Affordability of Farmers Markets in San Diego
Understanding the products and prices available at San Diego County Farmers Markets
and their implications on low-income users
Research project submitted to the Urban Studies and Planning Program
University of California San Diego
Stephanie Phelan
USP 187
sphelan@ucsd.edu
February 28, 2012
Abstract
This research paper examines the affordability of San Diego Farmers Markets by
exploring the prices and product offerings at seven different farmers markets and
comparing them to local grocery stores. The main research concern was discovering
the differences in perception of prices and actual prices offered in grocery stores in
comparison to farmers markets. While current academic literature sites farmers
markets’ affordability, few actually go about gathering price comparison data. The
research design was comparative and based on observations and quantitative data
collected at the following farmers markets and grocery stores: City Heights, La Jolla,
Hillcrest, Solana Beach, Point Loma, North Park, Mira Mesa, Ralphs, Vons, Trader Joes
and Sprouts. The goal of the research is to establish if farmers market are affordable
and use that data to explore the implications on low-income users. The research
findings were that the affordability of farmers markets was most dependent upon the
choice to purchase organic produce and which markets you would specifically target.
Farmers markets were found to be the most affordable source of organic produce,
however in line with popular perceptions, grocery stores still offer the most affordable
produce prices if organic status is not a criteria for selection.
Key Terms: Affordability, Farmers Markets, Alternative Food Systems, low-income,
improvements
1
Introduction:
The Goal of this study is to explore the truth behind popular perceptions of farmers
markets and what that means for low-income users.
My perceptions of Farmers Markets as overpriced markets were in line with
popular perceptions of Farmers Markets. After looking into scholarly literature on the
benefits of farmers markets, I was shocked to find that many scholars cited their
affordability and the positive impacts farmers markets have on low-income users. Given
my perceptions, this was something I found hard to believe. How could low-income
individuals afford to shop at farmers markets? Weren’t farmers markets targeted
towards the wealthy? What are the prices of products offered at farmers markets versus
the prices of those same products at local grocery stores? These are the questions I
explore in this research project through the use of observations and quantitative data
collection on the prices of produce.
While my motivation for this research was to confirm my own beliefs and
understandings, my findings are born out of hours of observation, candid conversations,
coordinator and vendor interviews, the analysis of more than one hundred survey
responses gathered at the La Jolla and the analysis of price information gathered at
seven farmers markets and four grocery stores.
What emerged out of the hours spent at these farmers markets talking to people
and observing differences in products, prices and interactions was a new understanding
of farmers markets and their ability to act as a source of locally sourced organic produce
for the communities they serve.
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The organization of this paper mirrors my journey, starting with common
perceptions and a scholarly understanding of farmers markets, continuing onto my
research strategy and methods for gaining data, further onward into observations of
product offerings and price comparison data. The results of this data eventually leads to
a deeper understanding of how farmers markets can act as an affordable source of
organic produce to the San Diego neighborhoods they serve, however they are not the
source of the most affordable produce available to low-income users. The paper and my
own understanding ends with the conclusion that farmers markets as a whole are not
inherently the feasible provider of fresh produce for low-income individuals unless these
low-income users are only interested in purchasing organic produce. The average
prices of produce are cheaper at grocery stores, however this study uncovers the fact
that farmers markets are not as expensive as they are perceived. If one considers the
intangible benefits of organic, locally sourced products, you could argue that they are in
fact more affordable.
Furthermore, the comparison of farmers’ markets product prices reveals that
their affordability stems from their geographic location and the type of clientele they
typically serve. Each farmers market serves their respected communities by providing
quality produce at a price point their users can afford. While average prices of farmers
market goods show that overall grocery store prices are lower, some of the farmers
markets that cater to lower income individuals such as City Heights or Mira Mesa show
much lower prices on products and could be considered the more affordable option.
This report examines seven farmers markets in San Diego, City Heights, La
Jolla, Hillcrest, Solana Beach, Point Loma, North Park and Mira Mesa and four grocery
3
stores, Vons, Ralphs, Trader Joes and Sprouts to compare the types of products being
served and more importantly the prices of these products.
