Four Good Reasons to Buy Locally Produced Food

I live on a small section, with minimal garden space. Whilst we do grow seasonal fruit and vegetables that don’t take up too much space, these don’t meet all our needs. Therefore, I look forward to my weekly visit to the local market on a Saturday morning, to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables, and sometimes locally produced meat, fish and eggs. Not far from our home, we walk to the market and carry our supplies home, so it saves us petrol as well. The move toward growing locally produced food is growing, for many good reasons. Here are four reasons I believe this movement is good for all involved.

Freshness

Most of the fruit and vegetables at the local market have been picked late the day before and stacked onto vehicles ready to be transported the short distance to the market. The only way for them to be fresher would be for you to pick them from your own garden.

Fruit and vegetables bought from the supermarket have often been kept in a cool store for some time, before being transported long distances to your town or city. They are often picked too soon, are rather bland and of variable quality. Presumably the nutritional value is also lowered, the longer the food has been picked.

Buying local fresh food also means buying seasonal food. Food harvested during its natural growing season has not been forced to grow through the use of chemicals and other artificial aids.

Environmental Impact

There are two major issues here. Firstly, there is the matter of packaging. Food bought at the local market has little or no packaging, especially if you take your own reusable carry bag with you. Compare this with the amount of paper and plastic used in packaging many items purchased at the supermarket.

Then there is the fuel involved in transportation. It is easy to imagine the difference between a small truck or vehicle carrying its goods to the local market, compared with the huge over night transporters carrying food long distances to supermarkets throughout the country.

Customer Service

When buying from the supermarket, you select the food yourself, take it to the check out counter, pay for it and take it home. Seldom do you have the opportunity to ask questions about where and how it was produced, or maybe ask for recommendations about different varieties.

On the other hand, when buying from a stall at the market you can ask these questions and usually expect an honest reply. A small producer relies on customers, therefore is more inclined to give the best customer service he or she is able. They want their customers to return to their stall the following week, not one of their competitors. It is also rather pleasant being served with a smile.

The Local Economy

Money spent locally often finds its way back into the local community. Local farmers and gardeners are more inclined to spend their money locally, thus keeping it within the community. They are also more likely to invest or donate money in their local community as well. When possible, seasonal work will also be offered to local people. This helps the job market offer more employment opportunities.

Price of Local versus Further Afield

Some people will ask whether or not food is cheaper at the supermarket, especially if it has been produced in other countries where workers are paid at a lower rate. This could be so, depending on where you live. I live in a small city, with supermarket food coming from all over the country and all over the world. Not only do I find the food in the markets much cheaper, but also considerably fresher, therefore it lasts longer.

I accept that third world countries rely on larger markets to support their local economies, and there are many foods, bananas for example, that I am happy to buy. I also enjoy the variety of food tastes that imported foods bring.

I am more concerned about the fruit and vegetables that are produced in my own country, in bulk for big profit, and then transported long distances. For my every day fruit and vegetables that I cannot produce myself, I prefer local products any time.