A non-profit local food hub says interest is growing in the service in the face of U.S. tariff threats.
Eat Local Huron is basically a year-round farmers market, that connects residents with local products.
Chris Spaleta, Chair of the Board, says there's been a lot more people reaching out to learn more in the wake of President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats.
"We've been championing the idea of buying local for a few years now and we're really excited to see people thinking more about it now in the face of these tariffs from the U.S.," he said. "We've had people explicitly coming up to us and saying 'I'm fed up with these trade wars and these tariffs, I'm looking to see what I can buy local.'"
Launched during the pandemic, Eat Local Huron was originally an online-only operation. But in the fall, it opened its first storefront in Goderich.
Spaleta says its been well-received and helped people learn more about local growers, dairy, and meat producers.
"People really like getting together and going into a store, especially when it comes to food, it's what people are used too," he said. "So it's been really nice to have a spot where people can actually come and see the food and talk about the local farmers and find out what's going on."
In terms of what's going on with a potential trade war, it seems more certainty will come next month after the Canadian and U.S. governments agreed to a 30-day pause.
If there is a trade disruption moving forward, Spaleta doesn't think it will impact their offerings at all.
"If it's anything like what happened with the trade disruptions during COVID, likely our prices would stay a lot more steady than what you would see at the grocery store, because of our hyper-local focus... The majority of growing food is the land and the people actually doing the work, so as long as those costs aren't skyrocketing, it should be pretty steady."
Even if cooler heads prevail and the tariffs never come, Spaleta says there's still a multiplier effect on the area's economy when you shop local.
"I think it's one dollar spent locally becomes the equivalent of six dollars of economic activity," he said. "And our local is hyper-local, 95 per cent of what's spent at Eat Local Huron stays within the county."
Those that want to learn more can visit the Eat Local Huron website, or visit their storefront at 61 Hamilton Street, Goderich.