05 Apr Who can afford farmers markets? Affordable fresh produce
As a nutritionist who has deep interests in food security and food access I have been thinking about food security and where people in the city can shore up supplies of healthy food.
It doesn’t seem like such an issue when food is in plentiful supply, but I often have one eye on a more precarious future.
My understanding was that it is cheaper and healthier to buy produce that is grown locally. However my trip to the Alphington Farmers Market has me asking ‘who can afford farmers markets?’ And the answer is (surprisingly) most people who can shop for food in our duopoly.
Affordable fresh produce
At one stall one small capsicum, 2 small shallots, a cucumber, an onion and two small heirloom tomatoes cost me $13. At the second stall a small half of purple cabbage, a red chilli and a cob of corn cost me $7.
The sticker shock is real. However I did some comparisons when I got home. At the supermarket the produch from the first stall would have cost $9.50 and the second stall $6. This is not a huge price difference and the extra is well worth it if the produce is organic and/or local.
Anecdotally, it sounds like supermarkets artificially suppress the real cost of food in order to maintain their competitive advantage. Maybe, coming to the farmers market is a good exercise in experiencing what food really costs. In my quest to find food security in a city environment, the numbers add up. The faceless corporations seemingly squeeze everything out of farmers and transport produce hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. Supporting local farmers is ethically responsible, and it is more affordable than it first seems.
The quest for a strong network
From where I am sitting (in the covered trellis in the garden at the back of Alphington Farmers Market), I am interested in reciprocal relationships with farmers at the markets. Perhaps it is just another example of our capitalist society where people show up to make money and reciprocal relationships are not valued. We the consumers are valuable as sources of income. Time will tell.
Our food system is fragile and vulnerable to shocks to the long supply chain. I understand that farmers markets could be a part of addressing the potential for food access insecurity. Who can afford farmers markets? I would love to help build something that lets more people get access to this local food source.
Real reciprocal relationships
This farmers market experience has me thinking of Friends of the Earth coop and cafe in Collingwood. It is an example of a commercial food establishments who actually nurture reciprocal relationships within people in the community. Their bulk produce is also better value than anywhere else in my local food environment. The fruit and vegetable prices are a bit more expensive, so perhaps it is simply the reality of what contemporary farming costs.
I am thinking that as a first step it is good to know that farmers markets supply affordable fresh produce. At the end of summer everything is growing. It is a good time to visit your local farmers market.
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