Local demand finds a place at Thanksgiving dinner

The pilgrims ate local at Thanksgiving.

According to history.com, local vegetables that likely appeared on the table at the first Thanksgiving included onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, corn and perhaps peas. 

The account says fruits common to the region included blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries and, naturally, cranberries.

In modern America, local Thanksgiving fare is not always that handy. How much of your Thanksgiving meal is “local”? Certainly not the canned cranberry sauce and the Cool Whip.

But perhaps more local food will be served this Thanksgiving than a few years ago.

While the produce industry’s supply chain has a long tail, the buzz about local sourcing has picked up in recent years. 

The other day I received a news release about this continuing trend from Forager, an app developer with a platform designed to make it easier to bring buyers of local produce together with suppliers. More on that idea in a later blog.

Here is what Forager said about consumer demand for local food at Thanksgiving:

As consumers start to plan out their shopping lists for their Thanksgiving feasts this month, many have one priority in mind: eat local. Today, Forager, a B2B technology company making local food widely available to all, announced the results of a survey of local food buyers indicating that these kinds of foods are especially in demand during the Thanksgiving season. The survey revealed that 83 percent of respondents are planning to buy something locally-sourced for their holiday tables. 

“From turkeys to cranberries to vegetables like honey nut-squash and sweet potatoes, shoppers are prioritizing local over price, convenience, and even produce and foods that are organic. Not only is this helping to support small farms and grocers committed to local food, but it’s making the Thanksgiving meal more special. We are pleased that Forager can help families celebrate Thanksgiving in the truest tradition of eating together with food on the table sourced close to home during this season of thanks,” said David D. Stone, CEO and founder, Forager.

The survey reflects a burgeoning trend of consumers demanding fresh and healthy foods, with reports indicating that 90 percent of consumers choose food for its freshness and 40 percent are shopping for local foods every week. With the local food market alone expected to swell to $20 billion in the U.S. by 2019, opportunities abound for grocers, co-ops, and farmers to offer more local products to their customers. 

TK: From all appearances, local demand isn’t going away. Did it ever leave? It now has a permanent seat at the table. Players like Forager are hoping to make it easier for the impulse for local food to become second nature, like an afternoon nap in the Lazy Boy after the big meal.