Local Flower Movement

In 1991, the Andean Trade Preference Act was passed to promote legal economic opportunities and help discourage drug-crop production. One unintended consequence was its impact on cut-flower farmers. Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru were granted tariff-free access for cut flowers, making imported blooms significantly less expensive for commercial buyers.

As a result, U.S. flower growers were left in the lurch, and the number of local cut-flower farms declined at an exponential rate.

Today, through the local flower movement, we’re helping bring locally grown cut flowers back to the U.S.

CHEMICALS

Many bouquets travel 5,000+ miles before they reach a vase, moving through multiple handling steps and refrigerated storage along the way. To help flowers tolerate long transit, the industry commonly uses postharvest treatments and preservatives designed to reduce dehydration, limit disease/decay, and extend vase life.

UNREGULATED

Chemical regulation differs by product meaning the FDA pesticide-residue monitoring is primarily focused on food commodities, while imported cut flowers are generally handled through plant-health inspection (pests and diseases) at entry and are NOT part of FDA’s monitoring unless the flowers are intended for consumption (edible flowers). The result is that consumers often have limited visibility into where their flowers were grown and what handling steps occur.

PREFERENCE

Consumers say they don’t know flower origins yet prefer U.S.-grown when given the choice. And while U.S. cut-flower production is growing, it’s still a relatively small slice of the overall floral marketplace.