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Why Buy Local

Why Buy Local

The locavore, or local food movement is a collaborative effort to strengthen local economies and bring our food choices back home. Locavores support sustainable agriculture, social health and the environment – and use their purchasing power to support these causes. The basic concept is simple: local foods are produced as close to home as possible. By buying local, you'll support a more sustainable food system and reap many benefits:

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Reasons to Buy & Eat Local

  • Better flavors: You're purchasing fruits and vegetables that are harvested at their peak and therefore taste much better.

  • It's fresher: Locally grown fruits, vegetables, meats and other goods don't have far to travel. They're picked when ripe, so you'll enjoy foods at their freshest.

  • Smaller carbon footprint: The average fresh food item travels 1,500 miles to make it to your table. That's 1,500 miles worth of gasoline – and pollution – as well as its plastic packaging, shipping boxes and other resources. Local produce doesn't travel far and requires little packaging, which means a much smaller carbon footprint.

  • Support local farmers & economy: You are contributing to the local economy and supporting your neighbors – the farmers, delivery drivers, businesses and vendors who live near you.

  • It's healthier: Less travel time between the farm and your table equals fresher, more nutrient-rich food.

  • Less expensive: If you buy local, you're not paying for extra transportation, packaging, refrigeration and other services that drive up the price.

  • Preserve green spaces: Buying local supports farmers, and farmers in turn preserve farmland and green areas. Without your support, farmers could not stay in business – and green spaces would disappear.

  • Safer food: Fewer steps between the field and your table means a smaller chance of food contamination. When you know where your food comes from, you can be sure of its safety.

  • Greater variety: Whether you dine at restaurants that buy locally, shop at your farmers' market, or subscribe to a community-supported agricultural program (CSA), you're creating a steady income for the region's farmers. In turn, they invest their income into new varieties of fruits and vegetables.

  • Promote lower taxes: According to several studies, farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas most urban development costs more than it generates in taxes.

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