Local and organic food on wheels: exploring the use of local and organic food in the food truck industry

ABSTRACT

An exploratory study approach was used in this research to examine the use of local and organic food in Toronto’s food truck industry, the rationale for its use, and the challenges that food truck owners face in sourcing it. Results showed that all-but-one of the food trucks sourced local or organic food for their menu and were motivated by fresh taste/quality, social responsibility and customer preference. While there were challenges with utilizing organic/local food due to seasonality and cost, food trucks found they can derive benefits by way of increased patronage, menu differentiation, and competitiveness.

KEYWORDS:

• Food trucks
• local food
• motivations
• organic food

Notes

¹ OMAFRA (2016) define local food as: “food produced or harvested in Ontario, including forest or freshwater food, and subject to any limitations in the regulations, food and beverages made in Ontario if they include ingredients produced or harvested in Ontario.”

² This includes “input and service suppliers, primary agricultural producers, food and beverage processors, food retailers and wholesalers, and foodservice providers” (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2017).