The supermarket chain could meet consumer needs by incorporating
some farm-to-table principles, while also keeping some long-distance
produce suppliers. When available, using farm-to-table principles on
the produce is the best option for the supermarket. However, if the
produce is not available locally or the produce is not in season, then
the supermarket should try conducting business with suppliers
elsewhere to meet the demands of the consumers.
Farm-to-table principles are something every produce selling
supermarket should think about incorporating, but they need to
consider the risks and benefits. For example, the benefits of the
principles are “Serving farm-to-table food at your restaurant is an
excellent way to make local and organic food more available to your
community. Farm to fork is an extremely popular trend, and
associating your restaurant with the trend can help bring in
customers and create excitement about your menu. It can help the
environment. The produce doesn't have to be shipped long distances,
meaning less time on a truck and fewer greenhouse gases going into
the atmosphere.” (Traylor, 2017). The benefits are countless for
incorporating farm-to-table principles, but the supermarket still
needs to be aware of the risks and if they outweigh the benefits. The
risks of the principles are “If you're planning on opening a farm to
fork restaurant, you'll have to constantly change your menu. As the
seasons change, different foods will be available in farms, and you'll
have to adapt to what produce is available and fresh. To make a
profit, many farm to fork operations have to offer their food at a
higher price to cover the high cost of the produce. While this may
not be an issue in larger cities like New York City and Los Angeles,
the price may put off customers in suburban or rural settings.”
(Traylor, 2017).
If we want to incorporate this principle into our supermarkets we
also have to consider necessary data and communication methods to
make this system work. We need to make sure that the local
suppliers can keep up with the high demands of a supermarket and
what produce they can give us and at what quantity? All of this
information is crucial to see if a local supplier can be a supplier for
the supermarket. Also, there will need to be communications with
the local supplier about prices, packaging, shipments, quality, and
many more. The supermarket needs to agree on certain terms before
picking any local suppliers and constant communication with the
supplier is necessary to keep the process running smoothly.
The factors that the supermarket will consider before accepting the
principles are can we trust the supplier to maintain the healthy
produce, will this lead to extra profits for the company, will
consumers still be willing to pay for the produce with the bigger price
tag, and can the local supplier meet the quantity needs of the
supermarket? The metrics the supermarket needs to look at are how
high will the profit margins be from selling the produce and can the
supermarket make a profit by incorporating the local suppliers? In
conclusion, incorporating farm-to-table principles is a great idea for
the supermarkets to start doing, but it needs to meet the criteria
mentioned above if the principles are going to work at the
supermarkets.
Traylor, R. (2017, October 2). Farm to table: A movement for local and
organic food. WebstaurantStore. Retrieved
from https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/postdetails.cfm?
post=1532