This information will help change popular perceptions of farmers’ market prices
and hopefully encourage more people to use farmers markets as a source of their
organic produce. While farmers markets have the ability to serve as a good alternative
food source for low-income individuals in neighborhoods such as City Heights and Mira
Mesa, in other neighborhoods like Hillcrest and North Park, farmers markets may
function more as community gathering spaces and outdoor grocery stores for users with
larger food budgets.
While literature on this subject focuses on steps that can be taken to increase the
benefits to low-income individuals, my research findings come to the conclusion that the
farmers market coordinator needs to decide who the intended population the farmers
markets are trying to serve and have programming consistent with the needs of those
people. Through the examination of the prices at these seven farmers markets and four
grocery stores, I conclude that farmers markets are affordable providers or organic
produce however, on average grocery stores have more affordable prices if “organic”
status is not a factor in the purchasing decision. That being said, each farmers market
functions to serve the community in which they are located and thus the ones located
near low-income communities do offer some of the most affordable produce found
anywhere. The outcome of the research will allow current perceptions of farmers
markets to be reexamined.
Literature Review
Growth and Definition of Farmers Markets
4
While supermarkets and grocery stores are the primary source of fresh food for a
majority of Americans, the prevalence and popularity of Farmers Markets has been on
the rapid increase with the USDA reporting 5,274 markets in 2009, compared to 2,756
in 1998, and only 1,755 in 1994 (Martinez 2010). The county of San Diego has been a
witness to their dramatic and rapid rise. San Diego got its first certified farmers market
in 1981 and by 1988 the number had grown to five (SD Farm Bureau). Currently, San
Diego offers 50 different farmers markets, giving San Diegans their choice with multiple
markets open every day of the week. The increase in farmers markets is often cited to
be related to increased health consciousness, increased awareness on the benefits of
locally sourced food, and the economic viability for farmers interested in direct to
consumer sales.
While each of farmers market looks different and offers varied product choices,
they all bring farmers together to sell locally sourced and most often organic or pesticide
free produce to the members of a community. The definition of farmers markets as it will
be used in this report is the same as the one defined by Tim Payne’s article on U.S.
Farmers’ Markets: “ A farmers’ market is defined as a common facility or area where
multiple farmers/growers gather on a regular recurring basis to sell a variety of fresh
fruits, vegetables, and other farm products directly to consumers”(2002). In addition, the
markets I examine in this report are “certified by the County Agricultural Commissioner,
ensuring that the produce is being sold by the grower, is grown in California and meets
all California quality standards”(SD Farm Bureau).
Benefits of Farmers Markets
5
Offering locally sourced, organic, and direct to consumer produce and
merchandise, farmers markets have been popping up in parking lots, town centers and
neighborhoods around the country (Markowitz 2010). While they do provide a
community gathering space and a pleasant arena to pick up locally sourced food, their
affordability and social benefit to the community has been debated in current literature.
Authors such as Jeffery O’Hara from the Union of Concerned Scientists suggests
that some of the benefits famers markets offer is the their ability to produce local jobs,
foster competition between farmers, increase consumer spending on locally sourced
products and increase direct consumer marketing channels all with minimal or no
government subsidies (2011). This view looks at the overall economic benefits of
farmers markets.
Other authors such as Candice Young and Cheryl Brown build on O’Hara’s
points in their consideration of the health and community benefits farmers markets
provide (2011 & 2008). They suggest that farmers markets are of benefit in their ability
to increase healthy eating by providing fresh and healthy local produce, which
decreases health problems and alleviates further stresses on the overly worked
healthcare system. These benefits would be especially helpful to low-income individuals
who struggle to be healthcare insured.
While these are valid points, what these authors fail to adequately address is the
affordability of these farmers markets. While they site many benefits, they fail to give
adequate data of their affordability. Exploring the price and affordability component of
farmers markets would help to answer questions such as: Who is fueling the increased
occurrence of farmers markets? What types of people make up the primary patrons of
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farmers markets? What do these patrons buy? And at what price point are they
comfortable? Answering these questions is of significant importance especially when
considering the benefit of farmers markets to the specific communities that they serve.
