Interest in sustainable foods continues to increase and some Wisconsinites will be filling Thanksgiving tables with them. Sean Cash, a professor of Consumer Science at UW-Madison, says some shoppers like to support local farmers and producers. Others look to these alternatives believing the food is healthier or the animals used are treated more humane.
He admits there can be a price premium for such products which are often more expensive than their standard counterparts.
Cash says heritage vegetables are also getting more notice in recent times. These are older strains that for reasons such as a lower yield are not mass produced. Proponents of heritage goods say the diversity can provide nutritional benefits perhaps not seen with common produce. Others may feel they are keeping alive a memory of a nation of small family farms.