Buying Local

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The concept of buying local is something that up until the time of industrialization most people were quite familiar with. When people needed eggs, milk or bread they would go to their local farmer’s market or to the nearest farm to purchase these items and bring them home in order to feed their family. Of course at that time farming was one of the most common and highly regarded professions and society was far less “urbanized.”

Now the majority of our population reside in urban centers where they purchase their food from giant chain supermarkets, where it may take 4-5 days for the food grown by farmers to be picked, packaged and transported before you buy it and bring it home. Not only does this mean that the food you may be purchasing and eating is less fresh, much of what you buy is not even grown in the United States.

Buying locally grown food not only saves the carbon emissions that it costs in order to ship produce from foreign countries, it is also a way to ensure quality. In the United States there are strict regulations set out to govern the farming industry. In particular laws governing pesticide use, farming and irrigation techniques are put in place to protect consumers and out natural environment.

According to Sustainable Table, produce in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your neighborhood supermarket. Think of all of the extra carbon emissions you would save by visiting a farm near you!

Also, have you ever noticed all of the packaging required to keep your fruits and vegetables looking edible after traveling overseas to a store close to your home? There is often a plastic container with even more plastic inside or a nice box with a vacuum-packed inside layer. I find myself undoing 2-3 layers of packaging before I can get to the food inside! This creates needless garbage that is eventually brought to a dump. When you buy local there is no need to package, package and re-package your food. Your food goes from the field to you, rather than by plane, train or automobile to a store.

Buying local also helps to stimulate the local economy, keeping local farmers in business while keeping your community healthy and prosperous. This is growing ever more important as the USDA reports that the US has lost in excess of 5 million farms since 1935. There are numerous farms that surround major urban centers across the country. A great resource to find those who sell what you are looking to buy is Local Harvest who has listings and addresses of farms near you!

So go ahead buy local and taste the difference farm fresh makes! Visit the Sustainable Table Blog and the Local Harvest Blog for more information on buying local!