Locavores are people who try to choose locally grown or locally produced food that is in season. There are many definitions of 'local food', but the concept is based primarily on distance. Many people like to purchase food locally by starting within their own community, then moving out of the region, province, country and so on. This type of food consumption is the basis for the popular 100-mile diet, which promotes buying and eating food that's grown, manufactured or produced within a 100-mile radius of the consumer's home.
Why eat 'local'?
Here are some potential benefits of eating local:
- It's good for the environment. Local food doesn't have to travel as far to arrive on your plate, so it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to improving our carbon footprint.
- It benefits the local economy, including supporting local farmers and other producers.
- It encourages sustainable agriculture, and facilitates tracking the supply chain back to the point of origin to evaluate ecological practices.
- It ensures that food has passed some of the highest safety standards in the world. Very strict regulations regarding additives, pesticides, herbicides etc. ensure that the food is safe.
- It may have a high nutrient value, as food that is grown and harvested locally is usually given more time to ripen. This does not, however, automatically mean that local food is necessarily more nutritious.
- Purchasing food directly from farmers and purveyors gives you the opportunity to learn more about farming practices and develop connections to your food.
Are local foods more nutritious?
There are several factors that influence the nutritive value of produce including crop variety, how it's grown, ripeness at harvest, storage, processing, and packaging. It's vitamin and mineral content depends on the practices of people all along the line, from the seed to the table, whether or not produce is local or transported from a distance.
Conclusion
Eating local doesn't just benefit your community but also affects the health of farmers in your community. It also has a host of positive economic, social and environmental effects. Local foods tend to taste fresher, have more nutrients, and use less packaging. Supporting local food businesses leads to strong local economies. Search for farmers and markets in your area and plan to buy Moist of your fresh produce there. As it has been said by Tom Vilsack,
"Local and regional food systems are about opportunity."
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