Filling your cart at the supermarket can be a geography lesson of sorts: "Look – cantaloupe from Honduras, lettuce from Mexico, cauliflower from India and seafood from China!" Even food grown here in the U.S. travels an average 1,500 miles from farm to fork.*Buying locally grown foods to reduce "food miles" is a movement that's gaining ground. Just ask Wal-Mart, the largest purchaser of food grown in the U.S. The retailer says its partnerships with local farmers have grown by 50% in the past two years. This effort helps the discount superstore keep prices low by eliminating millions of "food miles" and thereby reducing shipping costs.**
| Go local! |
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Resources for finding local food: LocalHarvest.org – a search-by-ZIP database of farms, CSAs (community supported agriculture), farmers' markets, restaurants and co-ops. GreenPeople.org – searchable listings of CSAs and co-ops, plus other eco-friendly products and ideas. EatWild.com – includes information about naturally raised meats and directories for farms and co-ops. |
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- Taste. Local food is fresher and tastier because it is picked when naturally ripe, with no preservatives or additives needed to prolong its shelf life.
- Nutrition. Buying delicious, homegrown fruits and vegetables can motivate you to prepare and eat more servings of nutritious produce.
- Safety. Dangerous outbreaks of salmonella and other foodborne illness can happen anywhere. With local food, you can get to know local growers and learn more about their farm practices and safety measures.
- Cost. Buying fresh food in season is cheaper than buying produce shipped halfway across the world. With a little extra effort you can make it last into the offseason. Try freezing blueberries on a cookie tray (and bagging them after frozen) or stockpiling a one-month supply of apples in the cellar or refrigerator.
- Local farmers. Buying local food supports local economies and keeps small farmers in business. Crop diversity (growing a variety of crops rather than mass producing one crop) also reduces dependence on chemical fertilizers and provides resistance against pest outbreaks.
- Environment. Eating local food is energy-efficient. It's a good choice for the environment and a sustainable future that depends on economical and eco-friendly food production.
You are what you eat
Eating local stimulates our hometown economy and helps keep farmland an important part of our landscape. Here are some ideas for making healthy, delicious, local food choices:
- Look at the stickers on produce at the grocery store, and choose produce with the lowest "food miles" whenever possible.
- Visit the farmers' market for fresh-from-the-farm foods. Or, sign up for a weekly selection of fruits, vegetables or meats from a local farm CSA (community supported agriculture). Check out "Go local!" for Web sites to help you find local farmers' markets and CSAs.
- Sample the local cuisine. Ask about locally grown produce and local meats at your favorite restaurants. Express interest in menu items that feature local foods – it helps keep more dollars in our community.
- Grow it yourself! Plant a garden or even just a pot of herbs and vegetables this summer. It doesn't get any more local than that!
| * | National Resources Defense Council, www.nrdc.org. |
| ** | "Wal-Mart Commits to America's Farmers as Produce Aisles Go Local," July 1, 2008, www.walmartstores.com. |