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Apr 30, 2008 8:01 pm US/Central
Price Of Locally Grown Food Less Than Store Bought
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
A government report out Wednesday shows that the nation is technically not in a recession, but sky high gas prices and soaring food costs are still putting a strain on the American consumer.
It's getting harder to keep food on the table for most Americans. A recent report in U.S. News & World Report says that Americans are changing their driving habits because of high gas prices.
Consumers are hungry for any way to beat high grocery bills. Some are hitting the dollar stores, while others are taking some advice given Tuesday President George W. Bush - buy local.
William Mahon shops at the Ridgmar Farmer's Market. He likes the fact the produce is always fresh. But he's noticed something else lately as food prices have skyrocketed.
"It is less expensive," said Mahon. "They don't have the overhead that the department stores do."
The produce is sold close to its point of origin rather than being trucked across the country. Shorter trips to market mean less fuel consumption and should lower prices.
TXA 21 News compared the prices of produce at the Ridgmar Farmers Market and a local chain grocery store.
The onions were $1.49 a pound at both stores, but both stores had Texas-grown onions. Small watermelons were $3.59 each at Ridgmar and $3.99 each at the grocery chain. Lastly, tomatoes were $1.99 a pound at Ridgmar and $3.99 a pound at the chain store.
In total, there was a savings of $2.40 on all three items purchased.
The people at Ridgmar say the local growers are harvesting right now and the farmers markets are waiting for more locally grown food. Once there is more supply, the price could drop further for the locally grown produce.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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