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Reasons to Buy Local
Reasons to Buy Local
Source: http://www.sustainabletable.org/getinvolved/
The concept of buying local is simply to buy food (or any good or service) produced, grown, or
raised as close to your home as possible. In the US, the average meal travels 1,500 miles before
it reaches your plate.(1) As a result, food is less fresh, contains fewer nutrients, and requires
costly, resource-intensive transportation and packaging. Buying local is a key component of
sustainability.
Furthermore, in order to increase shelf-life for lengthy transport, foods are treated with
preservatives, grown with pesticides, genetically modified, and even subjected to irradiation.
Besides altering the taste and quality of your food, these processes degrade the
environment and pose a threat to human health.
The trend towards large-scale industrial agricultural production also forces small family
farms out of business, thereby damaging the economies of rural communities and further
eliminating the connection between consumers and the production of their food.
Reasons to Buy Local Include:
• Fresh, Locally-Produced Food is More Nutritious
Food transported short distances and kept on shelves for a short time contains more
nutrients and fewer preservatives than food that travels long distances.
• Protects Your Family's Health
Industrially-produced foods are typically grown with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics,
and growth hormones. In order to extend shelf-life, certain foods are also subjected to
irradiation. This process reduces the nutritional value of foods and has uncertain effects on
human health. Local foods typically undergo minimal processing and are usually produced
without the harmful substances mentioned above.
• Preserves the Environment
Small, local farms are generally more environmentally-friendly than large-scale industrial
agriculture operations. Small family farms tend to utilize sustainable farming techniques, often
raising organic products without pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Buying locally also
allows the consumer to encourage local farms to use sustainable techniques if they don't
already. Furthermore, buying food locally:
Reduces air pollution - A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is used to transport
industrial foods long distances. Combustion of these fuels releases carbon dioxide,
sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and other pollutants into the atmosphere, thus
generating global climate change, acid rain, smog, and local air pollution. Since local
foods don't need to be transported long distances, buying locally prevents these
pollutants from entering the environment.
Reduces wasteful packaging - Foods produced locally require much less packaging
than foods shipped long distances. Buying locally eliminates food packaging from the
waste stream, thus conserving resources and reducing the need to build new landfills.
• Reduces Our Reliance on Oil
Today, the ingredients for an average meal travel over 1,500 miles.(2) As a result, a huge
volume of oil is used to transport food that could be purchased locally. Buying locally
decreases transportation and thus helps America to reduce its reliance upon foreign oil
supplies.
• Helps Family Farmers
According to the USDA, the U.S. has lost 4.7 million farms since 1935.(3) Family farmers are
going out of business at a drastic rate, causing rural communities to deteriorate. Local food
buying supports family farmers and helps to save this important element of American life.
• Eat Seasonally
An important part of buying local is making an effort to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables
when they are in season in your area. Although today's global marketplace allows us to buy
foods grown virtually anywhere in the world all year round, these options are not the
most sustainable.
• Supports the Local Economy
Money spent in the community stays in the community longer, benefiting local retailers and
residents instead of huge industrial agriculture corporations.
• Preserves Local Farmland
The U.S. loses 2 acres of farmland a minute as cities and suburbs spread and take over the
land. (4) Most farms these days are ‘edge farms' located on the outskirts of urban and
suburban population centers. This means they're in danger of being bought out by
developers as they struggle to stay in business. On a positive note, this makes buying local
easier for city-dwellers,creating an important symbiotic relationship between cities and farms.
• Tastes better!
Again and again, taste tests prove that local, fresh foods simply taste better than their
industrial counterparts. More chefs and food lovers are discovering this simple fact, and are
working to preserve local varieties and cook foods that are in-season. Local, naturally
raised and fed animal products are noticeably more flavorful, and a joy to cook with. You'll
notice the difference!
Once you start eating fresh food, there's no going back. Join the growing movement of
consumers around the world who are shunning fast food and making that little extra effort to find
food raised nearby. You'll be glad you did.
What Can You Do?
