January 29 , 2013 Volume 1, Issue 1

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Buying Local
Expectations of customers affecting Quantity Food Managers

Challenges
Higher Price. When buying large quantities of food, it adds up quick. Local foods arent always available. Some can be kept preserved during the off season, but not all. Not convenient. (1).

Listening to the Customer

Businesses that rely on their customers for income know that it is always wise to listen to the customer. One improvement suggested by customers time and again is using locally produced products (4). Nutrition has become a big topic in the United States. Nutritionists push for individuals to buy locally. Buying locally is also environmentally friendly (4). Local foods are pushed for their freshness and nutrient content. Establishments are working to try and find ways to include local foods in their menus and dishes. However, they face some challenges. It isnt easy for large scale food producers to switch to using local products. Quantity Food Managers need to order products in large amounts. These managers need to be able to rely on their distributer(s). Is it worth it for a large scale food provider to switch to local products in order to meet customer expectations? Making this change has a big effect on the Quantity food production facility and on the manager. This effect has plus sides and negative sides. Overall, a Quantity food manager must calculate and decide if it makes sense for their company to switch to using locally produced products.

FAQ
Q. Do many customers request local food? A. Yes, It is a topic that is being pushed due to a rise in nutrition attention (2).

Conclusion
Local foods are great. They are fresh, no preservatives, and arent processed. It is a great and healthy way to feed our families. They get to the market/store faster, and make less of an impact on the environment because fuel use goes down as well (3). Many people push for local foods to be available to any individual (2). Including local food in a Quantity Food Production facility would benefit the surrounding community greatly. Considering the challenges these Quantity food managers face with this situation, it really depends on the availability of local products and the price level. It is up to the manager to determine if this change would be realistic based on their facility. There are many positive effects for the community. Food service establishments are always trying to please the customer because they rely on their customers for income. Meeting customer expectations is always a goal. Many people believe instantly that buying local food is going to be more expensive. This is true in most circumstances. Most Quantity Food Establishments dont make large revenues. They are focused on providing high quality food for a low price to satisfy their customers. In most cases, it seems that it wouldnt make sense for a Quantity Food Establishment to buy locally. The only exception to this, in my opinion, is if an establishment is located in a heavily farmed area.

Q. Is it possible to get all of the products from local sources? A. It depends on the community and size of the Quantity Food Establishment.

Q. How much would the prices of these products be effected? A. A slightly higher price. It depends on demographics.
Sources1. Inwood, Shoshanah M., and Jeff S. Sharp. "Restaurants, Chefs and Local Foods: Insights Drawn From Application of a Diffusion of Innovation Framework." Agriculture and Human Values 26.3 (2009): 185-90. Web. 2. Guptil, Amy, and Jennifer L. Wilkins. "Buying Into The Food System: Trends in Food Retailing in the US and Implication for Local Foods." Agriculture and Human Values 19.1 (2002): 39-42. Web. 3. Blake, Megan, Jody Mellor, and Lucy Crane. "Buying Local Food: Shopping Practices, Place, and Consumption Networks in Defining Food as "Local"" Annals of the Association of American Geographers 100.2 (2010): 40712. Web. 4. Martin, Andrew. "If It's Fresh and Local, Is It Always Greener?" New York Times [New York] 09 Dec. 2007, 3rd ed., sec. 11: n. pag. Web.