Buy Local, Improve Your Local Economy, and Save the World
July 5, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Boston
• 0 Comments
Buy Local, Improve Your Local Economy, and Save the World
Catchy title aside, buying locally produced foods provides a host of benefits for both you and your local community; and, yes, it may even help save the world one day. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of buying locally produced foods.
What Is Local Food?
Before we get to the benefits of local food, let’s define what “local” means. Unlike foods labeled “organic”, there are no rules or guidelines for what constitutes local food. The best way to think of it is as concentric circles that start with growing your own food at home. The next ring might be food produced in your community or county. The next may be your home state and then to your country. Staying as close to that first circle is the goal of the local food movement.
Depending upon preference, time of year, and your location, that may be a difficult goal to achieve. In that case, choosing produce grown in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico over the same foods grown in Chile or Israel may be all that you can do. Let’s face it cooking in Boston in the winter just doesn’t provide that many chances to buy local produce. Look carefully, though; you may be surprised at what you find.
Many restaurants and other food services industry businesses are embracing the local and organic food movements to serve delicious meals and products to their customers. These businesses give you the chance to embrace the local food movement without having to do your own cooking.
Reduced Carbon Footprint
Your carbon footprint is the amount carbon-based or fossil fuels you require to live your life. Everything you do from turning on the stereo to driving to work increases the size of your carbon footprint. Conversely, buying locally grown and produced foods can greatly decrease it. Most of the produce at your local grocery has traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to get to you. Buying locally means a decrease in that distance and the amount of fuel necessary for transportation, refrigeration, packaging, etc. Even if you aren’t on board with Global Warming, the concept of reducing the amount of pollution created by our food chain still makes sense. Why be wasteful when there is a choice?
5 Reasons to Buy Local Foods
- Local food looks, tastes, and is better for you. Crops are picked at their peak and shipped to you. Shorter travel distances means less nutrients are lost and the foods are better for you.
- Local foods support local families. Local farmers receive more money when you buy directly from them at farm stands and farmers markets. They, in turn, hire more local workers to support their growing businesses.
- Local foods support and build local communities. It used to be that buyers knew the people who grew their foods, creating a connection between buyers and producers. Local foods bring that history back.
- Local foods can keep taxes down. Local farms contribute more in taxes than they require in municipal and state services. Cows and chickens don’t go to school and corn can’t dial 911.
- Local foods benefit the environment. Apart from using less carbon in getting their goods to market, local farms provide open spaces and beneficial ecosystems for insects, animals, and other plants.
How/Where to Buy Local
The two best places to begin buying locally are:
- Farmer’s Markets
Most areas have a local farmer’s market where you can purchase foods directly from the people who grow them. They also enable you to ask the farmers questions about how the food was raised and produced, giving a better insight into your own personal food chain.
- Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Programs
CSA programs are like co-ops where members buy shares of a farm’s crops. Each week during harvest members can pick up their share of the harvest. Some CSAs will also deliver to the home. Members get locally produced, in-season produce and food products from farms in their immediate area.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in the Boston, Massachusetts area. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Boston for more information.
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