Is Shopping at Farmers' Markets More Expensive?

Eating local is getting easier.

For those who want to embrace the locavore lifestyle, the summer offers some many benefits - the ability to plant a vegetable garden at home, plenty of local produce in the stores and for those in urban centres, farmers' markets have become more easily accessible.

Locally-grown and organic fruits, vegetables, baked goods and meat are now found in major grocery stores, and widely available thanks to the trends in Canadian cuisine.

But are farmers' markets more expensive?

Does it make sense to head to an outdoor market stall when the store may be a better deal?
The common conception is that farmers' markets do cost more. But according to a study by Seattle University - that's not true. Their research found that comparing organic fruits and vegetables in season, farmers markets were overall cheaper for consumers.

And this study doesn't just do a one year comparison - it details prices over several years, from 2003 to 2011, showing that farmers' markets are the better deal - as well as supporting local business owners, accessing produce that is in season and items that haven't travelled hundreds of miles to reach the table.

Farmers markets provide another way to access food - and make the connection to the grower or producer. There's no middleman or usually any kind of packaging. As well, there's a lot less overhead for farmers when they sell direct to the consumer, which means the price is affordable and the quality is high.

For those wanting to benefit and save some time, consider organic food delivery. Available in almost every major city, it's a way to save time, eat healthy and keep to a budget, as well as access items that used to be only found in the health food store.