Farmers Markets benefitting low-income communities
Advocates of this Farmers Markets tout benefits to low-income communities in
their ability to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, and consequently health
benefits in low-income individuals by offering fresh, nutritionally dense foods at an
affordable price in physically accessible spaces (Young 2011). While this may be the
case in farmers markets that take an active role in catering to low-income individuals,
my limited experience with farmers markets prior to this research made it so that I
rejected the notion of farmers markets as a main provider of produce to low and middle
income individuals. I questioned farmers markets’ impact to low-income communities
because scholarly and popular literature failed to establish the affordability of farmers
markets.
While many studies have shown most people are willing to pay a premium for
the locally and organically grown produce offered at farmers markets, it is not always
clear whether consumers should expect to pay a premium for these types of food. The
idea that people are willing to pay a premium affects the perception of these products as
being more expensive and having premium prices. This perception is of particular
importance for low-income users who certainly do not have the luxury of paying
premium prices for these types of products.
Perception and Usage Barriers
7
My perception of farmers markets was that they were overpriced markets for
pretentious, white, upper-class individuals who wanted to appear socially conscious and
“green”. The driving force behind this perception was the idea that farmers markets
were expensive and therefore most appropriately used by wealthy people. This
perception is in was in line with common perceptions of farmers markets as many
scholars argue that there is a “widespread perception that farmers market produce is
more expensive than conventional supermarket prices” (Robyn Lightner). This
widespread perception is significant in light of the results of an Oregon study recently
conducted that found “31% of respondents perceived high prices as greatly restricting
their purchase of local foods, while 39% of respondents perceived high prices as
somewhat restricting their purchase of local foods” (Stephenson and Lev, 2004). Since
high prices were considered to be restricting or somewhat restricting, the mere
perception of price has a great effect on consumer shopping decisions and their farmers
market usage. If consumers, and of particular note low-income users, perceive farmers
markets as being more expensive, they will not even take the time to visit them.
The significance of these perceptions by low income users is cemented in the
Report entitled “Real Food, Real Choice: Connecting SNAP Recipients with Farmers
Markets“ in which they point out, “Although there has been limited research on cost
comparisons between supermarkets and farmers markets, the majority of individuals
contacted noted that SNAP recipients perceive farmers markets as more expensive.
Even though some studies may highlight that price differences are actually varied or
even lower at farmers markets for many products” (Briggs et. al 2010). SNAP, or
Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, is a government-sponsored program that
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helps low-income individuals afford nutritious food by allotting them a small amount of
funds per month. SNAP recipient perceptions are important when looking at the
implications of price on low-income users because SNAP recipients are by definition
“low-income”.
Andy Fisher’s book Hot Peppers and Parking Lot Peaches also identifies
affordability as a barrier between low-income individuals benefiting and participating in
farmers markets and suggests lowered and competitive produce pricing in coordination
with EBT acceptance and matching programs as solutions to that barrier (1999). While
scholars such as Fisher and Briggs et. al discuss affordability as a barrier and
competitive pricing as a solution, they fail to complete the research on actual cost
comparisons.
As Briggs et al mentioned earlier, there is very limited academic research on
farmers’ market price comparison. As of 2011, there was only one formal study
completed on the subject. Jake Robert Claro, a graduate student at Bard College’s
Center for Environmental Policy, completed the first formal cost comparison study for
the Northeastern Organic Farming Association of Vermont in January 2011 (Estabrook
2011). He collected price data on twelve produce items from ten farmer markets and ten
grocery stores and found farmers’ market prices were lower for many produce items in
comparison to the grocery stores and for organic items, farmers’ markets were always
the more affordable option (Claro 2011). While many scholars discuss the affordability
of farmers markets or the need to make farmers markets more affordable, Claro’s work
is the first that actually looks into the reality of that “affordability” by doing real cost
comparison analysis.
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The goal of this study is to join Claro in his work of uncovering the truth behind
the affordability of farmers markets. While many scholars argue about farmers’ markets
perceptions, benefits, and assumed affordability or lack of affordability, there is a gap in
understanding brought about by that fact that these scholars did not complete research
on comparative prices of farmers markets and grocery stores. While it is important to
look into perceptions of prices as well as their implications on low-income users,
scholars have failed to do the work of Claro or myself to discover the merit of their
ideas. This study will be similar to that of Claro’s except I will be looking into San Diego
County Farmers Markets and Grocery Stores. It is my hope that the data and analysis
found in this report will shed some light on the accuracy of scholarly claims of farmers’
markets affordability.