Buy food directly from your local farmer at a farm stand or a farmers market. In 2002, there were
over 3,100 farmers markets in the US – check the USDA's list to find one near you!(10)
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm
Join a food co-op or a Community Supported Agriculture project (CSA). To find out more about
CSAs visit http://www.csacenter.org/statesfr.htm In our local area: See Blooming Glen CSA
Encourage your local grocery store to supply food from local farmers.
Did You Know?
• 91 cents of each dollar spent at traditional food markets goes to suppliers, processors,
middlemen, and marketers; only 9 cents of each dollar actually goes to the farmer.(5)
• In the U.S., a wheat farmer can expect to receive about 6 cents of each dollar spent on bread;
this is approximately equal to the cost of the wrapping. (6)
• Farmers markets enable farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer.
(7)
• About two-thirds of total U.S. agricultural output is produced in or adjacent to metropolitan
counties. (8)
• About 1/3 of all U.S. farms are located within metropolitan areas, comprising 18% of the total
U.S. farmland. (9)
For More Information:
• Food Routes' Buy Local Campaign - Includes information on the benefits of buying locally,
resources for promoting local food production, and an online directory of farmers markets.
• Eat Here, Brian Halweil, World Watch Institute, 2004.
Footnotes:
1. Pirog, Rich. “Checking the Food Odometer: Comparing Food Miles for Local Versus
Conventional Produce Sales in Iowa Institutions.” Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. July
2003.
2. Ibid.
3. USDA. 2002. “Number of farms, land in farms, and value of farm real estate, 1910-2002.”
Economic Research Service Web site.
4. American Farmland Trust. “Farming on the Edge: Sprawling Development Threatens America
's Best Farmland.” AFT 2002.
5. Smith, Stewart. 1992. "Farming Activities and Family Farms: Getting the Concepts Right."
Presented to the US Congress Symposium, "Agricultural Industrialization and Family Farms: The
Role of Federal Policy." 21 October 1992.
6. Pretty, Jules. “Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Local Food Systems.” Briefing Note for
TVU/Sustain AgriFood Network, November 2, 2001.
7. Ibid.
8. Environmental Protection Agency. “Ag 101, Land Use Overview.” EPA. January 2004.
9. Ibid.
10. USDA. Farmers Market Facts. USDA Accessed July 2004
Source: http://www.sustainabletable.org/getinvolved/
The concept of buying local is simply to buy food (or any good or service) produced, grown, or
raised as close to your home as possible. In the US, the average meal travels 1,500 miles before
it reaches your plate.(1) As a result, food is less fresh, contains fewer nutrients, and requires
costly, resource-intensive transportation and packaging. Buying local is a key component of
sustainability.
Furthermore, in order to increase shelf-life for lengthy transport, foods are treated with
preservatives, grown with pesticides, genetically modified, and even subjected to irradiation.
Besides altering the taste and quality of your food, these processes degrade the
environment and pose a threat to human health.
The trend towards large-scale industrial agricultural production also forces small family
farms out of business, thereby damaging the economies of rural communities and further
eliminating the connection between consumers and the production of their food.
Reasons to Buy Local Include:
• Fresh, Locally-Produced Food is More Nutritious
Food transported short distances and kept on shelves for a short time contains more
nutrients and fewer preservatives than food that travels long distances.
• Protects Your Family's Health
Industrially-produced foods are typically grown with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics,
and growth hormones. In order to extend shelf-life, certain foods are also subjected to
irradiation. This process reduces the nutritional value of foods and has uncertain effects on
human health. Local foods typically undergo minimal processing and are usually produced
without the harmful substances mentioned above.
• Preserves the Environment
Small, local farms are generally more environmentally-friendly than large-scale industrial
agriculture operations. Small family farms tend to utilize sustainable farming techniques, often
raising organic products without pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Buying locally also
allows the consumer to encourage local farms to use sustainable techniques if they don't
already. Furthermore, buying food locally:
Reduces air pollution - A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is used to transport
industrial foods long distances. Combustion of these fuels releases carbon dioxide,
sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and other pollutants into the atmosphere, thus
generating global climate change, acid rain, smog, and local air pollution. Since local
foods don't need to be transported long distances, buying locally prevents these
pollutants from entering the environment.
Reduces wasteful packaging - Foods produced locally require much less packaging
than foods shipped long distances. Buying locally eliminates food packaging from the
waste stream, thus conserving resources and reducing the need to build new landfills.
