Why Should We Eat Local? 7 Benefits of Eating Local Foods.

Eating local foods helps to create healthier citizens, it helps mitigate environmental issues incorporated with the packaging and transporting of imported foods, and helps support local farmers which in turn strengthens local economies. Here are the top 7 reasons for eating local foods
    •    Local foods are fresher and taste better
The produce you buy from a farmers market or local farmers were likely picked within a couple days of purchase. This means it was allowed to fully ripen on the plant and is bursting with flavour and nutrition. This is compared to buying produce from supermarkets where it was likely sitting in a transit or on shelves for up to 2 weeks already, lowering the nutritional value and taste with every passing day. Local foods are also void of the numerous preservatives and contaminants which are applied to foods that must withstand long travel times.
    •    Local Foods are Seasonal and Promote Variety
By eating foods with the seasons we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and are the least expensive to grow (and purchase). This helps to create diversity in your diet, and more appreciation of foods if you haven’t eaten them in a while. For example Fresh corn in season tastes best when you haven't eaten any in 9 or 10 months--long enough for its taste to be a slightly blurred memory that is suddenly awakened with that first bite of the season. Supporting local foods also creates a greater variety of foods available, farmers who run community supported agriculture programs (CSAs) sell at farmers markets and provide for local restaurants have enough demand and support for raising more products and/or livestock.
    •    Local Foods Have Less Environmental Impacts
Buying local foods is a clear way individuals can help lower their environmental impact. When importing foods from other countries, every step in the process (growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting) requires energy inputs and contributes to climate change via greenhouse gas emissions, and results in a large carbon footprint (or foodprint). It was found that the miles that organic food travels to our plate creates environmental damage that outweighs the benefit of buying organic. So by supporting local farmers who follow sustainable farming practices, we can lower the amount of imported food required and in turn help lower the environmental damage of transporting food products around the world.
    •    Local Foods preserve Green Space and Farmland
Purchasing foods from local farms helps to support local or small time farmers and provides them with the economic security to continue growing produce and/or livestock.  This helps to preserve farmland and green spaces which is crucial to ensure that we don’t hinder our ability to feed ourselves locally in the future. Without this economic support, local farmers could be forced to sell their farmland and with every section of prime agricultural land that is paved over, we further hinder our ability to be sustainable, which could be detrimental in the unknown future that is ahead of us.
    •    Local Foods Promote Food Safety
The fewer steps required to get food from its source and your refrigerator, the less chance of that food being contaminated or loaded with preservatives. Local foods promote a much healthier diet by eating food that are fresh and are at their nutritional peak. Knowing where you food was produced also allows a greater sense of security in regards to food overall food safety.
    •    Local Foods Support Your Local Economy
By purchasing food from local farmers or local businesses, the money spent stays in the local economy and helps strengthen the community’s ability to be sustainable, environmentally, economically, socially and culturally. This is in contrast to purchasing food from large supermarkets which only support large corporations, which often grow their food in developing nations in unsustainable practices, and directly contribute to climate change.
    •    Local Foods Enrich Communities
Buying foods from local farmers creates a connection to those who raise and grow your food. This helps to create a greater sense of community and interconnectedness between producers and consumers (at a local level). Local foods are helping bring people together, enhancing a sense of community, and is helping to revitalize rural farmers and economies.