Evaluating the relationship between producer and consumer to identify buying barriers and opportunities for food sustainability within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Local food has been growing in interest amongst consumers leading to a growth in research on the matter throughout the world. Understanding consumer buying behavior, motivations and barrier to purchase specific to Newfoundland and Labrador enables the development for a stronger local food system in the province.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate consumer perspectives on the local food system and Newfoundland and Labrador agricultural products. By understanding the perspectives of NL residents pertaining to local agricultural products, industry and other stakeholders would be able to move forward to create strong food sustainability in the province.

Design Methodology: A survey was conducted and distributed through social media to address the research questions. The data was used to quantify resident’s perspectives on local agricultural products, comparison between local and imported produce, level of engagement with current food system and perceived barriers.

Findings: The findings indicate that, from the perspective of NL consumers, that while the definition of local varies, the evidence shows that respondents find NL agricultural products high on intrinsic attributes. However, extrinsic attributes such as price, access and identification of local exist has a significant impact on consumers’ willingness to purchase (Bond et. al, 2009).

Research limitations/implications: The study is limited in scope to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Additional research could be completing using these results for baseline data.

Practical implications: The key implications apply to industry stakeholders and interested parties within the region of study.

Value of research: This study will serve as an industry resource to aid in understanding gaps and barriers in the current local food system, identify competitive advantages in the industry and strength the local food system.