It's Not As Easy As You Think

Some days I feel like I'm on a seesaw. The mission of Sappington Farmers Market is to provide healthy local foods to the consumer while providing a fair profit to the farmer. Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, it is great. But that doesn't make it easy.

Some weeks we are loaded with fresh, local produce that nobody seems to want. Then the next week, we get lots of new shoppers looking for all the produce we just had to throw away because nobody bought it. We're still trying to figure out this balancing act.

One thing I do know. When we get a really superior product like our free-range heritage chickens from Cord Jenkins or our source-verified all-natural beef from MO Best Beef Cooperative, it's going to cost more. And that's where you come in. If you're reading this, I know you're a supporter of the independent farmers who provide the great, fresh food you want to eat. Well, those farmers have a lot more costs associated with producing that fresh food than the large corporations do. None of them ask for a high profit. And neither do we. But the prices you see on these items are higher than conventional foods-or even higher than some more corporate and non-local organic items. We think there's a tremendous quality difference and that there's also a moral and philosophical issue involved. We think you agree. There's only one way to make it work. If we all want fresh, local food, we're going to have to pay for it.

In these very trying financial times, the decision of what to pay for your food, and how to prioritize your purchases is a very serious one. Let us know where you draw the line. Post on this blog or put notes in our suggestion box. I really do think we're the only store that really listens. Because we're the farmer-owned grocery store--and because all of us farmers who own the store are also consumer advocates. You can't beat that. Our goal is to provide what you want to eat. Let us know.

Food Inc. Movie

www.youtube.com/watch2v=c2sga044_lc

Click on the above and type Food Inc. Trailer in the search engine. You will have several choices
to watch.

There was a free showing of the new movie, Food Inc. which was attended by a number of the owners of Sappington Farmers Market. They give it a thumbs up and recommend that anyone who is interested in learning more about the food they eat be sure and see this movie.

Eric Schlosser, (one of the contributors) who wrote Fast Food Nation, certainly has had an effect on me. After reading his book, I have never again eaten industrially-produced beef from Confined Animal Feeding Operations and slaughtered at the 12 (That's right-only 12 in the whole nation) large slaughterhouses that slaughter the majority of the beef that Americans eat. Only locally produced, source-verified, naturally and humanely-raised beef for me, please.

Another contributor, Michael Pollan, is becoming world-renowned for his lyrical writing on food topics (The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food). He really puts his money where his mouth is, too, having completely changed his eating habits in recent years.

This movie is well-produced, will hold your attention, and introduces the public to many "well-kept secrets" about the food industry. Let's face it. Food is pretty basic. If the food we eat is not good for us, we should at least know about it so we can make other choices.

At Sappington Market, we are committed to providing safe, local, healthy choices. We work hard to search out alternatives without high fructose corn syrup, provide organically-grown foods without the high cost, and work with many local farmers to bring you the freshest food the fastest. Our farmer-ownership gives us a depth of knowledge about the food industry that is unique. The meat from MO. Best Beef Cooperative comes in as sides and is custom-cut by our talented meat-cutters. We can trace every little speck of ground beef back to the animal it came from. (Not thousands of animals, but one animal for each batch of ground beef). Not only are our owners farmers, but we are also food activists and healthy food advocates. We spend many hours a week working to ensure a safe, fair and affordable food system-one that is not dominated by large corporations.

I really love my job. Working with dedicated people, seeing how food is produced, getting the word out to consumers-it's a great fit for me. Besides, there couldn't be a better time to be involved in these issues. Movies like Food, Inc. help us tell the story so people like you can have better choices and be safe and healthy.

Slow Foods USA