Research commissioned by UK-based fresh produce supplier From My Farm has revealed an increasing desire among the country's consumers to purchase locally grown produce.
According to the study, 80 per cent of the 14,000 respondents said that they would like to see greater volumes of local produce available in the shops, with two-thirds of respondents willing to pay more for regionally sourced produce.
Over half of those surveyed said that an interest in locally grown fresh produce stemmed from a desire to support the local economy, while some 13 per cent noted that they were wary of food miles.
In addition, the survey aimed to find out how aware the UK public was of fruit and vegetable seasonality and availability, with From My Farm reporting on what it described as 'shocking findings' – such as a lack of awareness of the UK apple season, where certain varieties come from and how some types of fresh produce is grown.
'Everyone has become so used to being able to buy what they want when they want it, that we are gradually losing our knowledge and appreciation of what is British, local, seasonal produce,' said Rick Sanderson, commercial manager at From My Farm. 'But the pendulum has started to swing the other way with more and more people expressing a desire to start buying local again.
'I'm delighted to see that from the research, more than one in three consumers saying they feel guilty if they buy foreign produce when British produce is available,' he added. 'And two out of three say they'd be willing to pay more for regionally sourced produce.'
From My Farm is a unique supplier concept inspired by a 'growing consumer concern' over food miles, dividing the UK into eight regions from where it identifies and works with growers, while hubs collate orders, liaise with regional growers and deliver to the nearest regional distribution centre or direct to store.
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