When making a trip to their local grocery store, farmers market or going out for dinner, British Columbians are strongly influenced by their interest in supporting the local economy, and their desire for food that is fresh and safe to eat.
These findings are part of a B.C. Agrifood and Seafood Domestic Study funded by the federal and provincial governments. The study designed was to find more ways to help grow the BC Agrifood and Seafood industries, and to find out if BC is buying local food.
Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said "The results of this study are one more tool to help British Columbia's producers and processors capture more of the domestic market, by identifying their local consumers and better understanding their needs. By investing in the agriculture and food system, our government is ensuring continued growth and prosperity for this key sector of our economy, which provides one in eight Canadian jobs."
Some Key Findings:
- When purchasing food, B.C. residents are strongly influenced by their interest in supporting the local economy (80%), and the desire for food that is fresh (79%) and safe to eat (77%). All these are factors strongly associated with local food, and therefore main drivers of B.C. product purchases that can be leveraged.
- While food staples, such as eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, and milk, are the most likely products to be sourced locally, there is a market for emerging and gourmet products, such as raw fish and raw seafood, alcoholic beverages, and snack foods, that needs to be cultivated.
- Residents would be more inclined to buy B.C. products more frequently if offered competitive prices and promotions (93%), if products were easy to identify through store signage and product labeling (89%) or through a broadly recognizable “From B.C.” seal (83%), and if more information about when products were produced, their origin, their ingredients, and the production method was available (87%).
- The Thompson/Okanagan/Kootenay regions include a higher proportion of individuals who have a high interest in premium local food , and are unconcerned about price.
Photo Credit: Government of BC