• Reduces Our Reliance on Oil
Today, the ingredients for an average meal travel over 1,500 miles.(2) As a result, a huge
volume of oil is used to transport food that could be purchased locally. Buying locally
decreases transportation and thus helps America to reduce its reliance upon foreign oil
supplies.
• Helps Family Farmers
According to the USDA, the U.S. has lost 4.7 million farms since 1935.(3) Family farmers are
going out of business at a drastic rate, causing rural communities to deteriorate. Local food
buying supports family farmers and helps to save this important element of American life.
• Eat Seasonally
An important part of buying local is making an effort to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables
when they are in season in your area. Although today's global marketplace allows us to buy
foods grown virtually anywhere in the world all year round, these options are not the
most sustainable.
• Supports the Local Economy
Money spent in the community stays in the community longer, benefiting local retailers and
residents instead of huge industrial agriculture corporations.
• Preserves Local Farmland
The U.S. loses 2 acres of farmland a minute as cities and suburbs spread and take over the
land. (4) Most farms these days are ‘edge farms' located on the outskirts of urban and
suburban population centers. This means they're in danger of being bought out by
developers as they struggle to stay in business. On a positive note, this makes buying local
easier for city-dwellers,creating an important symbiotic relationship between cities and farms.
• Tastes better!
Again and again, taste tests prove that local, fresh foods simply taste better than their
industrial counterparts. More chefs and food lovers are discovering this simple fact, and are
working to preserve local varieties and cook foods that are in-season. Local, naturally
raised and fed animal products are noticeably more flavorful, and a joy to cook with. You'll
notice the difference!
Once you start eating fresh food, there's no going back. Join the growing movement of
consumers around the world who are shunning fast food and making that little extra effort to find
food raised nearby. You'll be glad you did.
What Can You Do?
Buy food directly from your local farmer at a farm stand or a farmers market. In 2002, there were
over 3,100 farmers markets in the US – check the USDA's list to find one near you!(10)
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm
Join a food co-op or a Community Supported Agriculture project (CSA). To find out more about
CSAs visit http://www.csacenter.org/statesfr.htm In our local area: See Blooming Glen CSA
Encourage your local grocery store to supply food from local farmers.
Did You Know?
• 91 cents of each dollar spent at traditional food markets goes to suppliers, processors,
middlemen, and marketers; only 9 cents of each dollar actually goes to the farmer.(5)
• In the U.S., a wheat farmer can expect to receive about 6 cents of each dollar spent on bread;
this is approximately equal to the cost of the wrapping. (6)
• Farmers markets enable farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer.
(7)
• About two-thirds of total U.S. agricultural output is produced in or adjacent to metropolitan
counties. (8)
• About 1/3 of all U.S. farms are located within metropolitan areas, comprising 18% of the total
U.S. farmland. (9)
For More Information:
• Food Routes' Buy Local Campaign - Includes information on the benefits of buying locally,
resources for promoting local food production, and an online directory of farmers markets.
• Eat Here, Brian Halweil, World Watch Institute, 2004.
Footnotes:
1. Pirog, Rich. “Checking the Food Odometer: Comparing Food Miles for Local Versus
Conventional Produce Sales in Iowa Institutions.” Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. July
2003.
2. Ibid.
3. USDA. 2002. “Number of farms, land in farms, and value of farm real estate, 1910-2002.”
Economic Research Service Web site.
4. American Farmland Trust. “Farming on the Edge: Sprawling Development Threatens America
's Best Farmland.” AFT 2002.
5. Smith, Stewart. 1992. "Farming Activities and Family Farms: Getting the Concepts Right."
Presented to the US Congress Symposium, "Agricultural Industrialization and Family Farms: The
Role of Federal Policy." 21 October 1992.
6. Pretty, Jules. “Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Local Food Systems.” Briefing Note for
TVU/Sustain AgriFood Network, November 2, 2001.
7. Ibid.
8. Environmental Protection Agency. “Ag 101, Land Use Overview.” EPA. January 2004.
9. Ibid.
10. USDA. Farmers Market Facts. USDA Accessed July 2004