STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

How many times do we shop Costco? What percentage of food do we buy from local sources?

A panel that includes Lynea Petty, Lauren Hunter, Erin Pflaefle, and Emily Williams has unveiled the results of a Food Assessment Survey that The Hunger Coalition has been working on for the past year.

The study, conducted among 1,100 respondents, indicated that the most important factors when purchasing food for valley residents is that it’s:

• Affordable, tastes good and is healthy.
• That it’s grown in a way that’s good for the environment.
• That it’s convenient to prepare, local GMO-free and benefits the local economy.

The LEAST important factor is that it’s organic.

FOOD SECURITY

Erin Pfaeffle of St. Luke’s Community Health said that 14 percent—or one in seven—of Blaine County households are food insecure. An additional 5 per cent more are marginally food secure or at risk.

That number is up, considering the rate was 11.6 percent in 2013.

You can be food insecure and not hungry, she added. But you can be anxious worrying about your next meal.

Some food insecure individuals do not access food from The Hunger Coalition because they do not believe they qualify, because they’d rather or work or volunteer in exchange for food or because they believe others need it more than they.

People who are food insecure are more likely to use credit cards to meet expenses, change transportation methods and access public assistance. They also change the kinds of foods they eat, eating more processed foods or less nutrient-dense foods that have a long shelf life and aren’t as expensive.

Household size and education do not appear to be significant predictors of food security.

GARDENING TIPS?

Of the 56.9 percent of respondents who do not currently grow food, 47.5 percent would be interested in learning how. Some had creative ideas about where to get supplies.

 For instance, businesses could drop off wood cuts at a central place to be used for mulch. Ketchum land with access to geothermal heat could be used for greenhouses.

In addition to learning to garden, respondents expressed interest in cooking classes that would teach them how to prepare items such as squash that they might not be that familiar with.

WHAT CONSTITUTES LOCAL?

Seventy percent of those surveyed believe it means food grown within a hundred miles.

Forty-five percent of us buy fruits and vegetables regularly from local sources; 26 per cent purchase local meat; 14 percent, dairy; 12 percent, local honey and 4 percent local beans.

HOW MANY TRIPS DO WE MAKE TO COSTCO, WINCO?

Most people shop outside the county and at the farmer’s market once a month or less.

People in the middle income bracket tend to shop outside the county at least once per month. People in the highest and lowest income brackets shop outside of the county less than once per month.

People in the upper income brackets shop at specialty markets and farmers markets more often than those in the middle and lower income brackets.

HOW CAN YOU REDUCE FOOD WASTE?

Don’t go by the sell-by and best-by dates. Most food is fresh and delicious well beyond those dates.

Got sour milk? Use it in pancakes or biscuits.

Let’s put our heads together. Perhaps a place could be found for farmers to sell “imperfect” produce to consumers.