May 2020 - 31

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Operators should consider pre-bagging produce at markets
By Michelle Infante-Casella
and Meredith Melendez
Rutgers University
Farm marketers can learn from
recent behaviors observed in
supermarkets and other food outlets
as we start the produce season in
New Jersey. Besides facilitating social
distancing and having employees
and customers wear masks and
other protective gear, farm owners
and workers can help ease shopping
anxiety by pre-bagging items.
To date there is no scientific evidence
to support the transmission of
COVID-19 through food, but customer
buying patterns have shown that
packaged produce is selling better than
loose produce. Customers are fearful of
virus transmission from many different
sources regardless of the science.
Most people are very suspicious when
touching every object around them
whether it be door handles, shopping
carts, checkout counters, credit card
machines and also on the list - loose
fruits and vegetables on shelves that
may have been handled by other people.
These fears are certainly understandable.
Some food stores are reporting
bagged items are selling faster than
loose items. The public sentiment
is wrapped produce has a barrier
that acts as a safety measure against
contamination. Produce items in prepackaged
containers, such as bagged
lettuces, bagged broccoli, bagged
cucumbers, bagged peppers, packaged
tomatoes and other items wrapped in
plastic have increased in sales over
their unpackaged counterparts. In
addition, items in highest demand
tend to be more shelf-stable produce
like potatoes, apples, onions, unpeeled
carrots, winter squashes and cabbage.
The media has been publicizing
milk dumping from tanker trucks, inseason
produce fields being plowed, and
issues with food distribution across the
country due to issues from COVID-19.
Consumers are questioning many
issues right now. Is the U.S. food supply
safe? Will there be enough food to go
around? Will the food stores be closing?
Is it safe to buy fresh produce? Should I
worry when I see empty store shelves?
To ensure a domestic food supply in
the future, it is more important than
ever for customers to buy local and U.S.
farm products. This is a message the
entire agriculture industry can share
with the public.
Some questions about food and
COVID-19 can be answered by reading
the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's
website www.fda.gov/food. This is also
a good site to send your customers to
help answer their questions. Resources
specific for the agricultural community
Produce items in pre-packaged containers have increased in sales over their unpackaged
counterparts. Photo: Rutgers University
are listed on the Rutgers On-Farm
Food Safety COVID-19 website (www.
onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/covid19-information/).
In
summary, farm market proprietors
may want to keep produce displays
well stocked with plenty of bagged and
packaged produce items. This will also
help facilitate having customers in the
market for shorter periods. Customers
can just pick up bags and go rather
than pick through a pile and taking
extra time to bag their own items. In
addition, pricing bags ahead of time,
that don't need to be weighed, can also
quicken check out times. Shoppers are
in a hurry to get in and out of stores to
ease fears of potential virus transmission.
Making it as easy as possible to help
facilitate shopping and check out may
go a long way to lessen customer anxiety
in current times. Keep engaged with
customers for suggestions on what they
may need from your market.
Farmers and farm markets will be
playing a major role in food distribution
and food security in the near future and
beyond. Thank you to all farmers, farm
workers, and other essential workers in
this time of crisis. FGN
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@FGNews
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May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2020
