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. (reference)
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.
Local food just plain tastes
better. Ever tried a tomato that was picked within 24
hours? 'Nuff said.
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.
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. (reference)
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.
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.
Eating local protects us from
bio-terrorism. Food with less distance to travel from
farm to plate has less susceptibility to harmful contamination. (reference)
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.
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.
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