Sensory quality and shelf-life of locally produced British butters compared to large-scale, industrially produced butters

Purpose>The purpose of this pilot-scale study was to compare the quality of traditionally manufactured butters from local, small British producers with the quality of butters that are produced industrially.Design/methodology/approach>Butter samples were obtained after supervised site inspections of three traditional-butter manufacturers and one large-scale butter producer. The samples were subject to initial microbiological, chemical and sensory testing, followed by a refrigerated shelf-life study over 24 weeks.Findings>Traditional butters matched or exceeded the sensory quality of industrial butters, but spoilage microorganisms tended to grow faster on traditional butters. This seemed to be related to poorer water droplet dispersion in the manufacture of some of the traditionally made butters. Visible mould appeared on two of the traditional butters after eight weeks, but this occurred well after the nominal “best before” date.Originality/value>Prolonged lockdowns due to the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic pose a threat to the food supply chain, and food produced by local manufacturers may become increasingly important. However, are foods produced by local small-scale manufacturers of a quality comparable to that produced using large-scale production facilities? To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no comparative study of the quality and shelf-life of traditionally-produced and industrially-produced butters. The current work presents such a comparison together with an outline of how the process of traditional butter-making differs from commercial production in Britain.

Manager and vendor perceptions of farmers’ markets’ impacts on communities: evidence from Michigan

Purpose>The purposes of this paper are to: (1) characterize farmers’ market manager and vendor perceptions of the economic, social and environmental impact markets have on their local communities;and (2) how those impacts are tracked and communicated to market actors and the local community.Design/methodology/approach>Twenty-nine semistructured interviews were conducted with market managers and vendors across four farmers’ markets within Michigan. The interviews were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis.Findings>Managers and vendors report economic and social and environmental benefits associated with the presence of a farmers' market, consistent with the existing literature. Metrics are tracked to estimate market impact, particularly economic and social benefits. Market managers reported uncertainty about how best to use data internally, and there are gaps in communicating market impacts with vendors. Most data are used for external reporting, to statewide organizations or for grant evaluation. Respondents reported data fatigue and unwillingness among vendors to share personal business information due to concerns about privacy relative to the perceived benefits of sharing data.Practical implications>Additional resources are needed for markets, specifically market managers, to better utilize the data they collect for internal versus external purposes.Originality/value>Metric collection and reporting are a nascent development among markets. Understanding how market actors are utilizing these tools will provide guidance to improve future efforts at impact measurement.

Confronting and Ending Food Insecurity During and Beyond the Pandemic: A Public Health of Consequence, July 2022

[...]we have substantial information across multiple disciplines on the drivers and consequences of food insecurity. According to the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, food insecurity among US households with children increased from 13.6% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020, and this increase was greater in communities of color.1 For example, Dubowitz et al. found that low-income African Americans residing in food desert neighborhoods experienced greater increases in food insecurity between 2018 and 2020, from 20.7% to 36.9%, compared with the general population.2 The impact of food insecurity on health care utilization during the pandemic is equally disturbing. [...]supporting local farmers markets that accept produce vouchers will, in addition to increasing access to food banks and mobile pantries for older adults and individuals with limited mobility, enable local communities to meet and sustain local needs in providing healthy produce.