Dive Brief:
- Boston is launching the Boston Public Market, a marketplace with 40 vendors and many local products, all of which will be entirely sourced from the New England area. The market will open this summer.
- Several similar concepts for this type of market exist and are popping up throughout the country, but Boston Public Market is the nation's first permanent, year-round market to be so stringent about where its products come from.
- The project is estimated to cost about $13 million, half of which will be covered by the state of Massachusetts. The Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit, has contributed a $3 million line of credit, and private and foundation donations will foot the rest of the bill.
Dive Insight:
According to Civil Eats, "The goals behind the ambitious rules are the same as those driving the burgeoning local food movement: boost economic development, help people eat healthier, reduce carbon emissions from long-haul transportation, and encourage consumers to reconnect with the land where their food is grown."
This sourcing of all local products begs the question of how this will impact food manufacturers. This could boost sales of processed foods not found in this market that consumers still crave, as well as bump demand for products with limited supply at certain times of the year. If this proves to grow popular, overtime this could put a dent in larger industry markets of produce, meat, and more.
Concerns for the market include how it will survive certain seasons or time periods when local farmers and producers have less to sell. To combat this, applying vendors, of which there have been more than 300, must submit an extensive business plan that proves how they will be able to provide products for the entire year. Also, some experts wonder whether consumers may find the selection to be too limited.
According to Civil Eats, the first round of vendors will offer selections of meat, cheese, milk, ice cream, honey, wine, smoked fish, and greenhouse-grown flowers in addition to local produce. The market is allowing prepared products to be made with ingredients from outside of New England, but the product itself must have been made in New England.
How do you think this will impact the industry? Please send your thoughts to [email protected].