Research Strategy
Setting and Limitations
In order to gain an accurate understanding of the prices at farmers markets I
decided to collect data at seven different farmers markets. The following farmers
markets were chosen: City Heights, La Jolla, Hillcrest, Solana Beach, Point Loma, North
Park and Mira Mesa. These seven markets are located in areas all over San Diego
Country and represent varied neighborhood and community populations. The areas
represented in those seven markets provide a mix of median incomes and give the best
representation of average farmers market prices in San Diego County.
Four grocery stores were chosen to gather price data to compare to the average
farmers’ market prices. I choose four of the most popular and prevalent grocery store
retailers in San Diego County including Vons, Ralphs, Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. The
10
price comparison data gathered at these four grocery stores will be used in comparison
to the price data gathered at the seven farmers markets.
While it would have been ideal to visit all fifty farmers markets and an equal
number of grocery stores, I was limited in time and manpower. Claro was able to visit 20
locations for his study because he had the luxury of having 5 research assistants. Since
I do not have the help or the schedule to allow me to visit more markets and grocery
stores, the sampling of those 11 outlets will have to give a sufficient indication of the
average prices of farmers market prices compared to grocery store prices.
Table 1.
Vons
Ralphs
Sprouts
Address
7788 Regents Road San Diego, CA 92122
8657 Villa La Jolla Dr La Jolla CA 92037
Hours
Open daily 6:00 AM-Midnight
Open daily, 24 hours
4439 Genesee Avenue, San Diego, California
8657 Villa la Jolla Dr La Jolla, CA 92037
Open Daily, 7am-10pm
Open Daily, 8am-10pm
La Jolla Elementary School, Girard Avenue
and Genter Street.
Adjacent to Mid-City Campus of the Continuing
Education, Wrightman Street between
Fairmont & 43rd
3960 Normal and Lincoln Streets.
Located on Cañon and Rosecrans in Point
Loma
410-444 South Cedros Avenue at Rosa Street.
CVS Pharmacy parking lot at University and
32nd streets.
Mira Mesa High School, 10510 Reagan Road.
Sun. 9am-1pm
Trader Joes
La Jolla FM
City Heights FM
Hillcrest FM
Point Loma FM
Solana Beach FM
North Park FM
Mira Mesa FM
Sat. 9am-1pm
Sun. 9am-2pm
Sun. 9:30am-2:30pm
Sun. 2-5pm
Thurs. 2-6pm
Tues. 3-7pm
Price Comparison Data
I chose eleven different products based on their availability at a majority of the
locations. I wanted to collect a variety of products from both categories of fruits and
vegetables. The eleven products chosen to compare prices were: Kale, Lettuce,
Cauliflower, Broccoli, Avocado, Carrots, Vine Tomatoes, Oranges, Apples, Strawberries
11
and Limes. Ten of the eleven different products were then split into two categories,
Organic and non-organic. They were stratified into these two different categories to give
a better sense of the overall price comparison, as this is how low-income users would
view them. Limes were the only product that did not have an organic category, as there
was not enough price data for the organic variety at grocery stores.
I visited each location and collected multiple price points for each of the eleven
products. Grocery stores had up to two price points, organic versus non-organic version
of the product while each farmers market could have multiple price points depending on
the number of vendors offering that product. Since the goal of this study is to examine
the affordability of these products, I decided to take the lowest available price offered.
For example, the Mira Mesa Farmers Market had 2 vendors selling organic strawberries
at $2.50 a basket and one vendor selling them for $3.00. For the purpose of this
comparison, I took the $2.50 price point as that is the one that would be considered
affordable. While each farmers market had more expensive options for many of the
products, I was interested in looking at overall availability of affordable goods and
therefore recorded the lowest price point.
The price points I collected at Farmer’s Markets were only on organic produce
while I attempted to collect both organic and non-organic price points at the grocery
stores. Because of the differences in price points of organic vs. non-organic located at
the grocery stores, I had to split up my products into two categories, the organic version
of the product and category that had the most affordable offering of that product. Since
all the price points collected at the farmers markets were organic, those data points stay
the same however the difference in data comes when you compare the prices of non-
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organic products to the organic farmers market prices. This differentiation was made to
show which location had the most affordable price for the product regardless of
“organic” status.
