Food Inc., buy local

[Kapohocat]

For any facebookers, there is a fan page for " I support buying local - Hawaii". It's primary goal is to share info on local food sources.

[Robin C]

The Facebook page "Slow Food Hawaii" is also a good source for local food resources and events.

[Radiopeg]

I saw Food Inc (and as another subject, Gasland) some time ago. It made me angry about the GMO cross pollination issues, too. I went on the read the book Fast Food Nation. Marketing is an important strategy for fast food. This book explores several issues that parallel the rise of fast food chain restaurants. Scary to me.

[EightFingers]

Cat: I heard it this way,

Price, Quality, Service. Pick any two.

[Kapohocat]

That works too! []

[james weatherford]

Rob has a point, doing something is necessary.
Lots of action gets done as a result of people talking and listening. Food, Inc. is meant to do just that -- raise awareness, get people talking to one another about the mess the U.S.A. food system is and take action.
Speaking of action, I just squeezed up a cup of fresh-from-the-tree grapefruit and orange juice for me and one for Elizabeth. Yum!!

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[LeeE]

Fried yucca!

[rasman]

I agree with Rob and James here. Sustainability requires steadfast dedication to developing and expanding our local economy. Instead, it is often just a catch phrase for politicans etc.

Food is a necessity that will always be so it makes since for local food production to be a main cog in a sustainable community. Health is another big issue and I encourage folks to always look for alternatives to those pharmaceuticals. It is the continued demand for cheap imports, cheap fast food and cheap pharma drugs that has made way for some of our latest developments.

Every dollar spent on an item is a vote for more of that item.
The price of goods usually only drop when there is a high supply and demand, so that profit margins remain high even if prices are lowered.
That has been the obstacle for locally made goods. They often have higher prices because for one: there is a higher cost of living here compared to manufacturing hubs like China etc, and two: because without high demand to match the supply potential a business cannot afford to lower their prices and sustain. So in other words, the more we buy local, the better local prices will get, the stronger our local economy will get and the better quality of life will no doubt follow!

If you don't like CVS Longs or BK in your 'hood then I suggest not spending a dime there and encouraging others to do the same.

[TrevorKane]

I haven't spent a dime in a CVS, Longs or Walgreens in many many years, but they still seem to pop up two on every other corner in town. It's simple economics, one opens, the other watches their traffic, if traffic is high enough, the other opens across the street to take 1/2 that business - for investors, better 1/2 of a known quantity (guaranteed profit) than all of an unknown. If they would actually compete with each other on price, this would be a good thing for customers, but I think we know better than that...

On the food thing, yes! Food, Inc. is so sadly true. I believe it was in Food, Inc. where they showed a poor family who didn't really have the time and energy after working their jobs to make other food choices besides the fast food. It's the dual economic pressures of time and money that really slant the balance away from the farmer's market toward the global commodity market. When fuel jumped up in price a couple of years ago, it illuminated how much energy is put into having fresh grapes in the produce section year-round. Yet, it also points out that (some) people are willing to pay seven dollars a pound for grapes... Convenience and consistency sell food.

If the Farmer's Market would open a 7 days a week retail outlet selling sweet potato fries, taro chips and fresh fruit juices, they might start to compete with BK and Safeway.

[Bob Orts]

The first thing one has to decide is if the goal is to get people to eat healthy items or eat locally produced items?

If given the choice between healthy fresh muffins or store bought imported processed muffins, taste may play a major factor in my decision. There comes a point where taste over rules healthy. A muffin that taste like its made from a pack of bird seeds and grass clippings isn’t going to get my repeat business regardless of how fresh and healthy or local it may be.

My point is; if you are trying to market "Buy Local" you need local products to compete with the store bought and it has to appeal to the consumer for repeat sales. I would pay a little extra for a locally baked and processed muffin with cream filling using local ingredients over an imported processed cream filled muffin. But if the local product is an organic cardboard tasting mass with some organic yucky yogurt filling, I’m heading over to the chain store.

You need to sell what people will want to keep buying if the goal is “Buy Local”.