Measuring current consumption of locally grown foods in Vermont: Methods for baselines and targets

Numerous studies have measured the economic impact of increased consumption of locally grown foods, and many advocates have set goals for increasing consumption of locally grown foods to a given percentage. In this paper, we first apply previously developed methods to the state of Vermont, to measure the quantity and value of food that would be consumed if the USDA Dietary Guidelines were followed. We also assess the potential of locally grown foods to meet these a Department of Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont, 205H Morrill Hall, Burlington, Vermont 05405 USA b Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont, 206 Morrill Hall, Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA c 161 Austin Drive, #71, Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA d Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, 3 Pitkin Court, Suite 301e, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 USA e UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Co-Chair, Sustainable Agriculture Council, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, Vermont 05405 USA * Corresponding author: Florence Becot; +1-802-656-9897; [email protected] Conflict of interest statement: This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Award No. 2010-34269-20972. The research work was done in collaboration with all the co-authors on the article. UVM affiliates did not have a contractual relationship with the Vermont Sustainable Job Funds. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development ISSN: 2152-0801 online www.AgDevJournal.com 84 Volume 3, Issue 3 / Spring 2013 guidelines, finding that meeting dietary guidelines with a local, seasonal diet would bring economic benefit, in this case, US$148 million in income for Vermont farmers. A missing piece of information has been: what is the current percentage of locally grown food being consumed in a given city, state, or region? The Farm to Plate Strategic Plan, a 10year plan for strengthening Vermont’s food system, attempted to answer this question. To date, we know of no credible set of methods to precisely measure the percentage of food consumed that is locally grown. We collect data from a variety of sources to estimate current local consumption of food. We were able to measure and account for about US$52 million in local food expenditures, equal to about 2.5% of all food expenditures in Vermont. We then discuss limitations and suggestions for improving measurement methods moving forward.