The Rurban Fringe ‘Eat Local’ Challenge: Summary
Posted on | November 25, 2009 | 1 Comment
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Wow. It’s been 8 weeks since the close of my ‘eat local’ challenge … plenty of time to digest (heh, heh – no pun intended) what it meant for me, personally, to become involved in the debate.
I’ve learned … it is a debate.
Eating local is a privilege.
I took for granted the opportunity I had to choose fresh, healthy, local food items. Yes, it often cost more, but I found myself allotting more money for these items in my weekly grocery budget, and less for nutrient-deprived, industrially-processed foods and snacks … but not everyone has this choice.
Grocers need to favour local products.
Eating local is also about access. In my second post, I floated the concept of a ‘100 Mile Grocery Aisle’ … and was pleasantly surprised come harvest-time when one of our major grocery chains – and not the one I usually shop at - actually carried local produce from some of the area’s Hutterite colonies. Did I find myself shopping at that grocer more often? You bet.
From an economic perspective, carrying local product can positively impact the bottom line and support a regional economy. From an agricultural perspective, smaller, family-run operations are also supported, keeping local farm lands in production.
Eating local, however, is not the only answer.
While deciding with your fork is a good way to support change, major transformations of our food system will also depend on shifts in policy … at all levels. As cheap energy and outsourcing practices chipped away at local production and distribution over the decades, it will take time, energy, political will, and a strong shift in public opinion to develop and support policies that incentivize good agricultural and corporate practices.
For the majority of our ancestors, ‘eating local’ was a matter of practicality … just ask older relatives about canning and pickling produce, growing vegetables, or making jam, butter, and bread.
Is sustainability, then, part of our heritage?
I like to think so. While my goals of …
- making at least 10% of all food purchases locally;
- meal planning, so that less food is wasted; and
- freezing/preserving seasonal fruit and veggies;
… were moderately achieved, if I’m honest, my shift towards local foods occurred mostly for selfish reasons; I want my food to make me feel safe, well-fed, and happy.
Food connects us all.
***
Feel free to catch up on the rest of my challenge here, here, here and here, as well as here. Do you have any local food stories to share?
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February 2nd, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
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