Find FMs comfortable and conveniently located– Importance on food safety and products grown without

pesticides

Cross-tabulation & Comparison (income/age)

Low income: (<$20K) place more value on price, convenience, one-stop shopping and products grown without pesticides

Young parents (18-35)• Less likely to shop at FMs • Place more importance on convenient hours,

one-stop shopping and welcoming atmosphere.

Regression: FM shopper

Statistically significant variables

+ more likely to be a FM shopper• Single (+)• White (+)• Employed part time (-)• Latino (-)

Importance of…• Quality (+)• Support local (+)• Convenience (-)• One-stop shop (-)

Regression: Market Spending

# shopping trips in last month (Sept 08) x $ spent

Higher expenditure associated with

• Very important view of:–Value –Welcoming atmosphere–Pesticide free produce

• Less importance on convenience

Regression: Market Spending

• Female

• # children at home

• Union status

All negative in sign

Themes: quality, local (+), convenience (-)

Recommendations: Managers and Vendors

• Market the market: use multiple communication channels to let people know location and hours

• Recruit more farmers of color (especially Latinos) to make markets more welcoming to all

• Accept credit cards and EBT/Bridge Card payment for increased convenience

• Highlight availability of Michigan Grown products with labels and signs

Recommendations: Policy

For state and federal policy makers• Enhance state promotion efforts like Select

Michigan• Encourage state agencies to highlight food stamp

recipients’ ability to purchase healthy food• Assist farmers to adopt organic/sustainable

practices

For local policy makers• Integrate FMs within planning efforts: balance of

accessible, lively, family friendly

Conclusions

• High current reported participation, room for improvement with marketing, policy efforts

• Limitations: –FGs not representative,–Social desirability bias (survey/census)

• Future directions: investigate tensions –Convenience and atmosphere–Downtown vs. ample parking–Lively vs. family friendly

Defining Locally Grown Food

Locally Grown Definitions

3.5%

11.2%

18.0%

49.1%

18.3%

MUST BE GROWN BYFARMER PERSONKNOWSMUST BE GROWN INTHE COUNTY PERSONLIVESMUST BE GROWNWITHIN A 100 MILESOF HOMEMUST BE GROWN INMICHIGAN

MUST BE GROWN INGREAT LAKES REGION

Nearly half sayLocal = Michigan

Locally Grown – September 2008

Did you purchase/receive locally grown food during September 2008?

75%

25%1 YES

5 NO

About ¾ got SOME local

food

Locally-grown Food Perspectives

Locally Grown Food Costs Too Much

3%

25%

1%

46%

25%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHERAGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREE

How do your prices comparewith non-local

Items?

Locally-grown Food PerspectivesLocally Grown Foods are Available

at the Places I Like to Shop

25%

43%

1%

21%

10%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHER AGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREE

Locally-grown Food Perspectives

It doesn't matter to me if my food is locally grown

10%

28%

1%39%

22%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHERAGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREELocal matters

to some extent to over half

Locally-grown Food Perspectives

I would buy more locally grown foods if they were easier to identify at the store

59%28%

1%

10%

2%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHERAGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREEHow do you help

Customers ID local?

Locally-grown Food Perspectives

I don't have Time to Shop for Locally Grown Foods

11%

24%

1%28%

36%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHERAGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREEHow can you help customers

save time when they purchase from you?

Locally-grown Food Perspectives

I cannot find the kinds of locally grown foods I want, when I want them

13%

33%

1%30%

23%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHERAGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHATDISAGREE

STRONGLYDISAGREE

How do youcommunicate

what you have to sell?

Locally-grown Food Perspectives

There are some kinds of locally grown foods that I don't use because

I don't know how to prepare or cook them

13%

24%

1%27%

35%

STRONGLY AGREE

SOMEWHAT AGREE

NEITHER AGREE/DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREE

What prepinformation

do you provide?

Value of Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing* by Region, 1997-2007

Growth of Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing by Region, 1997-2007

Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing Sales by Region as a Share of Total

Agricultural Sales

Top 10 States, Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing as Share of Total Agricultural Sales

Where is Michigan?

Top 10 States, Growth of Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing, 1997-2007

Where is Michigan?

Michigan Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing as Share of Total Agricultural Sales, 2007

0.7%

0.8%

1.0% 1.0%

0.0%

0.2%

0.4%

0.6%

0.8%

1.0%

1.2%

1992 1997 2002 2007

2007 Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing Sales

Farms Participating in Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing, 2007

Value of Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing Sales, 2007

C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at Michigan State Universityis pleased to be a sponsor

We engage communities in applied research and outreach that promote sustainable food systems

to improve access to and availability of healthy, locally-produced food

For more information:www.mottgroup.msu.edu

517-432-1612