Linking local with what people eat

By Sara Keddy

editor@berwickregister.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Getting on board the buy local bandwagon won’t be enough for Nova Scotia’s fruitgrowers’ agricultural future.

At their 144th convention in Greenwich January 29 to 31, producers got the latest on technical issues for orchard care and management, but spent a lot of time hearing from experts and talking about the buy local phenomenon.

Helen Arenburg said in one session, when she man’s the fruitgrowers’ booth at expos and asks passersby to tell her three colours apples can be, the top choice is green.

“Red doesn’t come first and, as you know, we don’t grow green apples in Nova Scotia,” she said.

“The more I try to teach people about apples, the more I learn people don’t know about apples, their food or their local food.”



Don’t limit yourself to local

People may value local food, said keynote speaker Martin Gooch, a value chain specialist with the George Morris Centre agricultural think tank, but “the bad news is geographic-based marketing programs generally don’t work.

“They sell what’s already available, and almost one-third of consumers don’t read labels. The politicians supporting the programs aren’t the ones you have to sell to.”

Buy local campaigns fall down when producers can’t meet consumer demand for consistent quality and supply. Labels and promotions don’t inform people about the products. And, if producers can’t meet those expectations, Canada’s top-three grocers that sell 78 per cent of the groceries in Canada on their shelves aren’t easily persuaded to make room.

“The good news is,” Gooch said, “quality counts.

“It’s the number one factor that sells food.”

Understanding the quality connection with consumers - they want a physical and mental experience with what they eat - is key.

“Successful regional branding campaigns resonate with consumers’ values, and you have seconds in the store to get their attention.”

Gooch said the greatest opportunity for local farmers is the world market, but “you need to go to buyers with your story and differentiate yourself in the market, large store or small.”



Big grocers want small producers, too

Paul MacLeod of Sobeys acknowledged a downfall in communications between his retailing company and producers, but buying local is a two-way street.

“If we don’t, we’ll continue to lose farms in rural Nova Scotia - that doesn’t help any of us. Local feeds the circle: $1 spent locally puts $3 in the economy.”

He pushed producers in a panel discussion with Scotian Gold’s David Cudmore and Select Nova Scotia’s Linda MacDonald to take advantage of “double digit growth” in health and wellness, value-added, convenience and organic products.

“There’s a huge myth out there producers have to have a 52-week supply,” MacLeod said. “We have vendors with a two or three week supply. We put it in an ad, it’s done.

“We’re willing to test varieties or products - is it local? Is there customer demand? Can we buy it? We make sure the quality the customers want is there - in food safety, the right packaging. If we meet all those, our preference is to buy local.”

MacLeod also offered local producers Sobeys’ nation-wide access. Nova Scotian apples, for example account for 60 per cent of local sales, and Sobey’s actually ships out of the region.

“Those doors aren’t closed to you to make those contacts.”

Politicians, leaders push ‘forward thinking’

Provincial Agriculture Minister Brooke Taylor, who spoke at the opening session, said “buy local” has certainly been the topic of much discussion. An advisory council was established for the provincial initiative, and he thanked Kings County Councillor Wayne Atwater, in attendance, for providing municipal representation.

The Department of Agriculture launched a consumer awareness campaign and retail program, Select Nova Scotia - “a great success” - last summer and into the fall.

Taylor said he was interested in the conference’s “buy local” panel discussion, including a presentation on Select Nova Scotia.

“It’s very important for me to learn from you and through your experiences and through the fruit growers’ association’s experiences.”

Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture president Willy Versteeg said the convention agenda was forward-looking, with the emphasis on local renewal.

“It’s the only market we have preferred access to,” he said. “It needs to be fostered, exploited and developed.”