Farmer\u27s Market Consumers: Is Local or Organic Important?

Consumer demand for alternative foods, such as organic and local products, increased dramatically in the last decade in the United States. Sales of organic products in the U.S. reached $21.1 billion in 2008, representing three percent of total food sales, and are projected to climb to$23.0 billion in 2009 (USDA-ERS 2009). Fresh produce –i.e. fresh fruits and vegetables­–have long stood as the top-selling organic products in the U.S. and accounted for 37 percent of organic food sales in 2008 (USDA-ERS 2009), or approximately $7.8 billion. This may be due in part to the fact that the adoption of organic practices has been highest among fruit and vegetable producers (Greene et al. 2009) while production of organic grains–inputs for both processed organic products and organic meats–has been outpaced by demand. Additionally, the Hartman Group estimates that 69 percent of U.S. households purchased one or more organic products in 2008, a figure that showcases the increasingly mainstream nature of organic products (Greene et al. 2009, p.3)