the tree huggers/al gore types will love the 100 mile diet

[st7860]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayof...ood/index.html

If the food hasn't been grown within 100 miles of where we live -- we won't buy it. That is the pledge concerned foodies across the country are taking for the entire month of September.


New York's Union Square Greenmarket farmer's market offers produce and meat from regional farms.

1 of 2 more photos » At its extreme, the 100-mile diet means no coffee, no spices and no chocolate. Most people don't go that far, but they do embrace buying food grown and raised locally where possible.

Freshness, energy conservation and contributing to the regional economy are among the reasons people offer for buying local food. It's a growing trend across the country.

Farmers markets

Estimated sales at farmers markets rose from $888 million in 2000 to $1 billion in 2005, according to a 2006 USDA survey.

There are now more than 4,300 markets nationwide -- an 18 percent increase from 1994 through 2006 -- where local farmers sell directly to the public the fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and baked goods they have grown, raised, caught and made.

Shoppers surveyed since 1990 say they most appreciate farmers markets for their high-quality, fresh produce -- the vegetables, herbs and fruits often are harvested within 24 hours of being sold. Visit Union Square Greenmarket farmer's market »

Produce sold in supermarkets, on the other hand, has traveled an average of 1,300 miles from farm to shelf, according to the University of Massachusetts Extension, and is chosen for its ability to withstand industrial harvesting and shipping.

Shopping at a farmers market, though, is not for everyone. For starters, the markets usually are held outdoors, once or twice a week, so convenience is an issue. Also, vendors sell what is in season locally, which means fragrant strawberries in the late spring but not in the winter.

In some ways, though, farmers markets offer more choice. Sheila Neal, manager of the Carrboro Farmers' Market in North Carolina, says that farmers markets sell "a diversity and variety of fruit and vegetables not found in the supermarket." While a grocery store may carry three varieties of pears year round, an orchard stand at the market may offer more than 10 varieties when the harvest is at its peak.

How do prices at farmer's markets compare to those offered by supermarkets or grocery stores? There is little current research on the subject and what is available looks at small sample sizes. Two older, more rigorous studies, one from 1994 and the other from 2002, give the price advantage to farmers markets.

"Experience with my own market suggests that there is a relative price advantage with supermarkets because of economies of scale. But I suspect price differentials vary widely from community to community," according to Duncan L. Hilchey, an agriculture development specialist with the Community and Rural Development Institute at Cornell University.

He added that "when you add up all the external costs such as environmental damage, the pollution generated by long-haul transport, water supply subsidies to Western farmers (who are large suppliers of supermarket produce), and the social costs of poorly treated farm labor, I believe you will find that food purchased from you local farmers market is much cheaper."

Social, environmental reasons

Buying local food also can be a social statement. Shoppers buying from local farms are supporting the regional economy, helping to preserve family farms and getting to know the people who raise their food. There's also an environmental benefit to buying local food. Farms are relatively close to the markets where they sell their food (usually within 50 to 250 miles), so they use less energy and other resources getting their produce to market.

Responding to consumer demand, large and small food store retailers have increased the amount of organic food on sale but the larger operations, in particular, face challenges in buying local given their high-volume and centralized distribution systems. Whole Foods Market Inc., which operates a regional distribution system, has hired foragers to seek out more regional items for their stores.

Taking a share in a farm

Community supported agriculture groups, or CSAs, are one way to take buying local food a step further. By paying to join a CSA farm, consumers essentially take a share in the farm for the season, typically late spring through early fall, and in return receive a box of produce from the farm each week.


New Yorker Mary Jo Johnson says being part of Norwich Hill Farm CSA "has helped me to try a lot of things I'd never tried before, like kale and kohlrabi." Others say the unpredictability and, sometimes, unfamiliarity of the produce makes it hard to prepare meals but CSAs usually provide advice and recipes to help.

For CSA member Johnson, the motivation for shopping local is both political and practical. "It makes me feel connected to the people who are producing what I need for my health," she said. And, it is "so much fun." E-mail to a friend

[blackhawk]

something new for a lot of city folk I guess, I applaud the idea and the support for local market gardeners especially so that the resources can be kept in the community

I grew up in a small town and everyone gardened(and the older ones still do) and put up preserves, kept root cellars and ate wild meat because it was cheaper, tasted better and it was easier to walk out to the garden than drive to a grocery store. There was quite the competitions at the local agricultural fairs for the prizes.

