Three good reasons to buy local produce

Who doesn't like fresh Peruvian mangoes and Hawaiian pineapples in January?  Californian strawberries in late summer?  Japanese mandarins for Christmas?  We all love fresh fruit, and the products that can't grow here are a special treat to us.  Until fairly recently I didn't think much about it.  I considered it my right for living in this day and age where we can fly our food in from any place on earth.  Recently, however, I started reading about the 100 Mile Challenge and other articles encouraging us to buy local produce before we buy produce from overseas.  I found it interesting that locally-grown food was better for your health, better for the environment, and better for the economy.  Three things I hadn't associated with food very often. 

We now know that "fresh" produce starts to lose its nutritional value within days of being picked.  In some produce, it is better nutritionally to freeze or preserve the product a few days after it is picked than to sell it on the shelf a week later.  Fresh produce can lose up to 45% of it's important nutrients by the time we consume it, since it can take days and even weeks for produce to be picked, packed, shipped, across the borders,  to the warehouse and then to the grocery store.  By the time it has sat in your fridge for a few days and finally consumed, a lot of its nutritional value has been depleted.  There are articles arguing that it is better to eat frozen produce that has been preserved within days of picking, than fresh produce from the grocery store.  Buying local produce eliminates that problem.  Picked, packed, shipped and sold within a day or so, local produce is truly fresh.  Chances are good it is non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) as well since most crops that use GMO technology are mass-produced, commercial food industries. 

Produce that is not grown locally has to be shipped by plane, train, boat or automobile.  Each use fossil fuels, and each are responsible for a great deal of environmental pollution.  With rising fuel prices, the cost of food is going up, since it has to travel a great distance before it can be served at our tables.  Get Local BC says

The average North American meal travels 2,400 km to get from field to plate and contains ingredients from 5 countries in addition to our own – that’s a lot of “food miles”.

 That's a lot of distance and a lot of fuel burned to make a meal.  If we buy local produce we are drastically decreasing fuel burned to bring us our food.  This decreases our carbon footprint that we leave behind when we make our meals. 

Finally, when we buy local produce we are supporting our local economy.  Buying from local farms puts money back into our own pocket because these farmers, in turn, buy from other local businesses.  Most of us are financially supported by local business and so it only makes sense to buy locally. My husband regularly reminds me that if we buy products from locally-owned stores it is much more likely that we will see those people in our own grocery store, supporting us than if we buy from foreign-owned or even out-of-our-city -owned stores.   These locally owned and operated stores and farms also pay taxes that go towards our schools, parks, and communities.  Their children use these services.  And so the circle of local economy goes around. 

This doesn't mean we can't enjoy food grown outside of our community or country.  We can!  But it makes sense on many different levels to buy local when possible.  Get Local BC has a great list of what local produce is in season each month of the year. Eat the Seasons North America is another great reference for finding out what is available when, in North America.   You can make a point of buying these items to protect your health, your environment and your local economy.  You might also be surprised at how much really is available throughout the year.  With hothouse farming we can grow a great variety of produce quite late (or early) into the season!  Check it out.  You will be glad you did.