Jul 29, 2015
The 2010 Shopper Study identifies opportunities and potential barriers to farmers’ market growth and stability. The report produced by Informa Research, and funded by Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, focused on identifying key factors that prompt people to shop at farmers’ markets, frequency of shopping at farmers’ markets, purchase information, purchase barriers, awareness and impact of promotion, and transportation to the market.
Key findings include:
- Shoppers are most attracted to the access to fresh, tasty, local, and sometimes organic food, and the ability to directly support local farmers and the rural economy.
- Shoppers also recognize markets as valued community meeting venues, and that their market shopping habit has led to changes in attitudes and behaviours towards food, cooking, and health.
- The most common challenges with market shopping are the limited hours and days of operation, higher prices, and seasonal availability of products compared to grocery stores.
These findings point to opportunities to improve markets and work towards vibrant hubs that support Greenbelt farmers and Ontarian eaters; to access the full report please click here.
