MPBN Interviews Waring About Local Foods Study

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network spoke with Timothy Waring, an assistant professor of social-ecological systems modeling at the University of Maine, about a consumer survey on local foods. The survey was conducted by Waring and other researchers at the Maine Food Strategy. The survey found Mainers are going out of their way to buy more local produce and seafood. More than a third of people surveyed said they purchased up to a quarter of their food from local sources. Ninety percent said that freshness, flavor and nutrition were their main reasons for seeking out locally raised food. “They’re also eager to do it to support local farmers, so people are doing it out of some sense of commitment to the people who are raising the food,” Waring said.