Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience: Restaurant consumers nationwide: conduct survey studies with 1500 restaurant consumers. Undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Missouri were actively engaged in the project, gaining valuable experiential learning opportunities during the reporting period. Changes/Problems:The project experienced a slight delay in progress due to the Principal Investigator's maternity leave. However, this adjustment was anticipated and managed to minimize disruption to key project activities. Looking ahead, the PI will be on sabbatical during Year 3, which will provide dedicated time and increased capacity to focus on advancing the project. This will enable significant progress on major tasks, including the completion of survey data analysis, integration of qualitative and quantitative findings, and preparation of peer-reviewed publications and Extension materials. With renewed momentum, the project is well-positioned to meet its objectives and generate meaningful impact in the upcoming year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has created numerous opportunities for training and professional development, particularly for students at both undergraduate and graduate levels. A total of two graduate students (one master's and one doctoral student) and one undergraduate studenthave been actively involved in various stages of the research process. These students received hands-on training in a wide range of research skills, including literature review, mixed-methods research,designing survey instruments, developing survey questions, implementing participant recruitment strategies, working with panel companies, and performing data cleaning and management. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In Year 3, we will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the survey data and triangulate the results with findings from our qualitative data to generate robust insights into consumer attitudes, preferences, and decision-making related to consuming locally sourced food in restaurant settings. A major focus for this year will be the dissemination of findings. We will prioritize the development of peer-reviewed publications and technical reports that communicate key patterns in consumer behavior, with the goal of informing both academic audiences and industry stakeholders.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All three project goals were partially achieved over the past year, with significant progress made toward laying a strong foundation for the next phases of our work. Our most notable accomplishment to date is the successful completion of qualitative data analysis and the collection of quantitative data from 1,500 restaurant consumers across the United States. These survey responses have been undergoing multiple rounds of cleaning and quality assurance to ensure data integrity and reliability. This robust dataset will yield critical insights into consumer preferences, behaviors, and attitudes toward locally sourced food in restaurant settings. We are currently in the process of finalizing the cleaning and conducting comprehensive analyses of the survey data. Preliminary findings suggest we will be able to identify the most influential factors shaping consumer decisions--knowledge that will be invaluable for both restaurant owners and small farmers as they craft targeted marketing strategies to enhance the appeal of local food offerings. Importantly, this data collection effort directly supports progress toward all three project goals: Goal 1:The survey data will inform restaurant owners, chefs, and small farmers about consumer motivations and expectations, enabling them to develop more effective marketing strategies for promoting local food. This will strengthen the relationships among small-scale producers, restaurants, and consumers within local food value chains. Goal 2:The findings will illuminate key barriers and opportunities related to local food purchasing, viewed through the lens of consumer decision-making, attitudes, and preferences. This will help identify leverage points for expanding and improving the local food system. Goal 3:The survey data will form a core component of the Extension program to be developed in the next project phase, translating research findings into practical guidance and resources for stakeholders. In preparation for the nationwide survey, our team undertook a rigorous, multi-phase process to develop a high-quality survey instrument that would yield valid, reliable, and actionable data. This process began with an extensive literature review to identify key constructs, validated measures, and conceptual frameworks relevant to consumer behavior in the context of locally sourced food and restaurant settings. We reviewed research on consumer perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward local food; willingness-to-pay (WTP) methodologies; factors influencing dining choices; and the psychological and situational drivers of sustainable food consumption. Based on these insights, we drafted an initial version of the survey instrument that combined standardized items from previous research with newly developed questions tailored to our study goals. Particular attention was paid to question wording and survey flow to minimize respondent fatigue and maximize comprehension and response accuracy. We also conducted multiple rounds of expert review. To prepare for the Extension program in Years 4 and 5, we are building a content bank throughout the qualitative and quantitative data analysis process. This content bank serves as a repository of emerging insights, illustrative quotes, key statistics, and thematic findings that will be translated into accessible, practice-oriented materials. By systematically and regularly documenting and organizing relevant findings as they arise, we aim to ensure that the Extension component of this project is not an afterthought but an integrated, evolving process that reflects the full scope of our research findings and their real-world implications.

