Your Questions on Eating Local Answered
Eating local helps the local economy and the environment by making soil richer, protecting water quality, and minimizing energy consumption. If you haven’t already, you should integrate local items into your meal planning. If you’re feeling a little hazy on how exactly you can start eating local, here are some FAQ answered.
Q: What’s the difference between organic and local food?
A: The organic seal basically assures that your food has been produced without using harmful pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation. Unlike the term “organic,” “local” contains a broad, even nebulous definition. There is no certification with precise specifications for local food. “Local food” simply implies that the food has not been shipped thousands of miles to get to your kitchen.
Q: What if local food does not have an organic seal?
A: You may have noticed that some local food lacks an organic seal. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the food does not meet your countries standards of organic. Some local farmers cannot afford to acquire the time-consuming and costly organic certification. However, you can make sure that your local food meets organic standards by inquiring with famers (most accessible at a farmers’ market) about their farming practices. You can eat organic and local simultaneously.
If you are irked by the thought of eating food without an organic seal, you can simply buy local foods that are grown using lower levels of pesticides. Usually, these foods have a thicker peak, which naturally protects them better from pests. These include avocado, broccoli, corn, mango, watermelon, and pineapple. For a complete list, visit HelpGuide.org.
Q: Isn’t eating local extremely time-consuming and difficult?
A: Yes, eating local can be a challenge that some people don’t have the time to fully take on. However, there are some ways that you can eat local, even if you don’t rely solely on local food for your full diet (very few people do!):
Shop “in season” to minimize your food’s travel time. For example, if you are living in Texas, only buy peaches in the summer months. You can start shopping by season by making family rituals that work around these seasonal fruits and veggies. This way, you associate summer fruits, like peaches, with summery dishes, like peach cobbler, whereas in the winter you might make a pecan pie. There are many of sites, such as Smart Living, that lay out lists of foods that are in season in your area.
Buy from a local food producer or artisan, like a butcher or baker.
Go local from home. Plant some herbs like basil and rosemary to use in pasta sauce or on a sandwich. If you have a green thumb, you could try your hand at planting some berries or vegetables too.
Q: What if I need an exotic ingredient or one that is out of season?
A: If you can’t go local, think regionally, try to get as close to home as you can. Aim to avoid air freighted items where possible.
When looking for ingredients grown outside your home country, keep your eyes peeled for the Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certifications. “Fair trade” is a seal that guarantees that farmers receive a “fair” price for their products, work directly with buyers, and prioritize sustainable farming methods without harmful pesticides or child labor. The “Rainforest Alliance” assures that the food is grown with environmentally responsible management practices including integrated pest and disease management, soil and water conservation and that workers are fairly compensated.
While eating local can sometimes get complicated or even confusing, hopefully all your questions have been adequately answered. Now go out there and get eatin’!
James Kim is a writer for foodonthetable.com. Food on the Table is a company that provides online budget meal planning services. Their goal is to help families eat better and save money.
