Eating Local: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter? Part II

In Part I of this article, we talked about a new trend in which huge corporate chains are positioning themselves as “local” and how different that is from our market’s definition of local. Now here is more about why eating local matters in North Carolina and nationwide.

1. Health & Taste. Foods harvested locally are picked ripe, which means they are at peak nutritional value (and taste!). Grass-fed beef, for example, has about half of the saturated fat content than traditionally fed cows and is much higher in Omega 3 fatty acids. These help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and also reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, joint pain and some skin ailments.
2. Environment. Foods grown locally have a minimal environmental impact, compared to grocery store foods. These foods travel an average 1,500 miles on our nation’s highways and even further in crates flown around the world. Locally grown foods do not require processing, warehousing and packaging, which all have negative environmental repercussions.
3. Animal Welfare. Unlike factory farms, local farmers allow their cows, pigs and chickens to graze in green pastures in the open air. They are not fed engineered corn or injected with growth hormones to make them grow faster. They are grown and fed naturally.
4. Economy. Buying food from local growers helps sustain and foster the community in which we live and save family farms. It keeps the dollars local and helps farmers make a reasonable living. At the market, farmers retain 100 percent of their profits.
5. Land Preservation. Supporting local family farms helps prevent further development of land for business and preserves our state’s agricultural history. Unlike huge industrial farms, local farmers rotate and diversify their crops, which helps to replenish nutrients in the soil. This, in turn, packs the produce with nutrients.

The Informed Buyer

For more information about why corporate America is jumping into the “local” trend, take a look at The Dirty Tricks Behind Local-washing. For information on some differences between local and industrial farming, check out this series: The Truth about Frito-Lay’s “Lay’s Local” Marketing Campaign. For more on why eating local is important, check out The Sustainable Table web site.

When we eat local, we eat in season. It’s a bit old-fashioned, admittedly, but food really does taste best when it’s in season. Come to the market every Saturday for the freshest food in town.