Thunder Bay, ON – The Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy is launching the first phase of a five-phase study this week that will survey the demand for food produced and processed in the area.
The Thunder Bay and Area Food and Agriculture Market Study will start with a series of private interviews with decision-makers in raw and prepared food retail, food processing, the public sector and food programs through March and April. A consumer interview phase is scheduled to start in June, when shoppers might find themselves approached by researchers to share their general purchasing preferences and habits, opinions on the ways they like to buy foods produced in the area, what they like to buy, and how much they’d be willing to pay for locally produced foods.
The Food and Agriculture Market Study is a partnership project which represents the next step in a series of projects undertaken by the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy as part of its Implementation Plan, aimed at supporting sustainable business development in food production and processing and increasing food and agriculture business opportunities in the area. The project is a joint effort of EcoSuperior Environmental Programs, Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Thunder Bay Federation of Agriculture, North Superior Workforce Planning Board, Regional Food Distribution Association, Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission, Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre, Thunder Bay Ventures, Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, Northern Policy Institute, and Thunder Bay Country Market.
Field work for the study should be completed in July and the final research report is expected to be available by the end of October.
The public is invited to follow the project’s progress through the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/thunderbayandareafoodstrategy or website at www.tbfoodstrategy.ca.
