(CSA Newsletter: Week 23)
Meet this week’s vegetables:
We often refer to the ‘price’ of an object or good as though we all understand what the term means, but last week two media pieces made me question how our understanding of ‘price’ relates to ‘value.’
The first thing to bring this question to my attention was another article by Leslie Cole in The Oregonian’s July 7 FoodDay. The article, titled ‘Which price is right?,” investigated the different prices available for the ‘same’ vegetables at four different shopping venues: via a CSA share, at the farmers market, at New Seasons, and at WinCo. The shopping list was derived from one week of the author’s CSA share (from an unnamed local farm) and included strawberries, basil, spinach, a tomato, mizuna, butter lettuce, leaf lettuce, carrots, new potatoes, a cucumber, a sweet onion, and green onions.
Not surprisingly, Leslie Cole found that the produce was significantly less expensive at WinCo ($17.83) and most expensive at New Seasons and the farmers market ($28.19 and $28.20 respectively). The CSA came in half way at the middle at $21.60. This news should come as no surprise to anyone who has shopped any of these venues, so I was a little confused by Cole’s analysis of the data.
First of all, I was irked that Cole repeatedly implies that the produce found at all four venues is more or less the same. She even goes so far as to say she did an ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison.
As a local small grower, I take offense at any simple comparison between fresh local produce and the commodity produce sold at discount grocers. For one thing, I sincerely doubt that Cole was able to find mizuna or new potatoes at Winco (both are specialty items). Of items that were easy to find, how did the quality and freshness compare? Finally, to consider quantitative comparisons further, how much did the heads of lettuce weigh in the CSA share versus at the stores? In my experience, our bunched items and heads of lettuce weigh significantly more than those in stores, often making our prices the same or better, even if the price signs seem to indicate otherwise. (Furthermore, no mention is made of whether any of the produce at WinCo or elsewhere was organic or conventionally grown — it was as though this is a purchasing factor not even worth mentioning.)
None of my questions regarding differences between the produce at the four different venues were directly addressed in the article. Instead, Cole once again talked about how local produce costs more to buy primarily because it costs more to produce than “efficient California agriculture” (is she working for the California Department of Ag?). While this may or may not be true, it is also important to consider the value of local produce. Cole completely bypasses the question of whether perhaps local produce costs more because it is better quality. This is when I started to wonder what the word ‘price’ really means to Cole, to me, and to others. Is ‘price’ always the most important or relevant question about goods?
Interestingly, later that week I listened to a conversation on NPR’s Talk of the Nation on this very question in relation to consumer goods. The guest was Ellen Ruppel Shell, author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. She discussed at length the notion of ‘bargains’ and ‘price’ and how consumers don’t really understand these concepts. According to her extensive research, most of our ‘bargain’ purchasing decisions are based on an emotional response to psychological stimuli (marked down price tags, for example). We literally ‘get high’ when buying goods we perceive as being a ‘good deal.’
Shell certainly doesn’t judge people for seeking out discounts, but she did ask listeners to question whether the ‘bargain’ purchase is always the correct or best purchase. How many times have we bought something that wasn’t really what we wanted simply because it was ‘on sale’? She contends that in our bargain focused culture, we’ve lost sight of goods that are moderately priced and of good value. Shell also addressed the ‘hidden’ costs of bargains, most importantly labor and environmental issues in other countries where so many discount goods are produced (often without the oversight of any regulations).
Obviously durable goods and food are different in how they’re purchased and consumed, but I made many connections between the two discussions. First of all, implicit in Shell’s discussion of consumer culture was the assertion that discount pricing has allowed us to purchase things with less intention than might otherwise be the case. A ‘bargain’ or ‘sale’ price often bypasses the mental question “Do I really need/want this item?” Consequently, she asks do we end up spending the same amount of money on more things, many of which might not perfectly fit our needs?
And, when seeking out low prices in food, I wonder if we similarly lose sight of value? As we all know, the cheapest foods available in America are those heavily subsidized by the government: corn, soy, sugars, cheap fats — all poor quality and lacking in nutrition.
Keep in mind as I explore these topics that Casey and I are not rich. We live extremely frugally and are very conscious of every purchasing decision. (I actually keep track of every single penny we spend and enter it into a computer prgoram for later analysis.) But we have learned (sometimes the hard way) that it just does not pay to buy cheap goods of things we really need. For example: shoes. We spend most of our days on our feet working, so for us to buy lower priced shoes that fall apart or are uncomfortable is absolutely not worth the ‘savings.’ We have had similar experiences with work clothes, farm equipment, kitchen tools, building materials, and much more. We have learned that it is a better value for us to own less overall stuff but choose to buy goods that are higher quality and exactly what we need (and ideally produced using more sustainable labor and materials).
