What is the contrast between a vegetable from the grocery store and the farmers market? Both, the grocery store and the farmers market have a diversity of vegetables at comparable prices. Yet, consumers favor to buy at grocery stores, such as HEB, Kroger, Albertsons, and Walmart. These grocery stores are open every day, making the shopping experience accessible, and convenient for the buyer. Unlike, the farmers market is only accessible once or twice per week. But, the local farmers market is making a comeback across towns and a feud between the two has begun. The Grocery store and the farmers market sell similar produce on the surface, but, the farmers market offers a higher quality of vegetables and promotes the local economy.
RNRA Team, “Supermarkets, Fresh Produce and New Commodity Chains: What Future for the Small Producer?” Hot Topics: February, 2004.
Local rather than global and small rather than large, the increase in these less conventional manners of production can be seen in the increased abundance of farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and community gardens. Farmers’ markets are common areas where farmers meet on a regular basis and sell various fresh produce directly to the consumers. The number of farmer’s markets between 1994 and 2014 has increased from around 2,000 to 8,000 (ers.usda.gov). Farmer’s offers an aesthetic that Walmart cannot provide—the opportunity to be personable. The consumer is able to see who grew the food, ask how it was grown, and will not be dazzled by fancy packaging or advertisements.
Compare your shopping experiences at retailers like Costco, Nordstrom, or Whole Foods with experiences you may have had at Walmart, Sears, or Kroger.
United States Department of Agriculture. (2011). 10 tips for affordable vegetables and fruits. Retrieved , from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/foodgroups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheet9SmartShopping.pdf
For this assignment, I decided to go to a grocery store by my house named Meijer. Meijer is just like any other grocery store, similar to Wal-Mart, yet higher quality products than Wal-Mart.
From time to time I volunteer to assist with distribution of food at a local food pantry at a local church. It never dawned on me that there all kinds of clients that needed the assistance until I required to write this paper for my Sociology class. I never noticed race or gender because I only saw that there were people in need based on individual circumstances. Hard times fell upon many of people and they sought assistance the best way they could. I noticed as I passed out bags of perishable foods, there were a number of people requiring assistance. There were Caucasian men and women but most were predominately African-American. Based on the initial observation, many of them were from different social backgrounds. Some of the clients were
In any market there are four possible models to follow: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and pure monopoly. Potatoes fall into the category of perfect competition. Why? In order for perfect competition to exist you need many firms, standardized products, market controlled price, low barriers to entry, and no non-price competition. Potatoes meet this criteria. As organic produce, there is differentiation between one species and another, however consumers generally view one brand as a perfect substitute for any other. In terms of price, a single potato producer has little choice in the matter if they wish to turn a profit. If they were to raise prices, there are any number of other perfectly good substitutes at a lower price. If they were to raise prices, they would only lose revenue given that they could sell a theoretically unlimited amount at the market price. What about barriers to entry? Certainly the costs of farm equipment must be large. While equipment costs may be high, “no significant legal, technological, financial, or other obstacles prohibit new firms from selling their output…” (p.165 McConnell et. al 2012). Essentially, the ‘science’ of potato production isn’t held in just a few hands. Finally, non-price competition. Given that there is only small distinctions from one potato to anot...
“Attention Whole Foods Shoppers” is an essay written by Robert Paarlberg for the May/June 2010 edition of Foreign Policy magazine. Foreign Policy was originally founded in 1970 with the intention of providing views on American foreign policy during the Vietnam war and does more or less of the same today. Paarlberg’s purpose in this essay is to convince an educated western audience that the Green Revolution was not a failure and improved life everywhere it took place, organic food having advantages over non-organic food is a myth, and the solution to food disparity is investing into agriculture modernization. With logos as the main mode of appeal, Paarlberg’s organization effectively sets up his points throughout the essay with consistently
When I visit Pennsylvania or other states around New York, one of the things I see outside restaurants is corn, in this case, dry corn. When I eat around urban areas at small, typical, American restaurants, one of the only vegetables that are being served in the restaurants in great amounts is corn. In other words, corn is like the United States national vegetable. What is interesting is that many nations in the world can be recognized by a vegetable, a fruit or a product...
the quality. They both have a bakery, a deli, a produce section, a meat section where they freshly
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
Attention Getter: Imagine you are at the supermarket buying some fruits and vegetables, vegetables are on sale and the organic vegetables are 2 dollars more than the vegetables original price, which do you choose?
Have you ever considered what is in the food you are feeding your children? Most foods that are bought at the neighborhood grocery stores are considered global foods which are packed with additives and chemicals making them far less nutritious than local produce from the community farmer‘s market. After much research, I have concluded that it is better to buy produce which is grown locally rather than produce which is sourced globally (from other countries). I think this is important because most people, like myself, buy global foods and do not realize how much better local foods are for the local economy, the global environment, and our personal nutrition. Nutrition is vital to the healthy of everyone especially children, so with the purchase of local fresh produce, it can ease the worry in parents of what children as well as ourselves are ingesting. Produce grown locally are healthier for toddlers because they contain more nutrition in the foods, meaning less additives and a better taste, helping them properly develop.
In distinction to purchasing a particular item, then to how it has cooked and prepared or rather takeout food, decides the families’ diet and even choices in food of what they consume. Whether the food cooks in olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter can determine the taste of a meal, but also can improve the health of the meal. The preparations made in order to prepare a meal for the family could perchance measure in convenience. The level of convenience can range around take-out, instant foods, TV dinners/ microwavable, and stuff from a box to healthy homemade/ from scratch, baked/cooked, steamed, and stuff from a can. Not that some convenient foods cannot originally contain good health contents, nonetheless the small changes that can make someone’s food intake much healthier even with a small budget. When purchasing grocery items with a low income, whether an item according to a good healthy diet compares with an item that consists of a bad nutritional value. Parents will purchase the unhealthy choice deceived for its promise to satisfy their children, however, a similar item that stands healthier with the same weighed oz. will fill the proper nutrients that a child needs while they still proceed to grow, unlike processed foods that can fatten a child and stunt their
The other day I walked into the supermarket to buy a box of Kleenex. I was faced with a variety of colors, textures, box designs, and even the option of aloe. All these features designed for a product to blow my nose into! Selection wasn't limited to the Kleenex section, either…I found abundance in every aisle. We seem to always want more - more choices, more variety, more time. In fact, even the word "supermarket" implies a desire for more than just a simple market.