Mackinac Island is a premier tourist destination located between the Upper and LowerPeninsula of Michigan. The small island attracts nearly a million annual tourists a year, makingthe demand for food on the island extraordinarily large. Because there is no bridge to the island,the majority of food is shipped to the island on ferries. The shipment process is a logisticalchallenge that only a few large national food distributors have mastered. Long distance foodshipments from these distributors emit greenhouse gasses that contribute to anthropogenicclimate change and environmental degradation, and the nutritional quality of the perishable fooditems suffer in the long commute. Because there is a premium placed on food prices on theisland, seasonal workers and year-round residents have limited options for fresh, nutritious foodat an affordable cost.To combat these issues, the social enterprise Mackinac Food Forest (MFF) has a fouryear goal to make 25% of the food on Mackinac Island locally produced within 100 miles of theisland. Increasing the prevalence of food from the nearby Eastern Upper Peninsula and NorthernLower Peninsula may help promote healthy eating habits and enable access to nutritious, highquality, environmentally friendly and affordable food options on the island. Tourists make up themajority of food purchases on the island so their desire to eat local produce will be a catalyst forshifting business purchasing decisions on the island. Mackinac Island food businesses, which arethe backbone of the Mackinac Island economy, need to be in support of MFF’s goal in order forthe transition to locally grown food to take hold. In order for Mackinac Island to reach MFF’slocal food purchasing goal, it is important to understand the current demand, opportunities, andbarriers around local food purchasing on the island.
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