10 Reasons to Eat Local Food

by Jennifer Maiser

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.

Download a printable version (pdf) of this guide.

Originally published by Life Begins at 30, August 2005.  Published with permission.

Comments

[Ian]

Great to see your number one reason is to support the local economy - if you need any further evidence I can highly recommend the book Collaspe by Jared Diamond

[TryingDaily]

My family has always eaten wild meat, it doesn't get anymore local. We also handle all the skinning and butchering ourselves. I can't amagine a better way to cut costs, grocery bill costs and the environment costs. Happy meat is the only way to go green!

[june]

I think we all should eat more locally grown food. Support our local growers and eat healthier by do so.

[Joe]

Well, a good idea, but let's remember our history, trade in foodstuffs has been around ever since civilisation started. Wine, grain and oil was traded in the Roman Empire. You can pry my olive oil from my cold dead hand! ;) Joking, but let's not throw out all ethnic and cultural culinary diversity.

[Shilpa]

uh, Joe? many parts of the US make olive oil too! Vermont makes some of the greatest Italian-style Bufalo mozzarella, they even sell Indian-type vegetables at the local farmer's markets here in Boston - go on and look around,the US is VERY culturally culinarily diverse...

[the opoponax]

Not to mention, of course, that "eat local" doesn't mean "eat only what you grow yourself in your own backyard". The Hudson Valley milk I buy at a farmer's market in Brooklyn is every bit as much a part of a "trade network" as oranges grown in Campania and sold in Rome were 2000 years ago.

Only the very wealthiest people of ancient times had access to exotic delicacies transported long distances.

That said, most locavores I know make exceptions for things like wine, olive oil, coffee, etc -- it's not about deprivation, it's about doing what you can. I try to only buy apples grown here in New York, because why buy something from New Zealand or Washington that's already produced 50 miles away?

[Anita]

I know this is an old post... but I have a couple of questions.
There is nothing grown locally where I live but grain crops, and what people grow in their back yards... I'm in southcentral Kansas... Doesn't that limit our diet drastically?
And does eating locally mean I never get to eat citrus again? Or avocados, or seafood, or anything else that doesn't grow in zone 6? I like the idea of eating what we can locally, but we'd miss out on so much! Forgive me if these are an ignorant questions!

[Siobhan]

I usually shop at the farmer's market sporadically, but with the price of gas and other essentials rising I've become far pickier about what I buy and how much it costs. Eating locally is actually more economic. Bag salad mix in the grocery store $3.50 and at the farmer's market $1.99! I was amazed at home much I could save on everything and support local economics. It's really great. I visit the farmer's market on a regular basis now.

[Kate]

I am writing other local farm enthusiasts to let them know about Bartlett’s Farm on Nantucket and the behind the scenes look that Plum TV covered on various aspects of the farm. I work for Plum's website and for one of the segments we joined the fun and festivities at the 1st annual Summer Celebration at Bartlett's Farm. The link to our segments is below if you'd like to include it on your site or just check it out.

http://nantucket.plumtv.com/videos/celebrating_summer_with_bartletts_farm

http://nantucket.plumtv.com/videos/bjs_wholesale_bartletts_farm

[Beverly Baker]

I own a farm and ranch in Texas. I have concerns that farms and ranches that are productive are going to be a thing of the past. It is getting harder and almost impossible to make a living on this land and hand down this heritage to our children because of the "death taxes" imposed by the government. Please help us eliminate this horrible tax by writing your U.S. Representatives and Senators.

[Sienna Scorpio]

I live in Texas also and understand the death tax situation. I am fortunate to have access to a Farmers Market in Dallas and Whole Foods (that prominently displays labels for locally cultivated foods). I wish all stores did this. I don't buy everything local, but I do buy as much as I can. It's not possible for everyone, buy what you can and in season. Become familiar what's in season and get great books on how to properly store all foods regardless of where they came from and also get books on how to use a few ingredients for several meals. I'm starting to learn how not to waste food. Some receipes or meals we plan waste food.

[Denise]

If you live on the West Coast, there is a great company called spud! organic and local delivery. About 60% of their products are local and all of their produce is 100% organic. They are up to something great!

[Eco-nomist]

I just stumbled upon this blog, which is ironic because I've been looking at reasons eating locally is not as beneficial as it is often made out to be. Choosing to eat locally for health and quality reasons boils down to a personal preference choice, and these are the only arguments in favor of eating locally with which I do not find fault.

I frequently wonder why there is so much focus on reducing the distance the food travels in order to reduce carbon emissions but there is not a similar emphasis on the the pollution created during the production process. It may be the case that a farm in New Zealand has a more efficient production process than local farms and that this results in lower carbon emissions per apple produced even after accounting for transportation. I think limiting the scope of the analysis strictly to the distance traveled doesn't capture the entire environmental impact and that it is unclear whether or not eating locally is truly a better choice for the environment. On this point I am quite open to further education.

The arguments for the economic benefits of eating locally, however, I find to be entirely unconvincing. These arguments seem to be rather protectionist claims that favor the local economy over the national or even global economy. It's true, if you spend your money locally it will stay in the local economy. Refusing to purchase comparable products of lower costs simply because they were produced somewhere else seems a bit counter-productive if one wants to establish a sustainable industry. In order to be sustainable, you need to be competitively priced. Buying locally for the sake of keeping money in the local economy is not encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, key ingredients to sustainability, as much as it is preserving the status quo. Furthermore, there are a lot of developing countries that have a comparative advantage in producing certain agricultural items. Not buying from these providers takes opportunities away from the truly needy people in this world.

[Liz M owner hyperlocavore]

Hyperlocavore.com is a social network for people and organizations learning and sharing experiences starting yard or land sharing groups in their neighborhoods, towns or cities. You can set up a private or public yardsharing group, search for people in your town interested in group gardens, share images, videos, experiences and tools. Your group can be a set of friends, family members or neighbors or a combination. Yardsharing will save everyone money, time and food miles (ie the climate impact of the food on your plate.) Yardsharing is a workable solution for lowincome, disabled or elderly folks - or when your CSA or community garden has a long waiting list.

Your readers might also be interested in "100 reasons to be a Hyperlocavore." at:

Hyperlocavore.com is a social network for people and organizations learning and sharing experiences starting yard or land sharing groups in their neighborhoods, towns or cities. You can set up a private or public yardsharing group, search for people in your town interested in group gardens, share images, videos, experiences and tools. Your group can be a set of friends, family members or neighbors or a combination. Yardsharing will save everyone money, time and food miles (ie the climate impact of the food on your plate.) Yardsharing is a workable solution for lowincome, disabled or elderly folks - or when your CSA or community garden has a long waiting list.

http://hyperlocavore.wordpress.com/100-reasons-to-be-a-hyperlocavore/

[Liz M owner hyperlocavore]

Sorry about the garbled post!

[club penguin]

Let's remember our history, trade in foodstuffs has been around ever since civilisation started. Wine, grain and oil was traded in the Roman Empire. You can pry my olive oil from my cold dead hand!

[vigrx plus]

nice site..

[localwine]

Let's not forget to drink locally too: Local Wine Blog

[Losing Weight is a Bitch]

The 11th Reason to Eat Local--It helps you to lose weight and keep it off. As I write in my blog here: http://losingweightafter45isabitch.blogspot.com/, to lose weight and keep it off you have to eat a primarily plant based diet.

This time of year I buy the bulk of my food at Farmers' Markets and at local farms. That way I know I'm getting the freshest, tastiest fruits and veggies. I managed to lose 40 pounds and keep it off just by moving to a diet that is primarily plant based, and buying my food locally has kept me on course.