This is one of The Food Channel’s Top 10 Food Trends for 2010, based on research conducted in conjunction with CultureWaves® and the International Food Futurists®. For the full list, check here.
Will Trade for Food
We’ve called it ‘the rental economy’ and just plain ol’ bartering. In an era when you can rent a name-brand purse for a special event, we want to know how we can apply that same concept to consumables.
We’re hearing phrases such as ‘bring the bounty’ tossed around in the UK, and we’ve heard all the past year about Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA’s. Farmer’s Markets have become a major commodity and roadside stands are considered chic. So what do we do in a bad economy when we have more time than money and skills that we still want to put to use? We barter.
It’s not a straight trade anymore, because people have come to realize that what one person makes may not be what the other person needs. But someone out there needs it—that’s why barter-exchange companies like BizXchange are springing up to redefine banking with ‘trade dollars.’
We predict that we’ll all see more of the barter system come into play now that technology can assist with the connections. You see it on everything from Craig’s List to Bright Neighbor. We’ll be trading skill and time for food, and vice versa. Not necessarily one-to-one, but through new networks made possible by technology.
We’ll also see a version of barter during this holiday season, as we exchange our old idea of a retail gift for a homemade dish. That giant red bow you used to see on top of a car? Put it on a casserole dish with the recipe attached. Exchange a little food comfort with your friends—beyond cookies; think homemade soups that you’ve frozen and paired with a loaf of homemade bread. And think a box of tomatoes in exchange for babysitting. It’s a simple idea that starts simply, and that we will embrace like never before.
For Evidence, read:
BYO Fruits and Veggies
What’s Your Bid? Grocery Auctions On the Rise
Restaurant Lets Patrons Choose How Much to Pay
Community Supported Agriculture
Joe the Farmer Grows Crops for His Community
