Delivering Organic Food

Many consumers will say that they want to buy organic food, some for health reasons, some out of environmental concern, and some for both reasons.

Up until recently, organic food has been a staple of the upper-class consumer, although more and more middle class consumers are making the leap.

While cost is often a prohibitive factor, good organic produce has not been that easy to find, for many consumers.

Finding and driving to a separate store, that sells organic produce, leads many buyers to the non-organic produce aisle, in their regular grocery store.

The die-hard organic consumers will drive the extra miles and pay the extra money for organic produce.

But, a large percentage of organic consumers fall into the lukewarm category.

They will eat organic food, because they believe that it is healthier and better for the environment.

But, they will not go out of their way to buy it.

If it isn't readily available and/or is too expensive, they will just as easily go back to buying regular produce.

At the same time, statistics show that the natural food market is growing steadily, with annual sales having reached $3 billion in 2008.

Farmers have seen the demand for organic food grow; and as fuel and energy costs skyrocket, they have looked for a niche, to widen their profit margins.

Many organic farmers are discovering that selling direct to consumers, by delivering their organic foods from the farms, is one viable way to glean more profit from their sales.

Farmers have found this to be more profitable because they can sell their products at a higher price, because they don't have to give the retailers a wholesale price.

They get to sell at retail prices; and still be more price competitive than their competition.

Delivering the organic wares is a necessity, as consumers will not want to trek out to local farms, and it is an environmentally good choice to make, from both the environmental and public relations standpoint.

How much of an environmental impact this service makes, is realistically debatable. But, theoretically, we can agree that since less consumers would be driving, we would see a reduction in our collective carbon footprints.

The cost of running an organic farm is another matter. It is costly to switch from regular to organic farming. Farmers have to seek out other methods of yielding good crops, healthy cows and chickens, and so on.

They cannot preserve produce with pesticides or other chemicals, and they can't give cows and chickens steroids or antibiotics, to keep them strong and virile.

There are certainly risks involved. How well an organic farm is received, and to what extent the farmers wares are demanded, depends on their location.

Wal-Mart has recently begun it's own line of organic food; and have signed agreements with companies like Kellogg's to carry all of their organic product lines. In more rural, blue-collar areas, consumers tend to do much of their grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.

It is convenient and cheap; and, most likely; there aren't too many other choices that are comparable in selection and price. This would make the business of delivering organic foods, direct to consumers, much more difficult to keep solvent.

As a matter of fact, farmers in such areas would probably be forced to sell their produce to Wal-Mart, if such a monopoly were created. In more suburban and urban areas, organic produce delivery would tend to be much more successful.

These consumers do not do their grocery shopping at Wal-Mart; and probably already travel to stores like Whole Foods Market, to buy their organic produce. Their lifestyles are already hectic and fast-paced; and they would jump at the chance to have one less store to drive through.

Any extra fees that are driven into the cost of the organic produce, would be perceived as less expensive than using the gas in their car, as well as a contribution to the environment.

The impact on both the environment and the organic market has the potential to be big. The more economically viable organic farming and delivery becomes, the more farmers will turn to organic farming, and opt to deliver straight to the end-user.

Eventually, it stands to reason that all produce and farm-grown foods could become organic, as the market drives itself. Then, we can only foresee that the end result would be better quality, better variety, and lower prices.

You can see a sample of what's coming by watching a company call Greenling in Austin Texas.

For companies that offer home delivery click on:
http://www.FindGreen411.com
Find it Green, Find it Local, Find it Fast

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Barrie
 

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