The Farmers’ Markets’ Impacts on Customers Research Survey examined the impact of farmers’ markets on shoppers’ health linked to food purchasing, preparation and eating patterns, along with obtaining a more detailed understanding of how the market experience is changing perceptions and behaviour about healthy locally grown/produced food.
The report was produced by Informa Research, and was funded by Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. The study measured food buying habits, impacts on locally grown fresh food, and the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits.
Key findings include:
- Shoppers are incorporating more new fresh tasty looking produce, and thus producing more homemade food.
- Parents view farmers’ markets as changing children’s willingness to eat new foods.
- The more shoppers learn about local food and its impacts through the experience of coming to the markets, the stronger their commitment to buying local food.
- Shoppers are learning more about which products are in season and they are adapting their cooking and eating more seasonally.
- Shoppers wish that markets could be more convenient, more days, longer hours and longer season.
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.
