[getsmart-l] The Halo Effect

[John O'Gorman]

Sender: Local Food Ideas <gtalocalfood at gtalocalfood.ca>

The Halo Effect

 

Comment Terroir*

Elbert van Donkersgoed. 

March 18, 2008

 

Some in the food sector are critically acclaimed. Others are not.

 

There are chefs that are critically acclaimed. There are restaurants that gladly include the tribute on their websites ? and their menus. There are caterers and hotels and even pubs with critically acclaimed cuisine. There are books, films and TV shows about food that win this accolade. There is a critically acclaimed flash animation exposé of industrial farming. There are critically acclaimed wines and ciders. There's the odd mention of critically acclaimed vintners and their wineries.

 

But, do a search on 'critically acclaimed' and 'farm' or 'farmer' and the Google search engine will find all of the above but not one farm or farmer! Oh, there is a critically acclaimed children's book about a farm. There is a critically acclaimed farm system but this refers to a sports team. And there is a critically acclaimed farm dinner series. But no farmers.

 

This may explain, in part, the lack of farmers at the Local Foodservice Forum that took place recently as part of Hostex, the annual trade show organized by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. It was the perfect event to learn about critically acclaimed food. The panel on local food included two chefs, both frequently described as critically acclaimed (The Millcroft Inn & Spa in Alton, Harvest Restaurant in Picton), the chair of Farmers' Markets Ontario, a cheesemaker (Monforte Dairy) and a vegetable producer (Cookstown Greens) both of whom deserve to be described as critically acclaimed. From this critically acclaimed panel, the memorable messages included:

.           The power of the palate trumps cost.

.           The real product is not the food. It is the farmer we are trying to sell.

.           Just putting farmers' names on the menu is not enough - the customer needs an experience.

.           We have enough celebrity chefs. Let's make some celebrity farmers.

 

Earlier in the event, senior consultants (fsStrategy) from the foodservice sector described the trends they observe on restaurant menus and in hospitality services: Their memorable points included:

.           An ageing population wants smaller portions and less sodium.

.           Time famine continues to drive fast food but this now includes fresh prepared.

.           Green issues are creating new points of differentiation.

.           Locally grown is big on college campuses.

.           The appeal of locally grown involves authenticity and connection to farms.

.           Opportunity exists in harvesting a local identity.

.           Fresh has a halo effect. Consumers believe that fresh tastes better, is healthier for them and is value for their food dollar.

 

Has the business of farming missed out on the halo effect? Critically acclaimed cuisine starts on farms as great products but the public accolade has not been linked back to farms or farmers.

 

The messages at the forum went well beyond the market themes that have reverberated in the farm community for at least two decades ? value added, niche markets, organic, differentiation and diversification. Developing markets that offer an alternative to being the low cost producer of bulk anonymous commodities has become critical to a stronger long-term future for Ontario agriculture. But this is only step one.

 

Many Ontario farmers are now successful at producing products that inherently have more value than bulk undifferentiated commodities ? organic producers are just one good example. But few are capturing the halo effect of great products. The halo effect is not inherent in the product. Instead it is the result of marketing and the management of the value chain.

 

I came away from the Local Foodservice Forum with fresh awareness of the potential in Ontario foodservice. Much of that potential lies in rethinking how great products on our farms are linked to great preparation and cooking in restaurants and other foodservice venues ? the next step is critically acclaimed value chains.

__________

*Comment Terroir focuses on near-urban agriculture and locally grown food and is written by Elbert van Donkersgoed.  Elbert van Donkersgoed is the Executive Director of the Greater Toronto Area Agricultural Action Committee. To be added to the electronic distribution list of Comment Terroir, subscribe to the Discover Local Food List by visiting the website: www.gtalocalfood.ca. 



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