Local food tastes better, supports the local economy, helps to build “community,” and protects agricultural land and open space.
Ten Reasons to Eat Local Food
1. Eating local means more for the local economy. A dollar spent locally generates more income for the local economy. When businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community at every transaction. When we make the conscious decision to buy locally-produced food instead of food produced outside the area, we are reducing the leakage of income out of the local economy. By doing so, we increase the multiplier effect, meaning that a given dollar injected into the local economy generates a larger quantity of new income for local residents.
In addition to putting more money back into the local economy, buying locally creates a greater level of charitable giving. On average, local businesses contribute four times more money as a percent of revenue than distant corporations.
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? Fresh food, picked when ripe, just tastes better! Peaches are juicy, fragrant and delicious, carrots are crisp and sweet, and tomatoes are flavorful.
4. Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen.
Because the produce will be handled less, locally grown fruit and vegetables do not have to be “rugged” or to stand up to the rigors of shipping. Industrial produce is often picked unripe and engineered to appear ripe days or even weeks after being harvested.
5. Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic.
The more miles that organic food travels to our plate creates environmental damage that outweighs the benefit of buying organic. Less energy is used in the transportation of fruits and vegetables to market reducing carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions.
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.
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.
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 vegetables. Local farmers grow many varieties of our favorite vegetables and fruits—many varieties that we may not have seen before. They often bring heirloom fruits and vegetables back into production.
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. selling farmland for development becomes less likely. A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops that prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture emissions and help combat global warming. In addition, the patchwork of fields, hedgerows, ponds and buildings is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally-grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.
