| ||||||
 |
Recent market research shows that almost 3/4 of Ontario grocery shoppers look at where food is produced when they’re making their purchasing decisions. Continue reading “Buy local” resonates with consumers With the new year, the new Canadian food labelling rules officially kick in, making it easier for consumers to know exactly what they’re buying and where it came from. Until now, food could be labelled as Canadian without actually having Canadian ingredients – as long as it was processed or “transformed” here.
But in the mountainous northern regions of the Austrian province of Styria, some entrepreneurial farmers are not only making a living by farming on the alpine pastures, they’re also revitalizing rural communities and keeping ancient traditions alive. Ontario’s premier wants Ontarians to buy local foods…and not just fruits and vegetables. Dalton McGuinty told the audience at the fourth annual Premier’s Agri-Food Summit yesterday he wants buy local campaigns expanded to include meat, eggs and milk. That’s an admirable wish, but one that is getting more and more challenging, in my opinion. Many Ontario-based food processors are feeling the pinch of tough economic times and their numbers are dwindling by the month, it seems. Dr. Vincent Amanour-Boadu shared the following tips on how to position yourself for success in the global marketplace with participants at the Making Tough Decisions in Tough Times conference: Increase and sustain industry share of plate and market. Consumers are not loyal and will buy from wherever they think their needs are being met. Find a way [...] Meeting the needs of a finicky consumer is hard – but essential for success in the evolving global marketplace. And it’s something farmers need to start committing to, according to a popular agricultural economist from Kansas State University. “We need to understand consumer needs and how ungrateful they are,” said Dr. Vincent Amanour-Boadu as he addressed livestock farmers at the recent Making tough decisions in tough times conference in London ON. “And we’ve talked about this long enough – now we need to start committing to success.” |   | ||||
Copyright © 2012 Food and Farming Canada - All Rights Reserved | ||||||
Money and co-ordinated leadership. Those are two things that are needed to bring culinary tourism to the next level in Ontario, say a group of participants who discussed this topic at TVO’s AgendaCamp in Kingston today.
Foodland Ontario is one of the most recognizable brands in our province – and their “buy local” messages are making a difference with consumers.
Much of Austria is covered in pastoral mountainside fields – beautifully scenic but largely unsuited for agriculture.