New England spent a total of $120.6 billion in food, beverage and alcohol expenditures in 2022; 3.1% of that was on local or regional products. Image: Stop N' Shop in Fairhaven, MA (courtesy of Andy Kendall).
The New England Food System Planners Partnership has just released a detailed analysis of local food spending in New England – Regional Food Count 2022. The report reveals that $2.28 billion or 3.1% of New England’s total $120.6 billion in food, beverage and alcohol expenditures were directed towards local and regional products, highlighting a critical area for potential growth and investment.
In this report, ‘local’ is defined as food grown or produced by state and 'regional' is defined as food grown or produced in New England. The report reveals that spending on food and alcohol for at home consumption totaled $55.6 billion, or 46.1%, of the regional total, with the remaining $64.9 billion spent at restaurants and other venues away from home. Spending across just five channels—grocery stores, supercenters, food stores, and limited-service and full-service restaurants—accounted for nearly 70.0% of total state food and alcohol sales. Institutions, convenience stores, and other markets are also feeding many of our region's residents, including some our most underserved communities, and should be seen as important places for investment as well. Accompanying the local food count is an interactive data dashboard, enabling a look at the Regional and State level results.
Goal: 30% Consumption of Regional Food Products by 2030
The local food count data collection is part of a greater effort to reach a regional goal of producing and consuming 30% of New England’s food needs in the region by 2030. In 2023, the New England Food System Planners Partnership, a collaboration between seven state-level organizations, six-state agricultural, economic and environmental department representatives and Food Solutions New England (FSNE), released A Regional Approach to Food System Resilience. The research explores the opportunities and needs along the food supply chain in New England, and highlights the land, sea, and labor needs of the region, consumer purchase metrics, distribution trends, and population projections that will impact the region’s ability to feed itself in the coming years.
"This data will help the region work more collaboratively towards the 30% by 2030 goal, through an equitable expansion of our food system that will make New England stronger, more climate resilient, and more food secure," said Ellen Kahler, of Vermont Farm to Plate. "It is going to take all of us working together – businesses, community groups, governmental agencies, and eaters – to reach these goals but we all have a role to play and will be better off for it."
The Role of Institutions
FINE participated in the earlier research mentioned above to examine the role of market channels—grocery stores, restaurants, institutions and others—in distributing food to New England consumers and the potential for each to contribute to meeting a collective goal of 30% regional food products by 2030. While the research showed that consumer access to food is heavily concentrated in two major market channels (grocery stores/supercenters and restaurants, including quick service (i.e., fast food), the research also showed that the overall purchasing power is not the only indicator of an important market. Institutional markets, while their purchasing power is smaller than grocery stores and restaurants, are a potential source of food for 1 in every 4 New Englanders. School meals are especially important to children from low-income families for whom these meals provide a majority of daily nutrition. In some institutional settings (e.g., prisons), consumers are entirely reliant on the food provided for extended periods of time with no choice in what is offered. These findings are shared in Volume 4 of the New England Feeding New England Report: Understanding Market Channels and Food Expenditures.
Local Food Count calculations show that while the overall purchases made by institutions may be smaller than some other markets, the percentage of their budgets allocated to local food is among the highest of all "away from home" markets. Spending on local products at full-service restaurants was estimated at $627 million (3.4% of total full-service restaurant spending), while schools and colleges accounted for $230 million (6.6%). “Food furnished and donated,” which includes food served at hospitals, prisons, and assisted living facilities, accounted for $154 million (5.7%).
"Local" is one of many values that institutions can prioritize in their purchasing, including fair labor, humane animal practices, and environmental sustainability. FINE also encourages institutions to prioritize procurement from producers who have been historically marginalized and structurally excluded from markets and opportunities in the food system.
The Need to Capture Future Local Food Counts
This data serves as a baseline for future assessments, with subsequent counts planned for 2025 and 2030. The report also identifies gaps in current data, such as specific product details, and suggests areas for improvement in both data collection and local food system support.
About the New England Food System Planners Partnership
The New England Food System Planners Partnership (NEFSPP) is a collaboration among seven state-level food system organizations, six-state agricultural, economic and environmental department representatives and Food Solutions New England (FSNE), a regional network that unites the food system community. Together, they are mobilizing regional networks to impact local and regional food supply chains and strengthen and grow the New England regional food system. The Partnership disseminates information on trends, challenges and opportunities to hundreds of groups across the region that connect with our individual state initiatives. The Partnership is fiscally sponsored by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.
About Food Solutions New England
Food Solutions New England (FSNE) is a regional, multi-racial, six-state network that unites the food system community around a shared set of values – democratic empowerment, racial equity and dignity for all, sustainability, and trust – and strengthens the movement’s ability to achieve the New England Food Vision of 50% x 2060. They are organized around 4 overlapping impact areas: Visionary Policy, Network Building & Strengthening, Racial Equity & Values Leadership and Narrative Strategy.
About Farm to Institution New England
Farm to Institution New England (FINE) serves a dynamic network of communities, organizations, and institutions working together to create a just, equitable, and regenerative food system in New England and beyond. Institutions hold substantial power and wield significant influence in our food system through their food service, education, investment, employment and land use. We believe that developing institutional food value chains that are responsive to community needs and rooted in racial justice, food sovereignty and climate resilience is a critical way to leverage the power of institutions to change the food system. The changes we seek can only be achieved when led by a collaborative, adaptive network committed to collective power and increased regional self-reliance.