It is sometimes difficult to justify the higher prices locally grown foods often demand.  High subsidies for American and European exports, transport and farms make it difficult for Canadian farmers to compete.  American brokers then "dump" any excess production into Canada at low prices in order to maintain high prices in the U.S.   (Confirm this yourself by taking a trip to Buffalo and see the lower prices.)  To provide justification to choose local, this list will to help you make more sustainable purchasing decisions.

1. Locally grown food tastes better and is more nutritious.

Food grown in our own region was probably picked within the past few days.  It is crisp, sweet, and flavorful.  Produce trucked or shipped from California, Florida, China, Chile, or Holland has, on average, changed ownership 3 times, traveled over 4,000 km, is 7 days old, and used tremendous amounts of polluting fuel to reach you.  Sugars are turning to starches, plant cells are shrinking, and nutrients and flavours are breaking down.  Meanwhile Canadian produce frequently receives premium prices in U.S. markets because it is perceived to be more flavourful.  Your customers will also find Canadian foods usually have premium flavour.

2. Locally grown food is becoming fashionable.

In the 80’s it was “natural”.  In the 90’s it was “organic”.  In the new millennium it became “ecological”.  Today the buzz is “local”.  However, it will be difficult for multi-national food corporations to usurp this word.  Local farmers and growers along with local chefs and restaurateurs can now perfect this concept.  This is already the basis of Culinary Tourism which has become a very important industry in Europe and Asia.  This concept will provide tremendous potential for our hospitality industry as we switch from “California Cuisine in Ontario” to our own "Created in Ontario Cuisine"!

3. Locally grown food benefits local communities.

With less than ˝% of our population claiming farming as their primary occupation and with the average age reaching 57 years, farmers are a vanishing breed.  (Their children see little future in this career.)  According to UN studies Canada continues to have the cheapest food in the world – 20% cheaper than the US, 50% cheaper than UK, and a ridiculous 65% cheaper than most other developed countries!  Choosing local foods contributes to our own rural communities.  You can gain insight into the local seasons and our traditional cuisines, and receive an introduction to the enormous variety of foods which could become available just for the asking.  It can also give you access to a real farm where you and your children can experience first-hand the miracle of growing food.

4. Locally grown food preserves a healthy environment.

Farmers do much more for us than just grow food.  They are also stewards of our environment.  Farmers grow cover crops to store organic matter, which minimizes erosion, prevents flooding, and reduces drought.  This organic matter is also very effective at cleansing the ground water (which you drink) of harmful organisms, and it is the most effective way to absorb carbon emissions (to reduce harmful global warming).  Local food also pays to paint the barns and fences and to support local villages that provide visitors with picturesque and rejuvenating country drives. 

5. Locally grown food maintains security.

For each dollar we spend on food, first-world governments spend two tax dollars to hold prices down (Financial Post Sept. 1996).  Primarily this goes to support cheap transportation and to support industry and university research for high yield industrial agriculture.  Excess food drives down profits to the point where farmers and shippers must take potentially dangerous shortcuts.  Then governments around the world must bail out their farmers to maintain a secure food source.  (Poor people around the world are going hungry only because they have no money to buy food.  If there really was a food shortage, prices would be rising dramatically.)  With so many people hungry for no fault of their own they become frustrated with nothing left to lose.  This is the seed for terrorism.

6. Locally grown food preserves genetic diversity.

In the modern industrial agriculture system, only a few varieties fit the requirement of simultaneous ripening for single-pass harvesting; tough enough to withstand harvest equipment, packing lines, and long-distance shipping; and stable enough to withstand extended storage.  Local farmers, on-the-other-hand, choose from the many varieties bred for extended harvest periods; textures so crisp they require careful hand-harvesting; and flavor that makes a chef's job easier.  Lack of demand has meant that over 95% of varieties available a century ago have now become extinct!  Remaining heirloom varieties can contribute to a unique, worth-checking-out, local cuisine for our hospitality industry.

7. Locally grown food is typically GMO-free.

Although biotechnology companies are trying to commercialize genetically modified produce, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms.  Local farmers do not have access to genetically modified seeds (and most would not use them even if they did).  A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified foods so they can avoid them.  (Canadian studies demonstrate similar support.)  But under pressure from global industry lobbyists, Ottawa defeated the bill for Canada to join most of the world in requiring GMO labeling.  Buying local remains the most reliable way to avoid these risky and unpopular organisms that your customers clearly want to avoid.

Choose Local Food.    Sustain Local Farms.