Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than nationally-owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms – continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.
Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centres as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
The Wisconsin Center was a hub of activity Monday as thousands of foodservice professionals crowded the massive event center for the first day of the annual Midwest Foodservice Expo.
The expo, which runs through Wednesday, will draw roughly 6,500 people to the Wisconsin Center over the course of three days, said Tracy Kosbau, vice president of marketing and public relations at the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, which coordinates the expo.
On tap for this year’s event is a diverse selection of programming, competitions, exhibitors and speakers all related to the foodservice industry. However, for 2016, organizers honed their programming in on two key trends they say are of particular interest to their members: the “buy local” food movement and sustainability practices, Kosbau said.
This year, an entirely new section dedicated to sustainable living is being showcased at the expo, featuring products like a live aquaponics tank and a living wall. A “buy local” conference is also slated for Tuesday and Wednesday and offers training sessions to teach foodservice operators how they can integrate local sourcing into their business. To read more click here.
