1. Eating local means more for the local economy. According to a study by the New Economics Foundation in London, a dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. When businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community at every transaction.
2. Locally grown produce is fresher. While produce that is purchased in the supermarket or a big-box store has been in transit or cold-stored for days or weeks, produce that you purchase at your local farmer's market has often been picked within 24 hours of your purchase. This freshness not only affects the taste of your food, but the nutritional value which declines with time.
3. Local food just plain tastes better. Ever tried a tomato that was picked within 24 hours? Enough said.
4. Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen. Because the produce will be handled less, locally grown fruit does not have to be "rugged" or to stand up to the rigors of shipping. This means that you are going to be getting peaches so ripe that they fall apart as you eat them, figs that would have been smashed to bits if they were sold using traditional methods, and melons that were allowed to ripen until the last possible minute on the vine.
5. Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic. In a March 2005 study by the journal Food Policy, it was found that the miles that organic food often travels to our plate creates environmental damage that outweighs the benefit of buying organic.
6. Buying local food keeps us in touch with the seasons. By eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive.
side note: I found this especially to be true as we visited the farmer's market this past Saturday. I was looking for peppers, tomatoes and some fruits and they weren't available. I realize that they are not yet in season (can't wait for the summer!)
7. Buying locally grown food is fodder for a wonderful story. Whether it's the farmer who brings local apples to market or the baker who makes local bread, knowing part of the story about your food is such a powerful part of enjoying a meal.
8. Eating local protects us from bio-terrorism. Food with less distance to travel from farm to plate has less susceptibility to harmful contamination. Remember the whole salomenella thing with spinach a few years back?
9. Local food translates to more variety. When a farmer is producing food that will not travel a long distance, will have a shorter shelf life, and does not have a high-yield demand, the farmer is free to try small crops of various fruits and vegetables that would probably never make it to a large supermarket. Supermarkets are interested in selling "Name brand" fruit: Romaine Lettuce, Red Delicious Apples, Russet Potatoes. Local producers often play with their crops from year to year, trying out Little Gem Lettuce, Senshu Apples, and Chieftain Potatoes.
10. Supporting local providers supports responsible land development. When you buy local, you give those with local open space - farms and pastures - an economic reason to stay open and undeveloped.
Source: Eat Local Challenge
My husband and I have really been educating ourselves on food lately. This 30 day blog just happened to fall around the same time that we were getting movies such as "Food Inc" and reading books such as "No Impact Man" We've been challenged to do more.
If you haven't seen Food Inc, I encourage you to do so. Inside the dvd, there is a list of
10 things you can do to change our food system
1. Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages.
2. Eat at home instead of eating out.
3. Support the passage of state and local laws to require chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards.
4. Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks. (more on that plus a petition to sign here)
5. Meatless Mondays, or Thursday, or whatever day you pick..go without meat once a week.
Fact: An estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are given to farm animals..yuck.
6,. Buy organic or sustainable food with little to no pesticide use.
7. Protect family farms, visit your local farmer's market.
8. Make a point to know where your food comes from- READ LABELS.
9. Tell Congress that food safety is important to you.
10. Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections.
These are all just little steps that can be taken. I recently found out about a program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Basically, a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public- typically a box of vegetables and fruits, but other farm products may be included. You can purchase a share, and in turn receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. I am looking into becoming a part of a CSA right now. To find one near you, go to http://www.localharvest.org/csa
You can also find your nearest farmer's market at this site. Check it out!
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