Case Studies of Local Food Purchasing by Central Iowa Restaurants and Institutions

Abstract

Through direct marketing of their products, many farmers are forming a stronger connection with their customers and obtaining premium prices for those products. Potential direct marketing customers for food producers are local restaurants and institutional foodservice operations. Benefits and challenges do exist for both foodservice operators and food producers interested in exploring this method of purchasing. A project tracking local food purchasing by nine Iowa restaurants and institutions is described.

Economic Viability of Selling Locally Grown Produce to Local Restaurants

“…Other studies have found retail food services, most notably institutional sectors such as hospitals, are cautious about purchasing from local producers due to uncertainty about regulations ('Are we allowed to? '), taking extra time to search the market and communicate food specifications to the producer, and considering food safety (Gregoire & Strohbehn, 2002;Starr et al, 2003;Strohbehn & Gregoire, 2003). Most growers also identified benefits of selling to local restaurants, such as price premiums.…”

“…As a consequence, the author suggested that growth of LGP programs required reducing transaction costs, to which grower collaboration and improved vertical coordination between growers and produce distributors was the key. Strohbehn (2003) presented empirical evidence that food buyers for commercial and institutional food services in Iowa have strong interest in supporting local farmers, providing fresher and high quality foods, and lowering associated transportation costs. Data from the study also showed that operations wish to know the sources of foods purchased.…”

“…They determined that the important factors for local restaurants when purchasing food items from local producers were supporting other local businesses and acquiring products that minimized impact on the environment and that were grown and processed locally. Strohbehn and Gregoire (2003) conducted a case study with five independently owned restaurants and five non-commercial food service operations in Iowa to assess interest in increasing local food purchasing. Results showed considerable interest by all food buyers to support local farmers because of perceptions of fresher and higher quality products and because of lower transportations costs.…”

Mardin İlindeki Restoranların Yerel Ürün Kullanımındaki Avantaj ve Dezavantajları ile İlgili Algı Düzeyleri

“…Özet olarak restoranların yerel ürün kullanmasının avantajlarını sıralamak gerekirse sırasıyla; azalan lojistik mesafesi ile azalan enerji tüketimi, yerel kalkınmanın desteklenmesi, daha taze ürünlerin tüketimi, tedarikçi ve hizmet sa layıcı arasında ileti im ve iyi ili kiler, gıdanın az miktarda ve daha kaliteli olması, yerel ürün kullanan i letmelerin daha fazla tercih edilmesinden bahsedilebilir (Murphy ve Smith, 2009;Ortiz, 2010;Schwartz, 2011;Sharma, Moon, ve Strohbehn, 2014;Strohbehn ve Gregoire, 2003). Yerel ürün satın alınmasındaki zorlukları ise; yılın her dönemi olmayı ı, birden fazla tüketiciyle çalı ılma zorunlulu u, yeterince miktarın olmama ihtimali, tutarsız paket boyutları, yerel ve bölgesel düzenlemeler, güvenilir gıda miktarı, sipari prosedürleri, gıda güvenli i konuları, zamanında teslimat, yemek hazırlanmasındaki i gücü, üretim maliyetleri, ödeme ko ulları olarak sıralamak mümkündür (FPC, 2003;Ortiz, 2010;Schwartz, 2011;Sharma ve di ., 2009;Strohbehn ve Gregoire, 2003).…”

“…Yerel ürün satın alınmasındaki zorlukları ise; yılın her dönemi olmayı ı, birden fazla tüketiciyle çalı ılma zorunlulu u, yeterince miktarın olmama ihtimali, tutarsız paket boyutları, yerel ve bölgesel düzenlemeler, güvenilir gıda miktarı, sipari prosedürleri, gıda güvenli i konuları, zamanında teslimat, yemek hazırlanmasındaki i gücü, üretim maliyetleri, ödeme ko ulları olarak sıralamak mümkündür (FPC, 2003;Ortiz, 2010;Schwartz, 2011;Sharma ve di ., 2009;Strohbehn ve Gregoire, 2003).…”