In recent years, there's been a growing interest in the benefits of eating locally grown food. This trend isn't just a fleeting fad but a conscious return to the way humans have consumed food for thousands of years. From the flavorful taste to the positive impact on the environment and local economy, incorporating local foods into your diet offers a multitude of advantages.
What Does "Local" Really Mean?
While there isn't a universally agreed-upon definition, "local food" generally refers to food that is sold directly from producers to consumers through regional farmers markets, farm-to-school lunch programs, and similar setups. These arrangements minimize long-distance transportation and retail intermediaries. Some define it as food grown and harvested within 100 miles of your home or the restaurant where it’s served. Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth define local as food grown/raised/ harvested/processed within 250 miles of the health care facility (500 miles for meat, poultry, and seafood).
Soon farmers markets and roadside stands will be open and offering early spring crops such as rhubarb and asparagus. Also, growers who have greenhouses or hoop houses can offer greens early in the growing season. Having the option to purchase locally grown food has many benefits.
A Burst of Flavor and Freshness
One of the most immediate benefits of eating local food is its superior flavor. Local produce is often picked at its peak ripeness, allowing it to develop its full flavor potential. This contrasts with produce that is harvested early for shipping and distribution to retail stores.
Local produce sold at farmers markets may be picked or harvested just a day or two before - or on the morning of the market. As a result, some fruits and veggies can stay on the vine to ripen longer or may have more favorable growing conditions than they would if they had to travel to the grocery store. Depending on the type of produce, this may make them sweeter, juicier, and tastier.
Read also: Delicious Local Cuisine
Eating local food also means eating seasonally. While it might be tempting to crave strawberries year-round, the best time to enjoy them is when they can be purchased directly from a local grower.
Nutritional Powerhouse
Local food boasts a higher nutritional value due to the shorter time between harvest and consumption. The longer the time between harvest and your table, the more likely it is that the nutrient value has decreased. Local produce doesn’t need to undergo processing, which preserves foods but contributes to waste.
Fruits and veggies may lose some of their nutrients during transportation and processing or while sitting on grocery store shelves. Vitamin C, an important water-soluble nutrient that’s necessary for healthy skin and tissues, begins to degrade in fresh fruits and veggies shortly after harvesting. What’s more, the antioxidant content of some produce declines during storage. Getting antioxidants from foods is important to fight reactive molecules called free radicals that contribute to disease. Since locally grown produce usually doesn’t have to travel very far or sit in storage for long, it retains more nutrients.
Although this may not always be the case, chances are the fresh asparagus at the farmers market is more nutritious than the bunch you see at the store from a distant place. It’s important to note that all types of fruits and veggies - fresh or frozen, local or nonlocal - provide important nutrients and are good additions to your diet. Yet, if you have the opportunity to purchase locally grown options, you may get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to nutrition.
The main health benefit of locally grown food is that it’s fresher. Fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutrients within 24 hours of being picked, so fresher produce is more nutritious. Most produce in the grocery store is harvested before it’s fully ripe so it can make the trip to store shelves without rotting. Air, artificial lights, and temperature changes during transport lower a food’s nutritional value as well.
Read also: The Role of Local Government in Public Health
Supporting Your Local Economy
When you buy local food, your money is likely to continue to circulate within the local economy. Some studies suggest that local food has a multiplier effect, meaning it contributes to increased employment and income in a community, among other positive effects.
For the same reason that a stimulus package boosts a national economy, spending money in your community may boost the local economy. Local businesses not only provide jobs for community members but also their owners and employees are more likely to cycle their incomes back into other local stores and institutions - further reinforcing the regional economy.
The USDA reports that every $1 million spent on local foods supports 13 on-farm jobs. When hospitals buy local they address these social and environmental determinants of health by creating jobs and building community wealth. In addition to jobs in agriculture, buying local supports related businesses like processors, aggregators, distributors, cold-storage facilities, and equipment manufacturers - all of which provide additional jobs. The University of Vermont’s Center for Rural Development examined the effect of the University of Vermont Medical Center’s local purchasing on the economy. In 2012, the Practice Greenhealth member hospital spent $1.78 million on local food, resulting in a total economic output ranging between $3.53 million and $4.71 million, creating 24 to 30 jobs.
