Earlier, I blogged about The 100-mile Challenge, a reality show on the Plant Green channel. After viewing all the episodes, I must say, it turned out better than I predicted for the denizens of Mission, British Columbia, who ate only locally grown and produced food for 100 days.
In practical terms, that meant no coffee, bananas or wine, as well as no processed foods like potato chips, chocolate candy bars or boxed macaroni and cheese. The challenge also meant a lot of cooking from scratch—a skill most participants (and many of us) lack. But the people were convinced it would be a healthier way to diet and benefit the planet by reducing their carbon footprints.
Some key things that participants found:
- Grocery bills initially doubled, but returned to slightly above normal once participants learned to cook
- Carbon footprints actually increased. Participants often had to drive to the edge of the 100-mile radius to find "local"
- Sourcing and preparing local food required a lot of time. A lot. Their days revolved around food, even to the point one participant took a vacation during the challenge to have more time for "hunting and gathering" activities
Despite a brief furor over a loophole that allowed one couple to have coffee while traveling, all of the participants eventually admitted to indulging in forbidden foods—cake, coffee and fast-food burgers—when out of town. Not surprisingly then, Day 101 saw the immediate return of coffee, salt and other "global goodies" to the pantry.
And though no one planned to stay on a 100-mile diet, the food industry can still glean useful information from the experiment. In post-challenge interviews, all of the participants said they planned to keep most of the habits developed during the challenge, i.e. fewer meals-from-a-box, more fresh foods and more home cooking. In general, most said they'd eat about 80 percent local.
That's a significant chunk of a grocery bill, and while the Challenge may seem like just another reality show, the food industry needs to pay attention to this trend.
Wanting "locally sourced" food on the menu is a distinct trend among consumers, according to the November issue of Prepared Foods in its annual statistics, trends and new products report, and a quick Google search shows that awareness of our carbon footprints and assumptions that "local is better" are firmly planted in the public's conscious.
Not sure how to respond to this trend? Start small. In many places, the infrastucture doesn't exist to make a local-only diet feasible, but by adding a local food section to your shelf or menu, you can meet your customers' interest in local foods and measure their commitment to the movement. Also, an informal survey—or just chatting them up during a sampling event—can provide ideas of how to (or if to) incorporate local foods into your offering.
Oh, and there's one other reason you should be aware your customers might come looking for local food. All the 100-mile participants except the most rampant "cheaters" lost weight, a few dropped 30 pounds or more. Most chalked it up to eating differently rather than less. Can the local-food-only weight-loss program be far behind?