A recent survey conducted by Farmers’ Markets New Zealand has shown that buying fresh food directly from the grower or producer is considerably cheaper than buying the same basket of goods from the supermarket. There is up to an 18% saving by shopping at farmers markets, and an even larger percentage when fruit & vegetables are considered on their own. At the Southern Farmers Market in Invercargill that amounted to a saving of $50 by shopping at the Farmers’ Market.
The research comes at a time of renewed scrutiny on the affordability and fairness of supermarket pricing. The 2022 Commerce Commission study of the grocery sector found evidence of sustained high prices, high profits and uncompetitive behaviour. A recent article also compared local vegetable boxes and found even organically grown produce was cheaper than current supermarket prices.
Source: scoop.co.nz