Despite the rapid pace of globalization, many individuals would rather shop at a farmer’s market given the opportunity. People generally choose shopping places for their agriculture and food items because they are confident in the origins of the food they will consume. There are numerous concerns about food safety at the moment in the food sector. Because of this, many people, including Italians, believe they only trust food made in their region (Black, 2012). However, even rural and local places are affected by regional factors in food quality and consumption. The experience of city living is isolating. Hence most of the urban dwellers purchase food from the local farmers to connect to the lands, add reassurance and value to the food they consume.
Still, the buyers and local farmers have a one-on-one communication with farmers and get to know how the seasons were when the produce was grown as well as the farm inputs used. Taste, social connection, and place are thus essential perceptional aspects that increase shopper’s confidence in the quality of the local produce since the more traditional the products are, the healthier they are the improved quality (Black, 2012). Local markets, unlike the culinary apprentice and commercialized agriculture, pass along culinary experience, history, and rural knowledge. This verbal exchange and social life interaction glue both urban and rural areas.
Consumers are not able to question on any aspect of exotic and commercialized foods, be it the production method or the authenticity of the cooking process and ingredients used (Donadio, 2014). This, thus, affects their pleasure of eating as they have doubts about the safety and healthy aspect of that food. Thus, locally produced and prepared foods seem safer and more robust to many consumers.
References
Black, R. E. (2012). Porta Palazzo: anthropology of an Italian market. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Donadio, R. (2014). Italian D.J. Fights to Keep the Culinary Traditions. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 1 November 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/dining/italian-DJ-fights-to-keep-culinary-traditions.html