Life tends to go in circles, fads, fashions and even movies.

I think the whole global warming industry will drive people back to more sustainable & cleaner sources of energy too. It has the added advantage of exposing people to more of what nature is really like rather than the disney versions.

Efficiency and small footprint is the key.

[firetrainer]

Thats pretty stupid. How am I supposed to eat my favourite fruits? Chinese food? No spices? Thats terrible.

[deep]

I don't cut anything from my diet based on its proximity, but I always choose foods grown close to me when it's an option. This is a far more manageable and useful decision than only buying "organic" products.

[corrupt123]

Tree Huggers? Al Gore types? Perhaps you should open your ****ing eyes and see that the world is changing - and not for the better. I wont start throwing out statistics, it's a waste of my time because you'll probably dis-regard them anyways. In a few years though when the bizarre weather patterns start to affect you or the people you love, then you'll realize that moving towards better methods of production and distribution are a good idea.

Or maybe when everything from Kingston to Barrie to Hamilton is suburbs and there is no useable farmland left in southern ontario, and we're forced to import our fruits and vegetables, and on top of exponential transportation costs we're paying for the low supply-high demand essentials of life, you'll realize maybe you should have listened to those "tree hugger/al gore types"

[bionicbadger]

Thats pretty stupid. How am I supposed to eat my favourite fruits? Chinese food? No spices? Thats terrible.

I haven't eaten any food from china in a couple years. Lots of frozen vegetables, fish, and other stuff I won't buy cause it comes from china. Far too risky, even before the recent recalls, because of the pollution and lack of controls on pesticides and herbicides.

[bokep]

100 mile diet isn't such a crazy idea. although your choice of food becomes limited, you won't consume imported foods that aren't inspected and you also support the local economy.

i just watched the news yesterday and the US is only able to check 1/4 of its imports from the ports. we all know what china's track record it when it comes to safety, and it's pretty scary that the majority of imports come into the US uninspected. i wonder what % of canadian imports from overseas get inspected.

by the way you need to grow up a little here. there's nothing wrong with being environmentally conscious, eating right, and supporting local economies.

[slowpoke]

bye bye seafood industry.

[Sylvestre]

I make a concerted effort to only buy Ontario fruits & vegetables. I don't agree with buying fruits & vegs. grown far away (and needing to be trucked in etc) when they are available locally.

I mean, what's the logic of buying fruit grown in california, mexico, africa etc when you can buy stuff grown locally? Likely the fruit hasn't been sitting in crates as long and it's supporting a local farmer.

I also don't buy stuff I know is out of season in our region (north america). It makes no sense to buy citrus in Winter from half-way around the world just for the convenience.

I'm glad this is getting more attention. More people should think for a second or two about the trip that fruit has taken to get to your house.

[firetrainer]

Yes theres nothing like homegrown Ontario oranges.

[bionicbadger]

coffee industry is friggin huge and worth lots of money. The second most traded commodity after oil. I doubt people will give up their coffee habits for some trendy diet.

I know the article says "Most people don't go that far", so what that tells me is that if its a hardship or inconvenience they ignore the restriction, which defeats the entire purpose of the thing in the first place.

[branat]

...

I know the article says "Most people don't go that far", so what that tells me is that if its a hardship or inconvenience they ignore the restriction, which defeats the entire purpose of the thing in the first place.

What would you expect from Al (do as I say not as I do) Gored's dispiples? Won't somebody please think of starving farmers' children in China and Latin America if this 100 miles diet crap go thru.

[st7860]

Perhaps you should open your ****ing eyes"

swearing won't get you what you want.

[slowpoke]

Could be a good opportunity for an offset trading scheme. Say if you eat food from only 10 miles out for three months, you could get a can of coffee. Or after six months a lobster!

[i6s1]

bye bye seafood industry.

I could be wrong, but aren't there cities within 100 miles of an ocean, lake, or river?