Supermarkets may offer a wide selection of produce but there are many benefits of sourcing your food locally instead. Traceability and sustainability are becoming more important to consumers and can be achieved by buying your food locally from trusted producers. There are a number of other benefits that make opting for locally sourced produce a sensible choice.
Fresher food
We have become accustomed to being able to buy any food at any time of year but choosing to source food locally means you will be eating according to the seasons. Not only does this lead to a varied diet but ensures that the fruit and vegetables you eat will always be at their freshest and best. They are picked when perfectly ready and transported just a short distance to reach you, meaning that there is less time for precious nutrients to be lost. Many of the fruits and vegetables in the supermarket have been treated with chemicals, be these pesticides whilst they are growing, treatments to accelerate ripening or preservatives to make them last longer. These chemicals can have a detrimental effect on health, leading many people to instead seek out fruit and vegetables that have been allowed to grow naturally. Organic produce that has been grown without this type of interference is tastier and healthier. The Organics Institute discusses the harmful effects that pesticides can have on your body, giving you all the more reason to avoid foods treated in this way!
Eggs of Kestle Wartha Farm
Improved traceability
The safety of the food supply is of vital concern. Many meat products in supermarkets are genetically modified or injected with preservatives to extend their shelf life or water to make them appear plumper. In addition it may be difficult to discover where the meat has come from. Purchasing meat from your local butcher or farmers’ market will provide you with produce of far superior quality. In addition, you will be able to ascertain exactly which farm the animals are from, ensure they are free from pollutants and know that they have been reared ethically. Using local producers also cuts down on the number of food miles; that is, how far your food has travelled to reach you, which reduces carbon emissions and has a positive effect on the environment. In addition, buying your produce locally means there is no need for the extensive and wasteful packaging used on many supermarket products.
Wild and free
Supporting local communities
One of the main benefits of locally sourced food is the impact it has on the wider community. Rather than shoring up large corporate supermarkets, the money you spend is directly invested into your area, promoting the sustainability of local farming communities. This support of local businesses not only helps create jobs but forges strong relationships within the community between growers and consumers, allowing people to connect on a personal level with the food supply chain. This ethos of understanding exactly where food comes from and building relationships with trusted suppliers is key to many cookery schools such as Taste Budds Cookery School, and forms a vital part of their teachings when helping people to make the most of good food.
Aside from the dietary benefits of enjoying food when it is at its freshest, sourcing food locally has a number of other advantages. You know exactly how the produce has been grown or reared and can rest assured that not only is it ethically produced but that you are supporting your local farming community. All of this combined also adds to an increased enjoyment of the food that you have consciously chosen!
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