How do you define Local Food?
I have come across some great literature surrounding our term’s
topic of “The Economics of Traveling Food.” There is definitely a growing
movement toward buying food from local communities. The movement has some
very good economic and environmental reasons backing their decision.
From the economic perspective, buying food locally is one of the
ways people can support business in the community they live in. This helps keep people employed and improves
the overall quality of living.
Environmentally speaking, transporting food from one part of the
world to another takes gasoline and other fossil fuels. Buying local food minimizes the amount of
fuel needed to transport the food to the customer. This, in turn, minimizes the environmental
impact from carbon emissions and other pollutants.
But, what does “local food” actually mean? One definition, adopted
by the US Congress in the 2008 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, states the
following (according to the USDA): “the total distance that a product can be
transported and still be considered a "locally or regionally produced
agricultural food product" is less than 400 miles from its origin, or
within the State in which it is produced”.
However, the USDA recognizes, there is no consensus on the definition of
“local food”. This means, much of the
burden of deciding what is considered “local”, is left up to the consumer.
This question gives us (as consumers) much more to think about over
and above just what to buy. With
thinking about how we define “local food”, we are forced to think about how we
want to vote with our dollar.
Questioning this helps us become better informed.
So, in conclusion, I leave you with some food for thought: How would
you define local food?
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