Buying Local….Get the Facts!

It seems that everywhere you turn these days; consumers are bombarded by the phrase “buy local.” Sure, popular opinion says it is the right thing to do for the environment. But, what does it actually mean? As this term becomes more and more popular, we’re here to give you the facts so you understand what you are actually getting when you purchase something locally.

There is no strict definition for mileage of local food, but generally anything grown within a 50- to 100-mile radius is considered local, and obviously, the closer the better. The best source for local foods is a farmers market. You’ll find a variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, and cheeses, and you’ll get to buy them from the hands that picked, dug, fed, or cultured them. Depending on what you’re buying, the price may be higher or lower than you’ll pay in a supermarket, but it will always be fresher and tastier. To find a farmer’s market near you, check out www.LocalHarvest.org.

However, buying local isn’t always as easy as heading down to the local fruit stand. What about when you are dinning in a restaurant? The business owner can have a much different view on serving local foods than you. The vast gray area in this movement is due to the lack of a single definition of ‘local’ in terms of the geographic distance between production and consumption. In fact, the government has a more lenient view when it comes to defining foods as local.

In 2008, Congress passed H.R.2419, which amended the “Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act”. In the amendment “locally” and “regionally” are grouped together and are defined as (I) the locality or region in which the final product is marketed, so that the total distance that the product is transported is less than 400 miles from the origin of the product; or (II) the State in which the product is produced. —Bill Text – 110th Congress (2007-2008) – THOMAS (Library of Congress)

Ok, now you have an idea of what it means to buy local, but why is it important? Just walking through the grocery store you will find products from dozens of countries. Have you ever stopped to think about what it took to bring that product to your store? Many consumers don’t know that most products were picked a week ago and have traveled 1500+ miles. Numerous trucks, boats, planes and trains are used, just so you can have your olive oil from Italy or your Columbian coffee. The amount of pollution caused by transporting these items is staggering and unnecessary.

Buying locally is something that used to be essential. In fact for many years, it was the only option. A century ago people had to buy locally for almost everything because there was no way to easily purchase things from far away. As society becomes more conscious of the negative effects caused by transporting foods from all over the world can have on the environment and our local economies, we are shifting back to this old way of thinking.

When it comes down to it, buying local is a deeply personal decision. The first step is to identify why you think buying local is good and how it matches your values. From there, you can evaluate how your shopping choices do or don’t support those values. Does it mean that you purchase foods and products from just your community? Your state? Or your country? Once you have made a decision, the next step is to put it to practice. While it might be difficult or impossible to buy all of your food locally, any amount of local food you can find and purchase will still benefit the health of your community, the planet, and your own body, too.