Wholesome foods

Tracie Abram, Michigan State University Extension -

Demand for wholesome, locally grown food is on the rise.

The word wholesome usually congers up a vision of something or someone who is healthy and strong. Parents are aware of the need to buy “wholesome” food for their families. Marketing experts help in sending out that message by using words that foster positive images in the hopes to gain positive economic results. In the food business, the buzz word is wholesome. The demand for wholesome, fresh, natural or organic food is on the rise. Next time you go grocery shopping, peruse down the snack or cereal aisle and read the labels of the products. The words wholesome, natural, fresh, vegetables and low sodium are used. One example is that potato chips are no longer the only vegetable you can buy in chip form. Vegetables like peas, sweet potatoes and kale are now available.

Michigan State University Extension says that also on the rise is the demand for locally grown food. Farmers markets are popping up in rural America due to this demand. Local food hubs help with this demand. Food hubs provide area farmers and food businesses with shared facilities and resources that are needed so that farmers and other entrepreneurs and businesses can be economically and ecologically sustainable. To name a few, Detroit and Marquette have food hubs, such as Detroit’s Eastern Market Food Hub and in Marquette, Up Food Exchange. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) site that explains the growing demand of food hubs is www.ams.usda.gov/foodhubs.

Farmers markets are a shopping experience. The farmers are there to answer questions and sometimes educators and dieticians are on-site to help with questions about nutrition, provide cooking lessons or recipes. There are no marketing catchphrases on packages or advertising to persuade you at a farmers market. Visit your local farmers market to purchase your seasonal fruits and vegetables. Breads, grains, beans, eggs, jams, honey, meat and other “wholesome” foods and product are generally available to purchase too. Shopping at a farmers market helps with the goal of gaining agriculture and ecological sustainability in your community.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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