Methods of Price Comparison
I compared the price data in a three different ways. The first method looked at
the price comparisons for each individual product. The second method looked at the
price comparisons in terms of the average cost of that product at either farmers market
or grocery stores. The third method looked at the price data in terms of the location of
the highest and lowest price of each individual product.
The first method looks at the prices of each individual product in relation to their
outlet in which it was purchased (farmers market or grocery store). This analysis shows
the price trends in relation to where it was purchased and gives the most information on
the range of prices available at each location. For example, Organic Kale was available
at 9 of the 11 chosen locations with prices ranging from $1 at the City Heights Farmers
Market to $3 at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. The graph associated with this data
analysis shows each price point for the location so readers can get a sense of the
difference in prices at each location. This method has the most detailed information and
will be used to discuss the affordability of individual products.
The second method looked at the price comparisons by taking the average cost
of each product available at grocery stores and the average cost of each product
available at farmers markets. Using Organic Kale as the example, we take the prices
offered at grocery stores ($2.39, 1.99, 1.99, and 1.99), add those together and divide by
4 to get the average price of Organic Kale at grocery stores as $2.12. Using the same
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method for the prices offered at farmers markets ($2.00,1.00,3.00,2.00,1.50 and 2.50)
and dividing those by 6 we get the average price of Organic Kale at farmers market as
$2. This method compares average prices of each product at grocery stores verses
farmers markets. This gives a bigger picture analysis since it takes the average and
establishes a pricing trend for each category (grocery stores and farmers markets).
Findings
Analyzing Price Data
Method 1
I examined the affordability of each individual product in comparison to the
location of purchase and found that each product’s prices ranges significantly
depending on the location. Looking at the price data helped to show the price
differences in organic versions of products versus non-organic versions of products.
The organic versions of products had much more price variation than their non-organic
counterparts and the charts showed a major consideration in looking at affordability has
to do with deciding on which types of products you are studying. This method was
useful in looking at affordability at a micro level, however for the purposes of this study it
only helped in its ability to point to the major differences between organic and nonorganic prices. The charts associated with this method can be found in the Appendix.
*Note: The x-axis shows the location in which the price point was obtained and the y-axis shows the price
point.
Method 2
By looking at the average prices of individual products in each category, Grocery
Stores and Farmers Markets, it was made clear that the affordability of each product
14
had to do with its status as organic or non-organic. Chart 1. visually compares the
average prices of each product found at grocery stores versus the average prices of
each product found at farmers markets. Looking at it from a macro level, the price
differences are somewhat minor and comparable. Looking at it from a more defined
lens, you identify the trend that organic products are consistently less affordable at
grocery stores than farmers markets. You get the opposite conclusion when looking at
the category containing organic and non-organic products, with grocery stores being
more affordable than farmers markets if “organic” status is not of concern.
Chart 1. shows that there are little price differences, less than $0.50, when
shopping for the following products: Organic Kale, Kale, Organic Lettuce, Lettuce,
Organic Cauliflower, Cauliflower, Organic Broccoli, Broccoli, Avocados, Vine Tomatoes,
Organic Oranges, Oranges, Strawberries and Limes. It can therefore be argued that the
perception of farmers markets being overpriced is flawed, since this data shows that a
majority of the products have comparable prices. The major price differences, greater
than $0.50, occur in the following products: Organic Avocados, Organic Carrots,
Carrots, Organic Vine Tomatoes, Organic Apples, Apples and Organic Strawberries. In
the cases of major price differences, we find that farmers markets are the ones that are
more affordable.
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Chart 1. Average Prices of Products: Grocery Stores vs. Farmers Markets
$4.50
$4.00
$3.50
$3.00
$2.50
$2.00
$1.50
$1.00
$0.50
$0.00
Farmers Market
Limes
Strawberries
Organic Strawberries
Apples
Oranges
Organic Apples
Organic Oranges
Vine Tomatoes
Organic VineTomatoes
Carrots
Organic Carrots
Avacado
Organic Avacado
Broccoli
Organic Broccoli
Cauliflower
Organic Cauliflower
Lettuce
Kale
Organic Lettuce
Organic Kale
Grocery Stores
Table 2 compares the average price of organic products and highlights the most
affordable source, while Table 3 compares the average price of products regardless of
organic status and highlights the most affordable source. Table 2 shows that Farmers
Markets are the more affordable option for 8 of the 11 organic products, while Table 3
shows that Grocery Stores are the more affordable option for 7 of the 11 products. The
difference, as shown in Table 4, lies in whether or not the products you are looking to
examine are organic or not.
