CASE STUDY: AUSTIN, TEXAS PRODUCE COMPARED TO EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN PRODUCE
In this particular study the produce from three grocery stores in Eau Claire, Wisconsin were compared with the produce of two grocery stores in Austin, Texas. The stores in Wisconsin were Gordy’s, Mega Foods, and Festival Foods and the stores in Texas were Central Market and Whole Foods, their locations can be in maps below. Central Market and Whole Foods are very trendy grocery stores that are directed at a certain young, wealthy customer base that is currently flourishing in Austin, they offer a variety of health and organic foods but also offer exotic fruits and vegetables from other countries. For this study I chose to stick to the standard fruits and vegetables you find in most grocery stores such as onions, tomatoes or apples to match closely with the common produce found in all grocery stores.
The data was collected by observing the country of origin for each product by using the stickers provided on the fruits and vegetables, these stickers are required by the USDA on all imported goods. All the produce from Eau Claire grocery stores were tracked back to a total of eleven countries, and Austin produce was tracked back to nine.