Chester County debuts ‘As Seen in’ stamp to make it easier for shoppers to buy local food

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The days of squinting at tiny food labels to find out if an item was produced locally could soon be over for Chester County shoppers.

AgConnect, a public-private partnership between the Chester County Economic Development Council and Chester County, has introduced a green endorsement stamp to help shoppers recognize which products come from the local agricultural community.

“We, in Chester County, are the second-largest producers of [agriculture] products in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Jordan Peek, product manager for AgConnect. “We wanted a way to highlight that and further engage the public with all that’s produced and grown here.”

The “As Seen in the Chester County Farm Guide” endorsement stamp is meant to showcase the more than 125 local farms and businesses participating in AgConnect’s annual program.

Think of it as Chester County’s spin on PA Preferred, Pennsylvania’s statewide “branding campaign for local foods and farms.”

“We wanted to be able to use something we already have and to get it out there for consumers,” said Melissa Harrop, communications coordinator for AgConnect. “The stamp itself is really easy. It’s an easy design. It’s super simple.”

For now, the program is primarily meant for producers who sell directly to consumers. But Harrop said she would like to see local farms and businesses that distribute their food products through wholesalers eventually get similar signage.

Another reason to buy local

From bacon and eggs to milk and cookies, U.S. food prices outpaced overall inflation in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Price Outlook.

Due to a variety of factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and President Donald Trump’s array of tariffs on various imported goods, a trip to the grocery store is more expensive than it was five years ago.

“We are very lucky, here in this county and really in this region of the state, to have such a wide variety of food produced right here in southeastern Pennsylvania and Chester County specifically,” Peek said.

Buying locally can be a way to sidestep impact of the tariffs, all while supporting the regional economy — especially one known for being the mushroom capital of the world.

“I think it might help people make better and more informed cost decisions,” Peek said. “But also, the quality and the taste is just not something you can compare.”

The program launched in October. Harrop said Farm Guide participants now have access to a digital kit to put the stamp on their product’s packaging.

“I love this program so much and we’ve had some really great responses to it, not just from producers, but also from the community as well,” she said.

AgConnect has lofty goals for the program, if it proves successful.

“I envision going into a restaurant and sitting down and opening a menu and seeing when they give you their product description of the burger that they’re making to have that Chester County stamp next to it,” Peek said.