Table 2.
Average
Prices of
Organic
Produce
Org
Kale
Org
Lettuce
Org
Caulifl
ower
Org
Broccoli
Org
Avocado
0.87
2.99
0.93
2.42
Grocery
Stores
2.12
2.04
2.06
2.22
1.53
Farmers
Market
2.00
1.64
2.17
1.83
1
1.92
FM
Groce
ry
Most
Affordable
FM
FM
Grocery
FM
Org
Vine
Tomat
oes
Org
Carro
ts
FM
Org
Orang
es
Org
Apple
s
Org
Strawbe
rries
Lime
s
1.26
4
0.49
0.79
2.17
2.57
0.26
FM
Grocer
y
FM
FM
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Table 3.
Average
Prices of
Produce
Kale
Grocery
Stores
1.74
Cauliflo
wer
Brocco
li
Avocad
o
1.42
1.14
1.59
1.69
2
1.79
2.17
1.83
Grocer
y
Grocer
y
Grocery
Grocer
y
Farmers
Market
Most
Affordable
Lettuc
e
Carro
ts
Vine
Tomatoe
s
Orang
es
0.83
2.37
0.87
1
1.92
2.42
FM
Groce
ry
Grocery
Apple
s
Strawber
ries
Lime
s
1.13
2.62
0.49
0.79
2.17
2.57
0.26
FM
Groce
ry
FM
FM
Table 4.
Most Affordable Organic Produce
Grocery Stores
3
Farmers Markets
8
Most Affordable Produce *Organic and Non-Organic
Grocery Stores
7
Farmers Markets
4
My findings prove that Farmers Markets are more affordable when shopping for
organic products. When looking at overall products without taking “organic” status into
consideration, Farmers Markets are not the most affordable option, however they do
provide the products at a comparable price. My findings on farmers markets being the
most affordable source of organic produce supports Claro’s study, however it seems
that grocery store prices in San Diego County are more affordable than those in
Vermont as my overall findings show that grocery stores edge out farmers markets in
overall affordability.
Based on my findings, the perception that farmers markets are overpriced has
some truth and some flaws depending on your considerations. First, you must look at
what you considered to be overpriced. You could conclude that farmers markets are
overpriced if you merely consider something to be overpriced if the product on average
costs more at farmers markets than it does at grocery stores without considering the
margin of difference. If you do consider the margin of difference between the average
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prices found at grocery stores versus farmers markets, as I do with my < or > $0.50
difference classification, then you conclude that farmers markets are not overpriced and
in fact they do offer comparable, if only slightly more expensive, prices.
Secondly, you must look at the types of products you are looking to compare. If
you are looking at the affordability of organic products, you conclude that the perception
of Farmers Markets as overpriced is wrong since they offer the cheapest organic
products. If you are looking at the affordability of products in general, you conclude that
the perception of Farmers Markets as overpriced is correct since the products offered at
farmers markets do cost more than their cheapest counterpoints in grocery stores.
A possible way to look at those two considerations is looking at what audience is
looking into this affordability question. For the purposes of this study, I am interested in
the implications on low-income users of farmers markets. Therefore, I would not
consider the margin of difference because a fixed budget does not account for luxury
spending. Nor would I consider the difference between organic and non-organic
products because those on a fixed budget do not have the luxury of choice. Taking
those considerations, my findings based on averages suggest that farmers markets are
not the affordable option for low-income users and the perception that they are
affordable is incorrect. This conclusion is reached when looking at the average prices,
however one can delve deeper into this question by examining particular farmers
markets.