Environmental Stewardship
Local food benefits the environment in several ways. Food that’s grown or produced in your community isn’t imported from distant states or countries like a lot of supermarket items. This means that local food travels a shorter distance to markets and stores than products that come from other areas. Less pollution and lower carbon footprint As I noted above, local food travels a shorter distance to markets and stores than products that come from other areas. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there’s no standardized distance that characterizes foods as local. Instead, stores typically use a set distance or state boundary to make this distinction. Some local foods may come from a farmer or purveyor right down your street, while other local items may be grown 100 miles away. Still, this is a lot closer than a farm thousands of miles away or in a different country.
A lot of local foods, especially produce, are sold at farm stands without packaging. Plus, you can bring your own reusable bags to carry the items home. This equates to less waste, particularly of plastic packaging and plastic bags. As a bonus, local produce doesn’t need to undergo processing, which preserves foods but contributes to waste.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Supporting local farmers helps maintain green spaces and farmland in your area. Local farms that use sustainable practices may boost biodiversity, protect pollinators that are vital to healthy ecosystems, and promote clean air, water, and soil.
According to American Farmland Trust, over 40 acres of farmland are lost each hour in the United States due to urban sprawl. Further, 91% of fruits and 77% of vegetables are grown on “urban edge” farms that are under threat of development. New York City recognizes the role of sustainably managed farms in protecting water resources for its residents. The Watershed Agricultural Council works with farmers and foresters to implement environmentally sustainable practices and to conserve working lands in order to provide clean drinking water to more than 9.5 million New Yorkers every day.
A Safer Food Supply
Local foods promote a safer food supply. The more steps there are between you and your food’s source the more chances there are for contamination. Local growers can tell you how the food was grown. You can ask what practices they use to raise and harvest the crops.
The fewer processes between your produces’ source and your plate, the fewer the chances are for contamination.
Building Community Connections
One of the unique aspects of buying local food is the opportunity to connect with the people who grow your food. Building relationships with those who grow your food is a great way to build community. At the same time, you can ask questions and learn about farming practices. Such connections may help you develop a deeper appreciation for your food.
Developing these personal relationships with growers at local farmer’s markets can be beneficial to you.
Discovering New Culinary Delights
If you shop at farmers markets or local food co-ops, you’ll likely be introduced to a new or unique food that’s grown in your area. Discovering these items is an excellent way to learn more about the food history and agricultural practices of your community. You may even find a new favorite food or ingredient.
Over years of shopping at farmers markets, I’ve tried locally grown and milled flour, cave-aged cheeses, teas made from herbs and plants foraged in my state, and so many interesting products. Signing up for a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share is another great opportunity to expose yourself to local foods that may be new to you. CSA boxes are filled with produce and prepared directly by farmers for consumers. These boxes sometimes contain unique veggies or fruits, including romanesco, celeriac, radicchio, and pattypan squash, which are difficult to find in stores.
Farm markets also are great places to find new foods to try. That’s because smaller growers often offer heirloom produce (grown from seeds that haven’t been cross-pollinated with other plants) and other varieties that you may not be able to find in the grocery store. Eating a wider variety of colorful fruits and vegetables gives you a broader range of antioxidants and phytonutrients (substances in plants that help fight disease) and may even encourage you to expand your food horizons.
Supporting Equitable Communities and Addressing Food Insecurity
When hospitals invest in local food systems they can provide opportunities for populations that have historically been excluded, and subsequently address the social and environmental determinants of health.
The federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Healthy People 2020 framework states that health disparities adversely affect groups of people with “characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” such as racial or ethnic group, religion, and socioeconomic status. These populations also experience disproportionately high rates of food insecurity, lower incomes, lack of social capital, and lack of land and home ownership.
In two separate reports, the USDA and the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank both found that investment in local food systems can combat structural inequalities and increase food equity. Many organizations addressing food inequity are looking beyond the charitable feeding model and are utilizing local food markets to provide job training and education and to develop pathways for underserved communities to build and acquire capital resources.
