By Sustainable Solano
What does “organic” mean to you? How about “local”? How should farmers and other food producers communicate the direct benefits of local food to communities?
These labels and their interpretation have been part of ongoing research around consumer habits when it comes to food purchases, and most recently are part of a study by UC Davis in partnership with Sustainable Solano here in Solano County. This study’s preliminary findings for Solano residents and consumer behavior in general around local food were part of a recent presentation and forum hosted by the Solano Local Food System Alliance.
The Solano Local Food System Alliance is dedicated to supporting an environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially just and equitable local food system in Solano County. The Alliance brings together a variety of stakeholders, organizations and agencies that work within the local food system, from producers to retailers to food access providers. An important part of the Alliance’s work is education. It holds regular educational forums to learn more about topics that intersect with the local food system.
On April 9, the topic was about what leads consumers to make purchasing decisions around local food. For example, information alone won’t make a difference in buying habits, but experiencing freshness does. So increasing access and opportunities to experience local food can lead to increased purchases.
Alliance member and UC Davis professor Kristin Kiesel and PhD student Hyunjung Lee presented findings from surveys and a retail experiment that show what affects consumer preferences and purchasing decisions in the county. Sustainable Solano will use the research to shape marketing and messaging strategies that can increase community awareness about local food, farmers and food producers.
You can watch the presentation and discussion in the video below. Those interested can fill out this form to request the complete data analysis from the research when it is available.
You can view the slides from the presentation here. Due to some technical issues the slides in the video may be difficult to view. It may be easier for some viewers to open the slides separately while listening to the video presentation.
