Let's Go Local!

These days, all the rage for food is local, local, local!  Locally grown food, locally and organically sold meats and poulty, and locally brewed and fermented beers and wine.  So, what is the big deal about all this talk of local?  Are there any drawbacks to trying to purchase locally?  What are the immediate benefits for you?

What Does "Eating Local" Mean?
What a good question!  You can walk into a grocery store and look at a beautiful display of fresh produce that claims it was grown "locally".  When taking a closer look, the watermelons came from Florida, the oranges came from South Carolina, and the onions from Georgia.  Hmmm...not quite the definition I would call "local".  When asking farmers selling produce at the local farmers market, they have a very different meaning to the term "local" as well.  Most consider locally grown food to mean grown within the county or within a 25 to 50 mile radius of where the customer lives.  So, prior to snatching up the last 10 apples at your grocery store because the display claims they are grown locally, check to see where their definition of local resides.

What Are The Benefits?
There are literally countless reasons why buying local food is both rewarding and delicious, including improved health and nutrition, environmental stewardship, support for family farms, and ensuring animal welfare.  There is also peace of mind in knowing where your food is coming from, and knowing where your food was grown and raised.  The answers to those pesky questions of "what went into that loaf of bread?" and "How do we know those jalepenos are Salmonella-free?" can be very easily answered.

Another significant reason to buy local is to keep food miles to a minimum.  "Food miles" refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to your home. The food miles for items in the grocery store are, on average, 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources.  In the U.S., the average grocery store's produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator.  Notably, nine percent of our red meat comes from foreign countries, some as far away as Australia and New Zealand.  Our food is trucked across the country, hauled in freighter ships over oceans, and flown around the world.   A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is burned to transport foods such long distances, releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants that contribute to global climate change, acid rain, smog and air and sea pollution.

Lastly, buying directly from the farmers can drastically increase the farmers income. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener's Association published a study that demonstrates what would happen if consumers shifted 1% of their purchasing power to buy locally grown products: farmers would see a gain of 5% in their income.  Even better, buying direct from a farmer sends 90% of those food dollars back to the farm.  Increasing farm income means more money can be spent locally by the farmer to run their business and home, helping keep the local economy alive.

What Are The Drawbacks?
The main reason consumers decide not to buy local foods is because of the cost.  Locally grown food is more expensive than most of the food that comes into your grocery store.  This is because your local farmers are smaller, usually family-run, and they do not have the streamlined production that the big grocery store suppliers have. You will have to pay more for their products, but you do get the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting local business.

Another disadvantage of buying local food is that it tends to be less convenient. You may have to go to the farmers' market for your produce and meat, and then go to the regular neighborhood grocery store for your grains, cereals, and other products that are not available in local varieties.

Local food will obviously only consist of the things that can be grown locally. This means that in the middle of winter, you will not be able to get strawberries, nor will you have pumpkins to make a good pumpkin pie for Easter. You are limited to the produce that can be grown during the season, and in the winter, you will be forced to buy much more at the supermarket if you live in a cold area that cannot grow anything during the winter.

Lastly, if you are buying from a stand at the farmers market that claims to have organic fruit, there is really no way of knowing if this is true. This is because local farmers at small farms are often not certified or regulated. Chances are that they are telling the truth and their food is better than stuff that is shipped in, but you can never know for sure.

So, You've Weighed The Pros and Cons And Decided To Go Local!  What Are Your Options?
Start small and don't expect to change all your eating habits overnight.  Commit to purchasing one thing locally each week or each month.  Once you see how easy it is and you enjoy the great taste, you'll surely go back for more!

Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSA's) provides a direct link between local farmers and consumers. Each season, members purchase a share of a farmer's crop before it's planted. This allows the farmer to pay for seed, water and equipment upfront, so s/he is less reliant on banks and loans. Each week during the harvest time, usually June through October, the farmer delivers great tasting, healthy food to the members at pre-determined locations. In some instances, members pick up their share directly from the farm.  It's a great way to try vegetables you might not normally eat—or might never have heard of! Most CSA programs provide vegetables and fruit, though many also offer meat, dairy, eggs and fish.  To find a CSA program in your area, visit the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.

Another great way to buy local is to shop at farmers' markets, where you can ask the farmer how the food was raised and produced.  If you can't find a farmers market in your area, start one yourself, or get a group of people together to help you!

Lastly, just grow your own food.  Whether it's a plot in your backyard or a small window herb garden, growing your own food is a richly rewarding experience. Many towns have gardening classes, but it's easy to simply buy some seeds and experiment. You might even consider raising your own chickens for meat or eggs.  If you live in an urban area and don't have land to plant on, you can often find community gardens that offer plots in exchange for some volunteer time. Visit the American Community Gardening Association for more information.

Good Luck and Let's Go Local!!