Customer demand for local fresh fruit and vegetables, already high, reaches new levels
Consumers have been moving toward local produce in supermarkets for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand as customers are more inclined to help out their local producers in a time of need while feeling better about food safety when produce is coming from suppliers they know.
That has driven more stores to beef up their efforts to offer local produce.
For instance, Big Y Foods will soon open a new 425,000-square-foot Fresh & Local Distribution Center adjacent to the company headquarters in Springfield, Mass., which will allow 70 local farmers to supply the company’s stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut with approximately 1,200 types of produce annually.
Charles D’Amour, president and CEO of Big Y Foods, noted that the facility is an important way for the company to show its continued commitment to local producers and deliver produce to its customers at the peak of freshness.
John Savidan, senior director of produce & floral at Gelson’s Markets, an upscale regional supermarket chain operating in Southern California, noted that the company has had a very strong relationship with local growers since its beginnings in the early 1950s, with many of the original partnerships still intact, and strong as ever.
“Back in the day, it would not be uncommon for a grower to back his pickup truck to the docks and unload its local harvest for the day straight from the fields,” he said. “Although some of this has changed due to rules and regulations, we still deal with the same local farmers from years past and local still plays a major role in our program.” Steve Carlton, produce category manager of Natural Grocers, a Lakewood, Colo.-based organic grocer, said stocking local produce can change from year to year, and market to market, as challenges can keep the stores from sourcing local organic items.
“Fire and smoke damage, and early freezes are two reasons — especially in our home state of Colorado this year, where local produce yield was lower than usual,” he said. “As with everything else this year, COVID has impacted local produce. We’ve heard from some farms who have not had a large enough harvesting team — the backbone of the produce industry — to completely harvest their farms.”
"As with everything else this year, COVID has impacted local produce. We’ve heard from some farms who have not had a large enough harvesting team — the backbone of the produce industry — to completely harvest their farms.”
- Steve Carlton, produce category manager of Natural Grocers
Chris Dove, vice president of produce category & merchandising for Food Lion, the Salisbury, N.C.-based supermarket chain, said the retailer has increased efforts with local producers during the pandemic, partnering with its local DSD Produce Suppliers to offer produce in 900 of its stores.
“Many of our suppliers operate locally in the communities we serve and it’s important to us that we work with them to help them get through this challenging time,” he said. “Many of our DSD produce suppliers were impacted by the downturn in the foodservice business so this partnership was a win for all.”
Its Local Goodness program began in 2016, and over the years has evolved to include products across all of its stores and in each state within its 10-state footprint.
“Supporting local businesses is an area of importance for Food Lion and our neighbors,” Dove said. “Through our Local Goodness program, our goal was to make it easy to support local businesses by shopping at their neighborhood Food Lion store.”
Jeff Cady, director of produce & floral for Tops Friendly Markets, a regional East Coast supermarket chain with 170 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, said the company tries to express the importance of local to consumers as soon as they hit the door.
“We want people to know that we support local and I think most consumers understand the benefit of dealing with not just locally grown products, but locally produced,” he said. “People right now are pleased when they see in-stock conditions, so I’m not sure COVID has helped increase demand, but with all things being equal, our customers are usually more attracted to local items.”
“We want people to know that we support local and I think most consumers understand the benefit of dealing with not just locally grown products, but locally produced,”
- Jeff Cady, director of produce & floral for Tops Friendly Markets
Natural Grocers works hard to ensure its produce section remains 100% organic and local takes precedence, so it works with local growers whenever and wherever it can and makes sure to showcase that message in its marketing efforts.
“We promote our local produce through weekly ads and {N}power, Natural Grocers’ free loyalty program,” Carlton said. “Throughout the year, we offer special sales on produce through {N}power, such as Organic Harvest Month in September and Resolution Reset in January.”
Since Gelson’s Markets’ stores are located so close to major produce-growing regions like San Diego, Carlsbad, Fresno and Orange County, it does some local bug callouts on signage and in mailers. Still, Savidan notes that customers can tell when fresh produce items are at their peak and can distinguish local items themselves nowadays.
“We always have signs near our items that are locally grown and we speak to it in our print ads and digital ads,” Cady said. “We run an annual ad about our efforts with local produce and other fresh items.”
Before COVID-19, the store regularly brought local farmers in for tastings to introduce them to customers, and Cady is looking forward to when protocols allow for that to happen again.
At this time in our lives, Cady sees the power of neighbors helping neighbors, and that’s a philosophy that the store subscribes to, and one that many customers believe in as well. That has upped the demand for local as well.
“But it’s not just because consumers are demanding it. Now we are all aware that if we can take miles out of the supply chain by getting products locally, we all know it’s better for the environment,” he said. “In consumers’ minds, they feel better about it and we feel better about it.”