Similarly, in spite of our frugality, we spend a disproportionate amount of our income on food. Eating is a source of pleasure for us. We enjoy preparing meals, eating food, and sharing extended conversation around the table.
In conclusion, I commend people who seek out ‘good value’ in their purchasing decisions of goods and foods. But I question the implicit notion of Cole’s article (and our general society) that low price is the most important factor in finding good value.
So, for those of you trying to watch your food budget (as we are), here are some farmer tips for finding good value and keeping costs down in general:
And, the best value: enjoying all the delicious fresh, quality, certified organic vegetables you receive every single week in your CSA share! Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
From Cole’s article:
Those low prices don’t reflect the costs of environmental degradation that comes with large-scale production methods and shipping.
Also, not every shopper would view fruits and vegetables purchased at a supermarket as identical to what you find at farmers markets.
(Larry Lev, Oregon State University agricultural and resource economics professor, who specializes in direct farm marketing, said) “if that local melon is truly exceptional, then we shouldn’t talk about a price premium for a local melon, because they’re two different things.”
… Portland Farmers Market has appointed a secret shopper this season, charged with measuring prices against mainline supermarkets and local chains, executive director Ann Forsthoefel says.
Regardless of the results, which won’t be available until later this season, Forsthoefel says market prices aren’t out of line because they reflect the true cost of production and the value of superior food.
…
In this never-ending price debate, a better question than “what’s cheapest?” might be “what’s fair?”
“Large chains will use loss leaders as a way to get customers in, but it’s also changing people’s perception of what a fair price is,” Fairchild says. “A fair price is a sustainable price, something that keeps the growers in business.”
In your indignation at having CSA produce compared to Winco produce, I think you failed to note that Cole made many of your own points — and to an audience that often does make exactly that comparison. Many people do not understand why there’s a price difference between local fare and grocery store fare. Explaining the issues — in a fair, non-defensive way — is important. It doesn’t seem to me that it serves local farmers, yourselves included, well to become angry at someone for presenting those explanations.
thank you for the commentary about the foodday article last week. usually i’m a big fan of that section, but last weeks article disturbed me. i’m glad you shared my concerns. i love reading your blog. i live in hood river and help out on a couple of small farms here. its fun to listen to people who actually care about food and the health of soil, people, and planet!
Good article Katie, I’m glad I am not the only one ticked by the article (and Cole’s general attitude). The Foodday paper has went downhill fast in the last few years. The attitude is “what we report” is the way it is, get used to it. I emailed Ms. Cole several years ago about an article on farmstead cheese. In the article she stated that sheep and goats only produce seasonally, and cows produce year round. I brought it to her attention that cows should not be on a year round cycle, and have been manipulated to do that for convenience for the consumer, to the detriment of the cow’s health. She admitted she hadn’t checked to see if her facts were correct since she only interviewed sheep and goat farmers, then the conversation turned to how would I know about cows anyway, and if I grew any of our own food as opposed to buying food from other farmers. She was wanting to do an article about people growing their own food, and she asked for a percentage and a list of what we grew. After reading the list, she declined to interview us for an article because we grew too much of our own food. The thinking being that readers would want a more reachable goal to read about, not something that was unattainable.
Between the biased reporting like last week and the bad preserving advice since Jan Dominguez left or retired, to tell the truth I only read that section for entertainment, giving up hope that there will be anything of real substance.
The other thing that needs to said about that article, is that you are hard pressed to find much local produce in New Seasons, however they are really good at building their displays to make it appear local. Stacks and stacks of Hood River apple boxes below the bins, and when you read the fine print, not very many of the apples are from Oregon or Washington. I look because it is important to us how we spend our food dollars, I want to support local businesses and farms and if the apples are from New Zealand, organic or not I will not purchase them.
Sorry for the rant comment – but thanks again for the great post and for speaking up!!
Dear Katie and Casey,
You hit the nail on the head.
Sincerely,
Mike aka Garlic Man
ps to Nita: It wasn’t a rant, just the facts. Thanks.
Good tips for saving grocery/food $. Our family does many of the same things as yours, and I have a tip to add:
Make a weekly dinner menu! Go to the store once a week, and buy all your needs for that entire week, based on your menu. Or plan your meals around your CSA share for that week. Don’t stray – you’ll be amazed how little you can spend for one week.
Katie:
Thoughtful post… Have you sent this to Leslie Cole or to her editors? Would you consider a letter to the editor along this same train?
Steve B.
Yes! I appreciate the “price” question, it is one I come back to over and over again as I mindfully attempt to stretch our dollar. Despite the growing interest in local food, most of America (I think) shops on autopilot without regard to growing practices, sustainability issues and health implication. Certainly the comparisons and analysis mentioned in Cole’s article mirror an unfortunate cultural occurrence.
Anyway, I searched out your site because I have missed you guys at the farmer’s market. Hope you are well.