A recent survey of grocery shoppers commissioned by Whole Foods Market gives new credence to a belief that's taken hold in the sustainable food movement over the past few years: when it comes to consumer preferences, local is the new organic.
Forty-seven percent of the 2,274 adults polled in the online survey said that they would be willing to pay more for fruit, vegetables, meat and cheese produced near their homes. That's a far larger share than those that said they would pay more for food without artificial ingredients (32 percent), meat made without antibiotics or hormones (30 percent) or "handmade, small-batch or artisanal and specialty foods" (20 percent).
The Whole Foods survey didn't specifically ask whether the customers would be willing to pay more for organic produce. But answers to another question indicated that one in four respondents spend at least a quarter of their grocery money on "organic and/or natural products."
A.C. Gallo, the president and COO of Whole Foods, explained that consumers' interest in local food is relatively new.
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