The Health Behind Higher Prices

In recent years, consumers health consciousness has given way to increased demand for nutritious, high-quality food. This development has precipitated a renewed interest for locally grown food. However, while local food markets are shown to deliver high quality produce items, they arent viewed as price competitive with similar produce items purchased at conventional superstore markets. This book seeks to investigate the validity that produce prices are lower at superstores than at farmers markets by using Kalamazoo as a case study. For the purpose of this study, price data for several produce items are collected over a period of eight months from vendors at the local farmers market and the local Meijer stores in Kalamazoo. The findings of this study do not provide unequivocal support to a price advantage that favors the superstore in all cases. Even in cases where the price difference is statistically significant, other factors, such as quality and environmental externalities, obscure the observed price advantage. The results of this study indicate that it may make sense to advocate for policies that support locally grown food systems.

Paine is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan. Prior to this, she received her BA in Economics from Kalamazoo College. Paine's research interests include sustainable food systems and corporate environmental sustainability.