Food

Why You Should Buy Food Locally Subtitle Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program

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‍While many people recognize the benefits of eating healthy and buying locally, they sometimes try to figure out how to make these changes. The good news is that buying locally sourced food is one of the easiest ways to improve your diet and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. Buying locally means supporting local farmers and businesses rather than companies that ship products worldwide.

This helps keep money circulating in the local economy, reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions from sending food, and supports small farms with better soil quality and stewardship practices. So why should you buy food locally? Here are five good reasons to buy food directly from farmers instead of a supermarket or warehouse club.

You’ll Save Money

Buying locally costs more than buying from a store in a nearby city or another state. Still, the extra money you spend will support your local community rather than a large corporation. In addition, if you’re buying food in season, you’ll likely be eating a lot of fresh produce that won’t need to travel as far to get to you, meaning it’s cheaper.

Buying smaller quantities also means using less electricity, gas, and other resources to ship food from far away. And be sure to ask your farmers how and what they’re growing; many farmers are happy to provide recommendations if you have questions.

You’ll Help Keep Money in Your Community

Small local farms aren’t just more environmentally friendly; they’re also a great way to keep your money in your community. When you buy food from a large corporate farm, most of your money will return to the community via wages, taxes, bills, and rent. By buying locally and supporting smaller farms, you’ll keep money in the area where it’s needed most.

You’ll Support Smaller Farms and Businesses

When you buy food locally, you’re not just supporting your local farmers but also the businesses that serve your community. Many food supplies, from produce to dairy and bakery products, are transported long distances from one farm to another before being sold to you. By buying food from a local farm and then buying the same ingredients from a local business, you keep money, resources, and energy circulating in the local economy. Local food systems help support local farmers, local businesses, and small local farms that often struggle to stay in business. In addition, buying directly from farmers can help smaller companies earn a living by supplementing income from other work.

You’ll Eat Fresh, Healthy Food

Fresh, local food tastes better and is healthier than food sitting under heat lamps in giant warehouses for days. Local produce is almost always grown without pesticides and herbicides. And while fruits and vegetables can be dirty, they don’t have the added preservatives found in packaged foods, often preserved with fats that contribute to rising carbon emissions and heart disease.

In addition, local food is usually grown without artificial fertilizers that can contaminate drinking water and harm wildlife. And unlike the antibiotics and hormones used in livestock feed, the antibiotics and hormones used on organic crops are given to the plants themselves, so there’s no risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.

You’ll Help Protect the Environment From Climate Change

Buying locally also helps protect the environment from the effects of climate change. For example, when you purchase food grown far away, you’re increasing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to shipping food. Buying locally reduces the greenhouse gases associated with sending food and keeping food on store shelves.