Of the seven markets I sampled, two farmers markets stood out as having the
highest minority populations and the lowest prices on products. Had I taken the average
prices of those two markets, City Heights and Mira Mesa, in comparison to the average
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prices of the grocery stores, I would have gotten very different results. These two
markets serve a low-income population where as the other 5 markets I sampled serve
more economically diverse populations. Since I was looking at the average prices of
those 7 markets, my data is skewed towards those markets which do not cater to low
income populations. Therefore, it is important to look at the populations in which you are
looking to identify and see if there are outliers that can lead to different conclusions.
Conclusions
The goal of this study was to examine popular perceptions of farmers market
prices in light of actual data on farmers markets prices versus grocery store prices.
Scholars praised farmers markets as being affordable and of particular benefit to low
income communities, however a gap of study existed in the fact that little data had been
collected in terms of real price comparisons. While many shared their opinions and
perceptions of farmers market prices, only one actually conducted research to back up
their claims. Following the example of Claro who took on the price comparison task, I
set out to examine the perceptions and truth about farmers prices in San Diego County.
In examining the prices of twenty one different products at seven farmers markets and
four grocery stores, I came to the conclusion that popular perceptions could be nullified
or verified depending on the criteria to which you analyzed the data.
If looking at the prices of organic products, you find that farmers markets are
consistently the more affordable option and the perception of farmers markets as
overpriced is false. If looking at the prices of products without consideration of “organic
status”, you find that grocery stores do in fact offer cheaper prices and the perception of
farmers markets as overpriced is correct. Furthermore these conclusions are reached
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by using a method that averages the prices found at 7 different farmers markets and 4
different grocery stores.
Completely different conclusions can be found if you look to compare specific
farmers markets and grocery stores. For example, you could use my data to examine
the affordability of the City Heights Farmers Market in comparison to Grocery Stores
and find that in almost all cases, the City Height Farmers Market has the more
affordable prices. Choosing those study perimeters allows you to make a more specific
claim on that particular farmers market instead of the average.
The reasons behind this study were related to the implications for low-income
users. While I was hoping to find a clean answer as to whether farmers markets were
the more affordable option for low-income users, what I found was a variety of
possibilities depending on the selection criteria. Looking at the averages, I conclude that
farmers markets are not a feasible option for low-income users because on average
their prices are slightly higher than those of grocery stores. However, when looking at
specific markets such as City Heights and Mira Mesa, I conclude that farmers markets
are indeed a feasible option for low-income users as their prices are consistently more
affordable.
Given all my data and the possibilities of specific interpretation, I conclude that
farmers markets can act as a comparable source of produce for low-income users.
While on average prices are higher, instances of farmers markets catering to their lowincome clients as seen by Mira Mesa and City Heights gives support to scholars claims
that they can be of particular benefit and can work to alleviate food desserts by bringing
affordable produce to low-income users.
20
As shown in my data, the products and prices at farmers markets reflect their
targeted population. Thus, locating a farmers market in a low-income community would
reflect lower, more affordable prices in comparison to farmers markets located in higherincome areas. Answering the question of feasibility for low-income users requires you to
look into specifics as averages have a tendency to skew towards median and highincome users. Therefore the perception that farmers markets as a whole are overpriced
is somewhat correct in that they do on average cost more than grocery stores.
However, if you want a more complete picture you must look specifically into the
farmers markets you want to examine and identify the criteria to which you judge them
affordable. With all this in mind, I come to the conclusion that popular perceptions could
be nullified or verified depending on the criteria to which you analyze the data.
Appendix
Organic Kale
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Organic Kale
21
Kale
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Kale
Organic Lettuce
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
Organic Lettuce
0
22
Lettuce
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Lettuce
Organic Cauliflower
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Organic Cauliflower
23
Cauliflower
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Cauliflower
Organic Broccoli
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Organic Broccoli
24
Broccoli
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Broccoli
Organic Avacado
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Organic Avacado
25
Avacado
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Avacado
Organic Carrots
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Organic Carrots
26
Carrots
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Carrots
Organic Vine Tomatoes
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Organic Vine
Tomatoes
27
Vine Tomatoes
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Vine Tomatoes
Organic Oranges
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Organic Oranges
28
Oranges
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
Oranges
0
29
Organic Apples
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
Organic Apples
0.5
0
Apples
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
Apples
0
30
Organic Strawberries
6
5
4
3
2
Organic Strawberries
1
0
Strawberries
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Strawberries
31
Limes
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Limes
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