Choosing locally grown foods offers many benefits. It’s not just the end-user that benefits from these items. The grower and entire community reap exciting benefits, too.
Are you intrigued? If so, keep reading to learn more about the benefits of using, ordering, and buying locally sourced foods.
It’s Full of Flavor
When food is grown in the local area, the crops are picked when they are ripe and ready, rather than being harvested early and then shipped to distribution centers. In some situations, the produce that is sourced locally is no more than 12 to 24 hours out of the ground.
Eat Seasonally
While most people have a fruit or vegetable they wish was grown year-round, this just isn’t the case. The best time to order and eat fruits and vegetables is when they are in season. This means they are fresh. If you purchase fruits and vegetables that you know aren’t in season, there’s a good chance they have been frozen and thawed, which doesn’t provide the best flavor.
More Nutrients
As mentioned above, when you purchase local food, it doesn’t have a lot of time between when it was harvested and when it gets to your table. What this means is that it is unlikely that the nutrient value of the food has decreased.
If food is imported from another state or country, it is probably much older. It also means the items have sat in trucks and distribution centers before arriving at your store and on your table. This isn’t the case with locally sourced food.
Support the Local Economy
Money that is spent with local growers and farmers will stay close to home. It will also be reinvested in services and businesses in the local area and community. This helps to make the economy much healthier and stronger.
Benefits the Environment
When you purchase locally grown food, you are helping to maintain green and open space and farmland in the community. It also provides funds for the farmers in the area to continue growing next season.
Promote a Safer Food Supply
The more steps between you and your food source, the more likely that contamination will occur. Food that is grown far away may face issues related to safety during any step of the process – harvesting, washing, shipping, and distribution. When food is grown nearby, the possibility of issues is reduced significantly.
Know-How the Food Was Grown
With local food, you can find out what practices are used for raising and harvesting crops. If you know where your food comes from and who was responsible for growing it, you know more about it.
As you can see, there are more than a few benefits offered by choosing locally grown food. It’s also a good idea to use suppliers and services that offer locally grown ingredients. This is going to provide you with all the benefits mentioned here and others. Being informed is the first step in making smarter food choices.