Farmers Forum staff
TORONTO —Farmers’ markets capture only a fraction of the average family’s food budget, according to a new British Columbia study.
The study by University of Northern B.C. professor David Connell surveyed 11,500 shoppers and interviewed 350 market-goers at 70 farmers’ markets in the province.
The study found that families spend only 0.5 % of the family food budget at farmers’ markets. The average Canadian family spent $29,989 on food in 2023. A mere 0.5 % is $150. That translates to spending on average only $2.88 per week on food at a farmers’ market.
Growth in farmers’ markets has been slow. The average farmers’ market shoppers spend only 3 % more (adjusted for inflation) than they did in 2012.
Connell was to present his findings at Congress 2025, an academic conference May 30-June 6 at George Brown College in Toronto.
