If you're concerned about where your food comes from, how long it takes to reach the store, and what the conditions are like along the way, you're not alone. Americans are searching out purveyors who know exactly what food went through before landing on the shelves, says a new trend report by Packaged Facts, a market research firm in Rockville, Maryland. According to Susan Porjes, author of the paper, locally grown food sales are expected to increase to $5 billion in 2007 from approximately $4 billion in 2002. What does that mean? Shoppers are demanding more transparency from stores and product manufacturers.
"In the next few years, consumers will see that stores are trying to highlight local foods," says Porjes.