Ethnic produce measure proposed

TRENTON — Legislation to help farmers profit by filling a demand for ethnic foods earned approval today from the agriculture committee by a 5-0 vote. Sponsored by Assembly Republicans Parker Space, Maria Rodriguez-Gregg and Ron Dancer, the bill creates an ethnic food produce task force to study the demand for produce popular in immigrant communities.
“A high percentage of New Jerseyans were born in other countries. They eat and cook with foods that are not always available from local farmers or in grocery stores,” said Space. “They are hungry for varieties of produce that our farmers could be growing.”
The task force will study the demand for ethnic produce to recommend to farmers which varieties are most popular.
“There is a profitable market for produce that can’t be found in the state,” said Rodriguez-Gregg. “Consumers are familiar with cilantro and plantains, but there are so many more unique varieties of fruit and vegetables that people from other cultures crave. With better understanding of which products are most in demand, we can help farmers benefit by filling the void in the market.”
The task force will include two representatives from the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association; two farmers active in agriculture or horticulture; two representing retail grocery stores; and one each from the New Jersey Farm Bureau, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station of Rutgers and the food processing industry.
“Farmers may be reluctant to plant fields full of unconventional crops without knowing the demand for the product,” said Dancer. “The task force will collect information about the most wanted varieties people will buy. There is tremendous potential to satisfy the needs of growing ethnic communities.”