Local Demand

Local Food pays for a sustainable local food system.  As noted in our Local Money section,  Industrialized agriculture, like big-box retailing, has delivered cheap calories through a government subsidized system.  While industrialized farming delivers cheap, often chemically concocted semi-foods, it has also caused an epidemic of obesity along with recurring food contamination scares. The local farmer’s market or coop offers a superior alternative that is fresher, tastier, not necessarily more expensive, with fringe benefits.

Local Food avoids the latest food nutrition gimmick. You can see the latest food fad by looking at the food labels in the supermarket.  They scream “no cholesterol, no trans-fat,” no this and no that.  The food manufacturing, packing and distribution system loves to focus on a single feature, literally the flavor of the month, in an attempt to sell products with some kind of  “scientific” or “nutritional” credibility.  It’s lame, it’s false and it’s misleading.  Local food looks at nutrition from a whole food perspective.

Local Food recognizes the time value of food.  Americans aren’t used to spending real money on real food. It’s about convenience and time and the food industry know how to exploit the time squeeze many of us feel.  That’s why thousands of food commercials on TV play to “meals in an instant” knowing that parents are stressed out enough with work demands, and can’t always fulfill the role of a stay at home mom putting dinner on the table each night. Taking time to prepare food, eat right, and eat together simply makes us happier and healthier.  Short cuts to food, shortchange ourselves.