Canadians will not pay more for locally grown food, survey says

Canadians say they prefer locally-grown food. They say they’re willing to pay more for it. But they are not so willing to open their wallets to buy it.
An October survey of 10,266 Canadians found that four in five Canadians say they are ready to pay more for locally-grown fruit and vegetables. But the survey also found that only 25 per cent of respondents actually seek out locally-grown food.

The survey, conducted by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab in Halifax, found that 34 per cent of respondents said they would pay 10 to 20 per cent more for locally grown food. Seven per cent said they would pay 20 to 40 per cent more for locally-grown food and 1.9 per cent said they would pay more than 40 per cent. But seeing and doing are two different things.

“This is what’s known as the local food paradox,” said head researcher, Sylvain Charlebois. “Most of us want to pay more for locally-grown food and will respond so during a survey, but few are actively looking for opportunities to do so.”

He added that: “Price, unsurprisingly, is the most common important factor for Canadians, with 47.8 per cent citing the price of fruits and vegetables is most important. That’s a significant barrier.”

However, Canadians who shop at farmers’ markets are different. Of the 10.8 per cent of Canadians who buy most of their fruit and vegetables at farmers’ markets, the source (being locally grown) was not as important as price and whether the food was “natural and organic,” the survey concluded.

Canada imports roughly 65 per cent of its fresh fruit and vegetables — primarily from the U.S. and Mexico.