Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

New tool estimates markets for 2004 food products nationwide

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2008

How many gallons of cranberry juice are needed in Connecticut? What’s the frozen asparagus market in Alaska? Answers to these and many more questions are just a click away, thanks to a new tool developed by the Leopold Center and the Iowa State University Center for Transportation Research and Education.

The U.S. Food Market Estimator provides approximate markets for more than 200 food products for every county and state in the United States. Products include milk, cheese and dairy foods; fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables; grains; and meat, fish and nuts.

The on-line tool is designed to help farmers, agricultural organizations, public agencies and local food and economic groups get a “first look” at potential markets.

The tool does not show actual consumption, nor does it account for seasonal or geographic differences in market demand for various foods. Instead, the tool uses information from the USDA Economic Research Service’s Food Availability Data System, an annual estimate of the amounts of 204 food products available at a per capita rate in the United States. This per capita rate is combined with the 2007 county population estimates (from the U.S. Census) to determine a potential market for each food product at the county level.

Rich Pirog, who directs the Center’s Marketing and Food Systems Initiative, said the tool might be used by farmers and other direct-market food producers to identify approximate market size in nearby counties or states when they make decisions about marketing, capacity and potential expansion. Government agencies and researchers might find the tool helpful in determining approximate food market size and impact of food production/processing on roads and other infrastructure, or for assessing economic impacts related to changes in food availability, diet and marketing. Possible scenarios might include selecting local purchasing targets for schools, retail, foodservice or other food markets at the county, state or national levels.

Pirog advises users to carefully read the instructions and view a demonstration before using the tool.

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2008