10% Campaign Passes $2 Million Spent for Local Food

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State University

RALEIGH (November 23, 2010) — Since July, North Carolinians participating in the 10% Campaign have spent more than $2 million on food from local sources. The 10% Campaign is an effort to educate and encourage consumers to spend 10 percent of their food dollars on locally sourced food.

The campaign is an initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, with support from N.C. Cooperative Extension and the Golden LEAF Foundation. Because North Carolinians spent $35 billion on food each year, if just 10 percent went to local sources, more than $3.5 billion would be available in the state’s economy.

“We are excited that the 10% Campaign has reached the $2 million milestone in its first four months. I believe this is a reflection of the true commitment that North Carolina consumers have shown for their own local food systems,” said Teisha Wymore, 10% Campaign manager. “As campaign participation grows, the dollars spent on local food also will continue to grow.”

“Businesses and individuals have responded enthusiastically to the launch of the 10% Campaign. As all of those businesses begin to report their local food spending, we will see that number continue to grow,” said Nancy Creamer, CEFS director and horticultural science professor in the N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “The economic development and job creation potential of this campaign is huge.”

Through the campaign website – www.nc10percent.com – North Carolina consumers and businesses sign up and pledge to buy local food. Each week, participants receive a campaign email, asking them to report how much they spent on local food that week. The results are tallied on the campaign website.

More than 1,700 individuals and 161 businesses have signed up for the campaign. The businesses and institutions that have pledged to spend 10 percent of their food dollars on food from local sources include restaurants, grocery stores and co-ops, universities, corporate food service programs and state agencies.

Cooperative Extension is supporting the 10% Campaign by providing an extension agent in each county office to serve as the local food coordinator, providing education and supporting businesses that want to participate in the campaign. N.C. Cooperative Extension is based in N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a program of N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, N.C. A&T State University and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The center provides education, outreach and research related to sustainable agriculture and food systems.

– Written by Natalie Hampton, natalie_hampton@ncsu.edu or 919-513-3128.