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"Eat locally grown food." This is a current catchphrase touted in circles characterized by environmental awareness and conscientious lifestyle choices. What benefits are reaped from buying a tomato from the local farmers market as opposed to a huge grocery chain that procures produce from giant corporate growers? The answer is, "Many." For your health, for the environment and for the economy of your community, it is wise to purchase your food from local growers.

There is a movement afoot to become better informed about the source and the handling of the food that eventually is placed on the family dinner table. Where were your salad ingredients grown? How were they handled during all of that transportation? What special processes occurred to make them appear fresher? And of course, what are your options?

Locally grown food is more fresh and therefore, more nutritious and better tasting. Varieties of fruits and vegetables that are developed by corporate growers are selected for traits such as sturdiness (to endure the transport) and appearance (for market appeal). Waxes and/or fungicides are often applied to protect the product on its long trek to your kitchen. Beginning from the point of harvest, produce naturally loses nutritional value with time. Local growers have the luxury of using varieties that were developed with the purpose of being good food. Some family farms proudly offer heirloom varieties that were preserved through the ages because of traits such as deliciousness. In terms of quality, your best bet is to shop at a local market.

What about the economic impact of keeping your food dollar in the community? By choosing locally produced food, you are strengthening your local economy. You are supporting the endangered family farm, which in turn will affect the trends of land use in the surrounding area.

For those who think globally, there are always the environmental aspects to consider. The transportation and storage of food requires the burning of fossil fuels which pollutes our water and air, and for what? You've widened your carbon footprint to buy a substandard product from a giant corporation in a distant part of the country. These days most of us are attempting to practice a more judicious approach to energy use. The great part about buying food locally in order to reduce the use of dirty and nonrenewable energy resources is that a sacrifice has not been made. You are coming out ahead. Your diet is more wholesome and your money is bolstering the local economy.

So what is to stop you from purchasing food from local growers? The main obstacle is the resistance we all feel to a change in routine. If you are in the habit of buying your groceries from a large chain that does not include sections for local producers, then a break in habit would be necessary. Some grocery chains, in response to the current trends, reserve areas for locally produced food. Most cities have a farmers market, where growers from surrounding areas sell their food items directly to the consumer. This may seem inconvenient to some, but it also may become a favorite task in your weekly routine. I personally revel in the sensuous atmosphere of the farmers market. The superiority of the food is without question. The sights and smells create an atmosphere that is titillating, and above all, there is something deeply satisfying about putting the money for your squash or peaches directly into the hand that grew them.

Learn more about this author, Emily Cathcart.
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