What’s All the Hype About Eating Locally?
Recently a Stanford University study disproved the positive benefits of organic, a claim which health and nutrition experts have rallied to rebuff. But what about eating local foods?
At this year’s TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” conference, Mitchell Davis, Vice President of the James Beard Foundation, presented a talk called “Tasting Our Way to a Better Food System.” Mitchell argues that if we were to make both personal and political food decisions based on taste, we could actually create a food system that provides everyone with the right to healthful and delicious food. With a focus on local products you have a smaller selection of seasonal ingredients, but those foods taste better and cost less than out-of-season organic produce grown in far-flung locales. Moreover, unlike organic produce and proteins – which the Stanford study disproved to be more nutrient-dense than conventional produce - local foods are more nutritious than those shipped over long distances. Buying local is also better for the environment, your money supports small farms and more money goes directly to farmers, instead of Big Agriculture. And let’s not forget - the ultimate benefit of local products is their rich, just-picked flavor, as other food and nutrition advocates will attest.
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