Local food markets can be easier to access in comparison to national or international markets which require greater capital investment. Boston Children’s Hospital, a Practice Greenhealth member, supports communities through their purchasing relationship with CommonWealth Kitchen, a community development corporation based in Boston. CommonWealth provides kitchen space to over 50 food businesses, 75% of which are owned by women and immigrants, many of whom are people of color, who employ nearly 150 people in one of Boston's lowest-income neighborhoods. Each year, three to five of these companies "graduate" into their own dedicated retail or production space.
Ensuring a Dependable Food Supply
The supply chains to population centers are getting longer with fewer goods and fuel on hand locally, leaving hospitals and communities vulnerable to interruptions during natural disasters, bacterial outbreaks, and other emergencies.
In successful regionally based food systems of the past, food was grown in surrounding rural areas and processed and warehoused in cities. Cities often had weeks of food on hand.
While the move toward consolidation in the food system has lowered prices and increased profits for food companies, it has made our system more vulnerable to events such as a bacterial outbreak, livestock or poultry disease, and extreme weather events.
In 2013, Superstorm Sandy flooded New York City grocery stores, and road closures left some stores without food for two weeks. Flooding in Houston in 2017 left Ben Taub Hospital, the city's largest Level 1 trauma center, running critically low on food for days.
Natural disasters are expected to continue to disrupt our food system. Compounding this vulnerability, major food distributors and fuel suppliers have moved toward “leaner supply chains,” with oil refinery closures and food storage warehouses stocking less food to increase profitability.
A 2017 Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future report on the City of Baltimore’s food system resilience found that the geographic concentration of food processing and food distribution/warehouses, and the specialization in crop production could compromise their ability to access food in a crisis.
Addressing the Root Causes of Health
Social factors, including education, income, and poverty, accounted for over a third of total deaths in the United States in a year. When hospitals buy local they address these social and environmental determinants of health by creating jobs and building community wealth.
How to Incorporate More Local Food into Your Diet
If you’re interested in eating more local food, you’ll be glad to hear that it’s easy to do.
Here are some of the best ways to get started eating local:
- Head to your local farmers market.
- Become a member at a local food co-op.
- Sign up for a CSA share.
- Dine at farm-to-table eateries in your area, some of which may even have a CSA or farm stand connected to the restaurant.
- Browse the produce section, or check with the produce manager, at your grocery store to see whether they identify local foods. Some may add labels to local products.
- Virtua offers a Mobile Farmer’s Market that provides access to fresh produce year round in under-resourced areas with limited reliable access to affordable and nutritious food.
- UAB Medical West is making it easy and convenient for you to get locally grown produce by hosting a Farmer’s Market right here at the hospital!
- Communicate with your vendors about your preference for locally and regionally produced foods.
- Ask your vendors to help you identify local foods by listing source of origin so you can track and share your progress.
- Utilize RFPs and contracts with vendors to ensure they will help you meet your goals in sourcing local foods. Farm to Institution New England’s Food Service Toolkit provides guidance and sample RFP and contract language.
- Buy direct from a farm or seek out food hubs, co-ops, or other distributors that specialize in local foods. Contract with a farmer and engage in pre-season planning so they can grow according to your needs.
- Employ culinary strategies such as seasonal menus that make use of the freshest food in your region. Local foods that are in season can be price competitive with foods sold nationally. Reducing meat on your menu is another cost-saving culinary strategy, which can result in savings that can be funneled to local produce and sustainably raised local meat.
- Buy underutilized produce and seafood. Farm seconds, also known as “ugly fruit,” which may not be suitable for retail markets because of their appearance, are perfect for institutional kitchens. Ask local farmers or distributors about seconds in order to save money and prevent food waste. Many of the seafood species in our local waters are underutilized because they are unfamiliar, yet make excellent substitutes for more commonly known fish. Our seafood guide can help you prioritize local, wild seafood.
- Make community benefit investments in local food systems, which can improve access to healthy foods, address the social and environmental determinants of health, and create jobs.