A typical tomato travels 1,838 miles to reach your plate.
Have you ever wondered where exactly that tomato came from and how it got here? How much money, time, and energy does it use during its journey from seed to table? It's almost impossible to calculate the real costs of food production, processing, packaging, shipping, and storage. Stop wondering where your food comes from and take control of where your money goes. If every household in Pennsylvania spent $10 a week on regionally produced food, $48 million dollars would stay in the local economy each week. That's about $200 million every month, and nearly $2.5 billion per year. Spending money on local food not only sustains our economy, but it provides us with greater nutrition, preserves family farms, generates jobs, and beautifies the rural landscape. Locally grown food is fresher, tastier, and safer for your family. By supporting local farmers, you know exactly where your tomato is coming from, and you can even meet the people your money is supporting!
If that hasn't convinced you to buy locally, maybe these ten reasons will (adapted from 'Growing for Market' newsletter).
- Locally grown food tastes better and looks better.
- Local food is better for you. The shorter time between the farm and your table, the less likely it is that nutrients will be lost from the fresh food.
- Local food is safe. There's something to be said about being able to talk face-to-face with the people who grow your food.
- Local food is sustainable and mostly GMO-free.
- Local food supports local families.
- Local food builds community.
- Local food preserves open space. When we can keep farmers in business, they are less likely to sell their farmland for development.
- Local food benefits the environment and wildlife. Well-managed farms provide ecosystem services like conserving fertile soil, protecting water sources, and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
- Local food keeps us in touch with the seasons. By eating in season, we eat foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive.
- Eating local means more for the local economy. A dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy.
