October 17, 2007

Locally Grown Foods

This summer while shopping in the produce department, I noticed a lot of signs labeling foods as locally grown. Since locally grown foods have become so popular, I thought it would be a good topic to start blogging about.

What is locally grown food?

While there is no formal definition of locally grown food, most agree that it is food grown within a 100-150 mile radius or within a similar region. For Chicago, it often includes northern and central Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, Northwest Indiana, and Southwest Michigan.

What are the benefits of eating locally grown food?

Environmentally

Most foods that people eat travel about 1500 miles to get to their plate. By eating food grown closer to homewe would beusing less oil and natural resources for shipping as well as creating less pollution. It also promotes a safer environment by using land in other ways.

Nutritionally

Locally grown foods are fresher because itis harvested closer to its peak ripeness. It would also be more nutritious because foods harvested close to ripening have the most vitamins and minerals.

Economically

Growing food locallycreates morelocal jobs.When people buy it,the money goes back to the local economy.

Safety

With the recent scares of food recalls, it will also give people a chance to get to know where their food is coming from. By getting to know the farms and people that grow your food, you can be sure about the safety of the growing practices that are used.

Is local food organic?

Not always. Organic foods are grown without pesticides and artificial fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics. Locally grown food may be organic or it may not be. However, many experts agree that the environmental and the economic benefits of locally grown food outweigh whether it is organic or not. I am not going to debate that, I will let you decide.

Throughout the coming weeks, watch for more information about locally grown food and where you can find it in Chicago. In the meantime, please email me with any questions you may have. jmccaffr@uiuc.edu

Posted by Jennifer McCaffrey at 12:02 AM |