The association is working with Wisconsin area grocery stores and restaurants to highlight the benefits of buying Wisconsin-grown produce. The campaign asserts the best foods are homegrown - and says this is especially true of Wisconsin potatoes that carry the Wisconsin Home Grown label.
"We know food safety, nutrition and price are top of mind with shoppers," association executive director Duane Maatz says.
"When shoppers buy Wisconsin Home Grown potatoes in a grocery store or ask for them in a restaurant, they can be assured they are eating the best-tasting, freshest, and most responsibly grown potatoes in the country."
The association says locally-grown food is harvested at its peak of flavor and has a quicker trip to market, unlike food shipped long distances, Maatz says, adding that local food is fresher and better tasting, and has the added benefit of using less energy for transportation.
Consumers can find Wisconsin Home Grown potatoes at grocery stores throughout the state, many with packaging carrying the name of the Wisconsin farm where they were grown.
The association has been marketing its message to statewide restaurants about the benefits of buying Wisconsin Potatoes. Buying locally-grown food also supports the economy by supporting the livelihoods of farm workers, which creates a multiplier effect for the Wisconsin economy.
Recent studies have shown consumers rank buying local more important than buying organic, the association says.