Participants were asked: 'When you buy fruits and vegetables, how often do you buy locally grown (or organically grown) fresh produce when it is available?'

For locally grown produce, 14 percent of participants chose 'always', 40 percent chose 'most times', 38 percent chose 'sometimes', and eight percent chose 'seldom' or 'never'.

For organic produce, six percent chose 'always,' 15 percent chose 'most times,' 39 percent chose 'sometimes,' and 40 percent chose 'seldom' or 'never.'

Consumers considered 'good for health' and 'safe to eat' as their main reasons for purchasing organic produce, says an UTMC release.

These findings were published in HortScience.