Cooperative Extension (Extension) can, and in many cases already does, engage in well-rooted partnerships with urban audiences. Yet, it is important to recognize that there are many layers to the ...diversity that exists within urban audiences– there is no single “urban community.” This article presents a case study of food security programming in New Brunswick, New Jersey, including collaborations between Rutgers Cooperative Extension and multiple community organizations to illustrate important considerations for engaging in urban Extension initiatives. Specifically, challenges exist in identifying urban audiences, including those who are hidden, especially as the demographics of city residents can vary greatly within a single geographic area. Solutions include the development of deep community partnerships and creative engagement of university students, with the latter participating as both an audience to benefit from Extension programming and as partners in program implementation. Evaluating urban Extension programming can provide important information as to whether a particular program is meeting the needs of the target audience, but a challenge exists in distinguishing the impact of a single Extension program operating in what is often an ecosystem of programs addressing food insecurity in an urban area.
Student food insecurity is a concern at colleges and universities across the country, and Extension professionals can bring unique solutions to this growing problem. At Rutgers--New Brunswick, ...visitors to the Student Food Pantry receive vouchers for fresh produce to be redeemed at the New Brunswick Community Farmers Market. As well, the Rutgers Gardens Student Farm makes weekly deliveries of fresh produce to the pantry, which is available at no cost to students. With creativity, Extension efforts such as master gardener programs, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, and family and community health sciences programs can play an important role in alleviating college student food insecurity.
Value-added products can generate farm income and improve community food access, yet lack of available kitchen infrastructure and labor can limit farm production capacity. This project explored how ...community-based culinary schools might fill the gap. A unique “product share” model was identified and piloted, meeting the collective needs of farmers, a culinary school, and urban consumers. By researching farmer crop availability and business model preferences, and aligning value-added production with community food preferences, we demonstrate a successful pilot indicative that similar initiatives can be replicated in other metropolitan areas, with potential to engage cross-disciplinary extension professionals.
When harvested or raised within sustainable systems, products of domestic fisheries and aquaculture offer healthy, affordable seafood choices with minimal environmental impact that can help Americans ...meet dietary guidelines for seafood intake. However, some consumers hesitate to purchase seafood products, associating them with negative environmental impact, and adherence to intake recommendations remains low. Consistent sustainability labeling on seafood products could better signal environmental responsibility and encourage consumers toward increased intake.
To characterize label attributes indicative of sustainability on seafood packages.
A content analysis of seafood package labels was conducted using the Label Insight product database. Characterized attributes included 320 terms and certifications documented on packages. From over 400,000 food products, 2,200 seafood packages were selected for inclusion based on type: salmon (n = 730), shrimp (n = 1,387), and oysters (n = 83). Mixed dishes were excluded.
Four trained coders characterized label attributes according to a priori themes, including sustainability. Total usage frequencies of sustainability-related labels, and frequencies of specific terms and certifications, were determined for each seafood type. Pearson chi-square analyses were conducted to evaluate statistical associations between seafood type and sustainability labeling practices.
Thirty-eight attributes (11.9%) were coded as sustainability labels. Overall, more salmon (47.9%) and shrimp (47.6%) packages displayed sustainability labels than did oysters (26.5%), (χ2 (2, N = 2,200) = 14.443, P = 0.001). Specific terms used varied by seafood type. Salmon (41.6%) and oyster (26.5%) packages displaying sustainability labels most frequently utilized unstandardized “environmental” terms, whereas shrimp packages (36%) most often displayed a third-party sustainability certification label. Lesser-used terms included planet friendly, responsibly produced, and responsibly caught.
While encouraging that nearly half the evaluated salmon and shrimp packages reference sustainability, use of terminology and certifications across and within seafood types is inconsistent. Future studies might investigate whether more frequent use of standardized sustainability labels measurably increases seafood purchase and consumption.
The Food Choice Process Model (FCPM) was developed in the 1990s to provide a constructionist model of personal food choice. Today, with growing consumer demand for locally sourced farm products, the ...FCPM must be revisited to explore how it can accommodate evolving food values.
To use the FCPM as a guide in exploring and understanding the food values consumers in New Brunswick, NJ apply when considering the purchase and consumption of value-added products (VAP) sold at local farmers’ markets.
Semi-structured focus groups were conducted by a trained moderator and translator with urban residents in the New Brunswick community. Participants spoke either English or Spanish as their primary language. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim.
Qualitative content analysis was performed by 3 trained researchers. Constructs from the FCPM were adapted and used as a priori themes. Upon analysis, researchers identified a posteriori themes; when discrepancies arose with initially coded themes, new themes were developed as appropriate. All supporting quotes were systematically recorded using Microsoft Excel.
Four community focus groups (33 total participants, 73% female) were conducted. Cost and quality were the most impactful food values when considering VAP, with each theme being supported by over 30 quotes among the 4 interviews. Three a posteriori themes were identified that lay outside the constructs of the original FCPM: seasonality (ie, summer versus winter), familiarity (with brands, farmers, processors), and social value (ie, supporting local business and food equity).
Imagining a new food future requires reassessing the values people have regarding new food products, particularly in novel settings such as farmers’ markets, and adapting keystone theoretical frameworks like the FCPM as needed. This allows for community partners, like local farmers and non-profit organizations, to create VAP that increase food access and strengthen local food systems in urban communities.
United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Marketing Service (CFDA #10.172, Local Food Promotion Program).
Healthy food access can improve urban community health outcomes, and requires farm viability for sustained fruit and vegetable production. A nutritious food future depends upon regional food and ...agricultural systems to meet community needs, but seasonality limits affordable healthy options, especially in urban areas.
To identify, pilot, and evaluate business models for not-for-profit organizations to transform fresh produce into value-added products (VAP), partnering with local farmers and community markets toward economic, health, and social benefits for multiple stakeholders.
The mixed-methods approach included urban community focus groups (n = 4), a farmer focus group (n = 1), farmer survey (n = 42), and farmer interviews (n = 6) to inform VAP and business model development. Sensory evaluations with community members (n = 50) determined VAP taste and labeling preferences.
Qualitative analysis included coding focus group and interview transcripts to determine VAP preferred by consumers, and business models preferred by farmers. Descriptive statistics evaluated quantitative survey data for farmer product availability and business model preferences, and sensory evaluation data for consumer VAP preferences.
Themes influencing consumer VAP choice included quality, health, and seasonality, with interest in tomato and fruit-based products. Farmers indicated tomato and fruit availability, aligning with community needs. A successful “product-share” model pilot distributed VAP among farmers and producers. In sensory evaluations, consumers reported via 7-point hedonic scale liking the taste of tomato sauce (n = 24; 5.13 ± 1.73SD), apple sauce (n = 25; 6.02 ± 1.14SD), zucchini pickles (n = 15; 5.80 ± 1.32SD), and hot pepper relish (n = 8; 5.63 ± 1.30SD), and learning the VAP produce source from the food label.
Local consumers, farmers, and producers will collectively determine healthy VAP success. Lessons learned include the importance of engaging diverse stakeholders during product development. VAP can overcome seasonal limitations on local foods, increasing healthy food access with economic opportunity for farmers and producers. Implications include better-informed steps toward a local, nutritious food system, including access to healthy options in urban communities.
PDF
