The Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets of New York City

Excerpts from the Foreword: This report points out some ways to reduce the cost of distributing fresh fruits and vegetables in New York City. The present bill for getting fresh fruits and vegetables from the city limits to the retail stores in New York or to trucks of out-of-town buyers is about $42,000,000 a year. This report submits ways of reducing that annual bill by about $8,500,000. Some of these savings would accrue to the consumers of Greater New York, some to the wholesale and retail trade, some to the transportation agencies, and some to the growers who supply that market from farms in more than 40 States. The Department of Agriculture has made this study, as it has made similar studies in other important consuming centers, because it is necessarily concerned with the economical distribution of farm products. Efficient distribution is important to consumers who should be able to get these protective foods in the best possible condition, to dealers who are engaged in moving the products from producers to consumers, and to the growers. High distribution costs in any large city, and especially New York, press back upon the producing areas clear across the continent.