Discussion Post 20

Forthe supermarket chain to incorporate farm-to-table principles while still

meeting consumer demandsthey shouldutilizethe products that local farms

produce and promote those items themost butkeeprelationships with long-

distance suppliers for the off-season. The supermarket chain could locally

source dairy, meat, and in-season produce.

The benefits to farm-to-table principles are infinite. Customers are looking

for organic, sustainable food andwill seethatthis specific supermarket

chaincarriesthat with theconvivenceof stopping in at a grocery store atany

time instead of trying to find a farmer’s marketon their schedule. Another

benefit to farm-to-table principles is that the grocery store willbenefittheir

local communityby supporting farmers and their businesses.This increased

profit going into the local businesses, especially in rural areas, will allow for

further growth in the economy overall. Small businesses can often feel

threatened by corporate chains, so working with them instead of hurting them

will provide thechain withgreat publicity, and more business.

(Massey,2021)Another benefit is that transportation costs will be cut

significantly.

A major risk associated with farm-to-table grocery stores is that their supply

will not be consistent. A location in New England may be able to buy

locally-sourced apples, pumpkins, squash, carrots, and many more veggies in

the fall, but come winter they will only have access to locally sourced root

vegetables and will have to find somewhere else to get those to keep

customers happy. Another risk is that costs of the products themselves or

storage may increase. Communication with farmers to understand the

availability of food at certain times of the year is important to implement this

idea.

Specific forms of communication thatarenecessary for the supermarket to

implement a farm-to-table philosophyarewith the farms directly. This

includes which crops/livestock are available at a certain time of year,how the

supermarket shouldstore any surplus of potentially perishable

items,waysfor leftover products that are out ofseason to be repurposed

(such as Can this veggie be pickled and then still sold as a local item?)I

would communicate with farmstoimplement a “Just in Time” inventory

system, where we may have more frequent deliveries versuslarger

deliveriestokeep inventory low and learn the demand of the customers.

(SoomoLearning, 2020)

The factors that willdetermineif my company applies a farm-to-table

principle include:

Can extra inventory be stored ina unique wayto stretch the season for

as long as possible?

Are there enough local farms around all my stores so that theycan

eachhave a variety of quality produce, dairy, meat, and other

products?

What is the monetary cost of buying local versus buying from a

wholesaler?

Do the consumers in my area care about buyingorganic productsor

can they afford to?

References

Massey, A. (2021, April 30). Farm to table: Building Local and Regional

Food Systems. SARE. Retrieved

January 26, 2022, fromhttps://www.sare.org/resources/farm-to-table-

building-local-and-regional-food-systems/

SoomoLearning. (2020). People, planet, and

profit.https://www.webtexts.com

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