Eat Locally and Save the Earth

For some, such as culinary experts and chefs, the principle of local produce is an obsession.
Eat Locally and Save the Earth
Fresh organic produce is likely to be cheaper and tastier when sourced locally. (photos.com)
11/27/2008
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/24233532.jpg" alt="Fresh organic produce is likely to be cheaper and tastier when sourced locally. (photos.com)" title="Fresh organic produce is likely to be cheaper and tastier when sourced locally. (photos.com)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1832711"/></a>
Fresh organic produce is likely to be cheaper and tastier when sourced locally. (photos.com)

Do you know where your food comes from and how far it has travelled to reach your plate? Why on earth is this important? Perhaps these two questions should be considered, especially if you’re concerned about our planet and its survival.

For some, such as culinary experts and chefs, the principle of local produce is an obsession. For the greater majority, it probably makes sense as long as it’s convenient. When you dig a little further, however, you’ll discover that the further your food needs to travel, the greater your carbon footprint. Put simply, if your food has had to travel by plane or a long distance by train or truck, the more greenhouse gas emissions will have been created to get it to you. This is particularly the case for imported foods and drinks.

So the next time you head for your favourite international delicatessen or exotic produce store, perhaps consider the impact you might be having on this precious planet. At the same time, you will experience the likely benefits of tastier, fresher and probably organic, in-season, local food produce.

Often, it’s not easy to find locally sourced foods, particularly if you are a city dweller, like the majority of Australians. This may mean that if you really want to challenge yourself to eating locally, you may need to reduce or stop your intake of things that are not produced nearby.

In North America, most of the food consumed travels almost 2500km to reach a dinner table. It is probably the same here in Australia, given our distance from the rest of the world and each other, in some cases! This statistic is concerning, given the growing awareness of the climate-change phenomenon.

Fortunately, there is an ever-increasing number of both websites and organisations dedicated to the promotion of eating locally and they are a fantastic resource for finding out where to start. The 100 Mile Diet (www.100milediet.org ) is a movement in the US and Canada where people will eat food sourced only within a 100 mile radius of their homes. Dedication to the task may certainly prove challenging, but for those less disciplined, perhaps consider taking the first step by only consuming Australian-grown produce? Checking the labels at the supermarket will help and local farmers markets might soon have you addicted.

Thanks to the folks at the 100 Mile Diet website, here are the first five of many excellent reasons to eat locally.
1. Taste the difference
At a farmers’ market, most local produce has been picked within the past 24 hours. The food is therefore likely to be ripe and at its tastiest.
2. Know what you’re eating
Having an awareness of who your local farmers are builds trust. Buying food today is otherwise very complicated. What pesticides were used? Is that fruit genetically modified? Was that chicken free range or did it grow up without any daylight?
3. Meet your neighbours
Local eating is an excellent way to socialise. Shopping at a farmers’ market will inevitably lead to conversations and interactions that are less likely in a supermarket.
4. Get in touch with the seasons
When you eat locally, you eat what’s in season. You’ll remember that mangoes and peaches are the taste of summer.
5. Discover new flavours
Local produce is likely to reveal an incredible variety not seen in the mass-produced market.

 

 

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