Local Food: The Best Buy for NC Consumers in 2025

Most people don’t realize it, but nearly 15% of the food we eat in the U.S. is imported. For categories like fruits, vegetables, coffee, packaged goods, and spices, that number climbs even higher. That means a large portion of the average grocery cart depends on long-distance trade, fragile shipping routes, and political agreements—all of which impact the cost and quality of the food that makes it home.

Now, with new tariffs on agricultural imports from top partners like Mexico and Canada, prices on everyday items like bananas, limes, canned goods, and more are quietly climbing. In an already inflation-saturated market, it’s no surprise that consumers are feeling the strain.

In times of uncertainty, though, local food remains the most resilient, reliable, and nourishing choice you can make. We've seen it firsthand, and we believe that it is the most sustainable, secure way forward for our community to thrive.

Remember 2020? Local Food Never Flinched.

When the pandemic hit, empty grocery store shelves became a familiar sight. Supply chains crumbled, national distributors stalled, and folks scrambled to find basics. But at The Produce Box, something different happened.

Our local food system held strong.

Because of the relationships we’ve built over the past 15 years with farmers, bakers, and makers across North Carolina, we never had a week where we couldn’t get fresh food into the hands of families who needed it. In fact, we saw a surge in demand like never before—and thanks to our producer network, we met it head-on.

That same resilient system is what protects your grocery basket today. Whether it's a trade war or a natural disaster, food grown close to home doesn’t have to cross an ocean—or face tariffs at the border—to reach your table.

What’s Really Going On with Tariffs?

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods. And when they’re added to food coming in from places like Mexico, South America, or Canada, prices go up fast. Tropical fruits, coffee, packaged snacks....anything that can’t grow in our climate or is processed abroad gets caught in the crosshairs.

Even worse, when countries retaliate by placing tariffs on U.S. exports, our farmers lose markets abroad. That can lead to oversupply, price crashes, and wasted crops right here at home.

That’s why a strong local economy matters. It keeps food dollars circulating here in North Carolina and keeps farms thriving, even in the face of global turbulence.

Putting the Money Where it Matters

Why give up your hard-earned money to tariffs when it could be going back to your community? When you buy your groceries with The Produce Box, you’re investing directly in the people who grow and produce your food. On average, our producers receive 50 cents of every dollar you spend, compared to the national average of just 14 cents through traditional retail. That means your grocery dollars don’t disappear into corporate overhead, long supply chains, or government budgets—they go back into North Carolina soil, small family farms, and real livelihoods. It’s a deeper kind of exchange—one rooted in relationship, reciprocity, and shared care for the land. That's less money siphoned off to middleman and more back in the pockets of the real people who sustain our communities.

Local Food Encourages Simpler, Healthier Eating

An added benefit of shopping with The Produce Box? It gently nudges your diet toward something fresher, simpler, and healthier. Packaged and processed foods which rely on imported ingredients, global packaging materials, and cross-border manufacturing are among the most vulnerable to tariff spikes. These items often include multiple components sourced from different countries, all stacked with hidden costs.

But a produce-forward, local grocery basket is different. It’s comprised of whole ingredients that come from the soil nearby, not a supply chain stitched together across continents. Choosing to eat your (local) veggies isn’t just a health decision—it’s also a budget-friendly one in today’s economic climate.

A Glimpse at Red Hawk Farm

This week, our team took a trip out to Red Hawk Farm in Hurdle Mills, NC. Tucked into Person Count's countryside, we walked the rows of their 13 greenhouse operation, each one filled with vibrant lettuces, gorgeous tomatoes, and flavorful herbs. It’s a farm built on vision: to produce farmers market quality food at the scale needed to feed entire communities.

Red Hawk is one of the many partners that allow The Produce Box to deliver fresh, flavorful food at volume without sacrificing quality or care. It’s these farmer-to-fork relationships that shape our menu each week and offer something the corporate grocery never will: real connection to the hands that grow your food.

What’s in This Week’s Boxes?

This weekend, our menu is filled with:

Fresh green zucchini, made for quick sautés and grill marks - In Season Farms, Brunswick, NC
Buttery organic Yukon Gold potatoes, perfect for roasting or mashing - Cottle Organics, Rose Hill, NC
Field-ripened strawberries, sweet and sun-kissed - Fresh Pik Farm, Wilson, NC
Robust tomatoes, multi-colored and bursting with flavor - Lee's Produce, McNeill Farms, and Red Hawk Organic Farm

All of it grown just down the road—and ready for your kitchen.

The Produce Box Difference

Because more than 80% of what we offer is grown or made right here in North Carolina, we’re better insulated from global disruptions. We don’t rely on container ships, foreign processors, or fragile agreements to get dinner on the table.

And in 2024 alone, members like you helped us channel over a million dollars back into North Carolina’s food system—supporting small farms, keeping rural jobs alive, and ensuring a strong local food future.

You can’t always predict what’s happening in the global economy. But you can choose where your food comes from, and what kind of future you’re investing in.

When you buy local, you’re not just filling your fridge. You’re building a healthier plate, a stronger economy, and a more secure food system for North Carolina. So this weekend, skip the overprocessed imports and roast up some golden potatoes grown in nearby soil. Sauté that zucchini picked just a few days ago. Let your food tell a story of place, care, and resilience.

Local food isn’t just better. It’s built to last.

Ready to join our fresh food revolution? Become a member today to gain access to fresh, local food with home delivery convenience.

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