Publications

Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Small farmers in Illinois and Missouri: outreach during the field trip in June 2023 restaurant owners and distributors in St. Louis:outreach during the field trip in June 2023 undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Missouri: provided experiential learning experience during the reported peirod Changes/Problems:The project experienced a slight setback due to a delay in the sub-award funding transfer from the University of Illinois to the University of Missouri. This delay was primarily caused by a transition in grant personnel. Consequently, the recruitment of graduate students to assist with the project at the University of Missouri was postponed. Despite this minor delay in the project's timeline, we remain optimistic about making significant progress in the upcoming reporting period. We are confident that we will be able to expedite our efforts and catch up with the planned schedule. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our team has been actively involving undergraduate and graduate students in the project to provide research training opportunities for students. A total of three graduate students (two master students and one doctoral student) and four undergraduate students were engaged in the project. They were trained to perform various research tasks (e.g., develop interview protocol, develop screening survey for participant recruitment, develop and implement recruitment strategies, conduct interviews, transcribe interviews, and clean data). Our team also engaged with the Univerity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Community-Academic Scholar program to recruit undergraduate students from across campus to work as a research assistant for the project in the summer. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the two-day field trip, we talked to various stakeholders in the local food value train in the St. Louis metropolitan area, including local farmers, local food distributors who connect local farmers and restaurants, and farmer's market/ local food market owners/organizers and vendors, and co-op operators. Through these conversations, we have generated some interest among key stakeholders in the project and the research we will be doing. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In year 2, we will analyze the qualitative data to generate preliminary insights about consumer attitudes, preferences and decision-making regarding consuming local food in the restaurant setting. Moreover, the results from qualitative data will also inform the design of the survey portion of the consumer study. We aim to complete the survey design and data collection of the survey in Year 2.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All three goals were partially accomplished in the past year. Our key accomplishment in the past year is the successful collection of qualitative data through 40 comprehensive interviews with restaurant consumers. All interviews were transcribed and proofread for multiple rounds, and cross-checked by different team members before analysis as a way to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. These interviews will provide us with valuable insights into consumer preferences, behaviors, and attitudes toward local food in the restaurant setting. We are currently working on the data analysis of these rich qualitative interview data. Through the analysis of these interviews, we will be able to identify key factors that influence consumer decisions which will be crucial for restaurants and small farmers to develop marketing strategies that effectively appeal to consumers. As such, this data collection builds the foundation for achieving all three goals in the following way: Under Goal1, the qualitative data will provide insights for restaurant owners/chefs and small farmers to develop marketing strategies to better promote local food-oriented products/servicesthat will appeal to customers, thus strengthening the linkages among small farms, restaurants, and consumers in local food value chain; Under Goal 2, the qualitative data will provide insights in terms of barriers and opportunities in promoting the local food value chain from the perspective of consumers, particularly through the lens of consumer decision-making, attitude, and preferences; Under Gaol 3, the qualitative data will also be part of the Extension program that we will develop in the later stage of the project. Moreover, our team was also on a two-day field trip to meet and talk to stakeholders in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area to gain some preliminary understanding of barriers, constraints, and opportunities in sourcing local food in the restaurant industry to enhance the financial sustainability of small farms (goal #2). Through this field trip, we also established connections with key stakeholders that will be instrumental in the later stage of the project (i.e., restaurant and farmer studies). In addition, in September 2023, we organized a Zoom project kickoff meeting in which all panelists in the advisory panel at both the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri met and discussed the project. Besides this formal meeting, the PI and Co-PI met with individual advisory panelists multiple times regarding the interview design and project progress. As a trans-institutionalproject team, we also met monthly. Within each university team, weekly meetings were held to discuss the literature review and develop the interview guide. Before conducting the interview, we performed a literature review on consumers' preferences and attitudes toward local food, which served as the foundation for interview guide development.

Publications