Where to buy local food

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Once they have reached our shores items like bananas, tomatoes and avocados are artificially ripened with ethylene. Whereas this is mostly considered safe because they are not ripened naturally on vines, trees and in the sun imported fruits and vegetables can contain fewer nutrients.

Further, a lot of local producers work hard to maintain their cleaner, greener and organic credentials as a point of difference. In fact, studies have shown that buying organic can result in improved nutrition and help prevent antibiotic resistance 6. Unlike past decades many consumers now have considerably less understanding of where their food comes from.

To illustrate the point, a survey by the British Nutrition Foundation found that a tenth of secondary-aged pupils believed that tomatoes grow underground. Whilst almost a third thought that we make cheese from plants. Despite this, more and more people are now thinking about where their food comes from.

When buying locally directly from the farmer or grower, consumers get to learn about the food, how it is grown and where it comes from. Connecting people, both young and old, with where their food comes from inevitably helps people to make better choices 7.

In fact, studies have shown that knowledge is a key motivator. Enhancing knowledge of where our food comes from in our local communities can help promote healthier and more environmentally friendly food choices.

Similarly experiencing a trip to a farm store, or seeing first hand the making of cheese or bread, promotes improved food knowledge. As a result of this, if consumers know what goes into making their produce it helps make producers more accountable. In turn, this encourages safe practices, the use of less-resource intensive systems and can promote organic produce. Locally grown produce rarely uses the mass production technologies used in commercial farming.

As a result, farmers selling locally often grow wider varieties of produce in a smaller space to meet local needs. This, in turn, provides consumers with the chance to see and try different products. Whereas supermarkets expect perfect products, local farmers can grow a diverse range of sustainable produce. Growing a variety of crops on local land helps maintain a more natural balance.

For example, winter crops die off in the summer and the resulting composted stems and leaves fertilize the land for subsequent summer crops. Further, many local producers are experimenting with more natural ways to maintain their crops and improve yields. For example, growing wildflowers near crops can encourage more bees to the area which in turn allows for improved natural fertilization.

Rotating crops also helps keep the soil healthy, which rarely happens naturally at large producers of a single variety of fruit or veg.

Much of the produce that we buy in the supermarket has gone through a rigorous selection process to appeal to our ideal idea of how they should look. Carrots are uniformly straight, tomatoes the same shape and size, our citrus blemish-free, and apples shining fresh. Behind the scenes, a great deal of effort has gone into presenting and packaging supermarket produce according to what sells.

A study in by the University of Edinborough found that nearly a third of our fruit and vegetables are too ugly to retail according to the cosmetic standards imposed by supermarkets 1.

Much of this is simply thrown away adding to the global food waste problem. Of course, us consumers have a part to play in all this by being more accepting of uglier fruit and veg. And hence another reason to buy local food. It can help this issue as many growers will not look to quite the same standards. A crooked carrot tastes just as good, pick one up today from a local grower and do a small bit to prevent food waste.

Of course, many of the reasons to buy local food require farmers near you. Without consumer support, small-hold farmers can struggle to produce food viably. However, purchasing local produce can provide the means and incentive for farmers to keep tending their land and providing fresh produce.

Farmers have been feeling the pinch for decades. Increasing costs and supermarkets driving down purchase prices have forced many farms to close 8. When choosing to buy more local food support you help to support local growers near you. Without needing to factor in the cost of transportation or distribution local farming can be both sustainable and viable with the right level of local support.

Further, with growing demand, they might also be able to supply their produce to local restaurants. And as restaurants use more local produce and more people get behind buying local, in turn, more custom will result.

As a result, you are also helping restaurants to thrive and supporting the local economy which means more business for local farmers 9. When you buy direct from a farmer, you are engaging in a time-honored connection between eater and grower. Knowing the farmer gives you insight into the seasons, the land, and your food. It gives you access to a place where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture.

Local food preserves open space. When farmers get paid more for their products by marketing locally, they are less likely to sell their farmland for development. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive to preserve our agricultural landscape. Local food keeps taxes down. According to several studies, farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas most other kinds of development contribute less in taxes than the cost of the services they require.

Local food benefits the environment and wildlife. Well-managed farms conserve fertile soil and clean water in our communities. The farm environment is a patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds, and buildings that provide habitat for wildlife. Local food is an investment in the future. By supporting local farmers today, you are helping ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow. Greenmarket is good for farms Preserving Farmland.

Greenmarket keeps local family farms in business. Over the past 50 years, close to a million acres of local farmland have been buried under cement and asphalt. Back to Recipes Vegetable soups Healthy soups See more. Back to Recipes Chicken curry Pasta See more.

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