Wisconsin’s Ag Dept is encouraging consumers to buy local.
Cheryl O’Brien says “Spend 10 in 2010” is an idea she really wanted to promote before her reign as Alice in Dairyland ends in June. She’s encouraging people to spend at least 10% of their food budget on Wisconsin items.
Right now, we spend approximately 1% of our food budgets on local products. O’Brien believes Wisconsin is a little better than the national average. The dairy case is the obvious place to start, but the 62nd Alice says there are Wisconsin made items throughout the store, including meats, fruits, vegetables, oils, candies and beer. O’Brien urges people to buy local because it supports our farmers, producers, communities and the economy.
It might initially take some extra time and effort to read the labels and figure out what comes from where. SavorWisconsin helps familiarize folks with Wisconsin made items so shopping will be easier. According to the Ag Department, Wisconsin residents spend just over $19 billion on food per year. If everyone spends just 10% of their food budget on local items, we can help keep nearly $2 billion in the state economy.
Keeping the money in our state creates a good domino effect for the economy. O’Brien says every new dollar spent on a Wisconsin item creates another 80 cents somewhere in the state economy. Look for the “Something special from Wisconsin” or the “Food Miles” programs.
Jackie Johnson report 1:53