Why buy Local food?

Local food is an alternative to the current model of food production where producers and consumers are separated by processors, manufacturers, shippers and retailers.

There are many reasons to shop local. Here is a list of reasons All Things Food feels is significantly most important:

Eating local means more for the local economy.
If each Williams County resident would commit to just 10% of their grocery budget to local foods, $6.5 million dollars could be generated for our county! This amount is based on the statistic that the average American family spends just 9.3% of their annual income on food. This figure could be even higher if your food budget is a higher percentage of your income. Each dollar spent locally would generate twice as much income for the local economy according to a study by the New Economics Foundation in London
Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen making them richer in nutrients and healthier.
Produce that is transported from longer distances has to be picked before it is ripe. Every day produce is left to sit off the vine or branch it loses nutritional value and taste. Getting them fresh from local producers allows it more time to ripen on the vine increasing its nutritional value and enhancing its flavor. And local farmers that are committed to sustainable farm practices means no harmful pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms that interfere with the body's ability to absorb the nutrition properly.
Eating local food minimizes "food miles" - the distance food travels from production to the consumer.
The average distance your food travels to get to your plate in a conventional super market is 1500 miles. That's farther than most families travel on vacation! If we were to commit to simply the equivalent of one meal a week sourced locally we could reduce the amount of fuel consumed in food by 8.5 BILLION barrels of oil in a week! (Source) And eating foods produced from small farms that are committed to sustainable farm practices means less oil in the production of those food products as well.
Eating local re-aquaints you to food provided by your neighbor.
Over the years, the gap between producer and consumer has widened by a long chain of processors, manufacturers, shippers, and retailers involved in food production causing us to be disconnected to the real process of food production. When we take the time to get to know our local farmers, we better understand the time and resources involved to grow quality, healthy foods. We learn to appreciate their value and seek out others that do. And when we do this in our community where we live we are ensuring that those around us are doing the same.

For more information about local food, you can visit the following websites:

Why buy Local food?

Eating local means more for the local economy.

Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen making them richer in nutrients and healthier.

Eating local food minimizes "food miles" - the distance food travels from production to the consumer.

Eating local re-aquaints you to food provided by your neighbor.

Why buy...