The Supermarket Doesn’t Want You to Know This

Marketing, research, and product development all sound like terms used in corporate America, don’t they?

Truth be told, they are, and that is the point of this article. Marketing specialists spend years studying how to read the publics wants and desires. They learn how to package product based on current trends, what colors to use, what slogans are best, etc.

Any idea what the current theme and trending word is?

Today, I was in the grocery store, and noticed how many packages now use this word. While standing there, I decided to see where these farms were, and guess what….Most of them didn’t really exist. They are just product names designed to attract a certain clientele. This particular clientele is becoming educated about what they eat and where it comes from, so the manufacturers are trying to capitalize on this idea.

Just because a product or package has the word ‘farm’ in it, does not mean that the product actually came from family farm, which is the idea that the word generates when it is used.  If you ask them, I am sure they would say something like, we never said it was from a family farm.

Now, I am not saying that every product with the word farm is like this.  What I am suggesting is taking a few moments while you are at the store, and typing the name of the farm into the internet just to see if it really exists. I am happy to say, that many times, it does.

These products are the ones that we need to support as often as we can.

One easy way to identify this without searching the internet while walking the store is to notice how many products bear this name.

Do you see the same ‘farm’ producing eggs, milk, cheese, bacon, sausage, ham, chicken, steak, apples, oranges, bread, cookies, etc.

How many farms have you seen that can produce this many different products en-mass?

Most family farms will specialize in just a few products.

It is genius though that some mainstream brand names have created off-shoot companies to package identical product using the word farm, just to appeal to a certain clientele. Genius, but deceiving. Just a small amount of research is required to fix this.

 

~Here are a few tips to help~

1. Buy from local stores as much as possible.

2. Buy from family farms and farmer’s markets as much as you can, products will be fresher, in season, and will help support your local economy. #buylocal

3. Grow some of your own food, everyone can grow something, even if it is just herbs on a windowsill.

4. Stay informed about the products you purchase and where they come from.

Research the companies you are getting your basic foods from. A lot of local farms have websites

and social media now, and that makes it so easy to confirm labels.

5. When you do shop at large chain stores, look for more local choices they may be carrying.

When you purchase these brands, it will encourage the stores to continue buying from local sources.

Stores will buy what sells.