Local food! double the price?
By smuggeridge
@smuggeridge (2148)
June 8, 2007 6:20pm CST
OK went into the supermarket today and went to get some strawberries, picked up one box and it said it was from a farm just down the road, then i found another box the same size from slovakia and it was half the price.
How can it possibly be so much more for a product from a farm i can cycle to in 10 minutes than one 3,000 miles away? It makes no sense, surely the cost of travel should make the local version cheaper
1 person likes this
5 responses
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
9 Jun 07
I started a thread about the milk prices being like this. We have a milk production plant in our town. Their milk costs more here than it does in other places that they have to ship to. To me, I think they would give us credit for not having to ship the milk, and only delivering it.
In the case of the strawberries the bigger companies can get by with lower prices because they can buy their supplies in bulk and the local farmer has to pay more to get the same product out. I would still buy the local as I feel they are usually better tasting and fresher, and worth the price.
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
9 Jun 07
That probably has something to do with Slovakia shipping to more locations.
If the Slovakia is shipping to you, then they are shipping to numerous places and have a larger market to be able to charge less. But the local farmer does not ship to many places and has to have a higher place to stay alive because the Slovakia charges less and gets the more business.
Best thing to do...buy from you local farmer. Even though it might cost more, you are supporting you local former AND most likely, it is fresher because they do not have to worry about picking early for shipping. :)
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
9 Jun 07
I'm not sure about that. Usually you have to count labor cost too. if something comes from a country that has currency lower than Dollars or Pounds, for sure you can get their stuffs cheaper than your local store. Or the store could have sold them at the average price and make a lot from it. shipping price won't be too much if they buy bulk all the time. but when it comes to grocery I think you would want fresh ones if you can get them. or else well then grocery stores have better equipments to keep them fresh.
