Not so local

While most grocery stores across the nation now have “local produce” sections for a wide variety of fresh items, I have become increasingly aware that “local produce” doesn’t always mean just that. Grocery stores, such as the well-known Publix, Safeway, Haris Teeter, and Trader Joe's, use the concept of “local foods” to mean foods that are picked “locally” at different reference locations, and then shipped into the store over wide distances. For example, a grocery store may ship in “local produce” from independent farms from at least 200 miles away. With local produce labeled as cherries “from the USA” and pineapples “from Costa Rica”, costs of wasted fuel make up for the difference in non-local products. Simply put, this technique helps grocers bring in discounted items, while also paying discounted percent profit to those local farmers—no need to pay a middle-man for brand-name products. Studies show that “farmers receive just 10% to 21% of the retail price of their produce at supermarkets...not enough for a small family farm to survive on, while at farmers markets they get to keep an average 84%."

Although shopping at farmer markets is not always conducive to a hectic schedule, studies also show that shopping at farmers market increases social interaction by over 300 times. A big plus for people who want to learn more about what they’re eating from some of the people who know it best-- "92% of farmers market shoppers said it was important to them to be able to buy food directly from a local farmer [while] 62% said it was extremely important."

So while it is encouraging to our environment for individuals to include local produce on their grocery lists, be aware of what you are buying, as well as try your best to support the small-business farmers in your area be more sustainable.